Fort Worth Vaqueros 1- McKinney Chupacabras

Fort Worth Vaqueros 1-7 McKinney Chupacabras

McKinney Cruises to 7-1 Win Over Fort Worth

McKinney Chupacabras FC rewrote the club record book Wednesday night in Fort Worth. 

McKinney (5-0-1) scored a club-record seven goals and recorded the largest margin of victory in franchise history in a 7-1 rout over Fort Worth Vaqueros FC at Doskocil Stadium.

The Chupacabras returned to the win column after West Texas FC ended their perfect start to the season in their last match, while Fort Worth fell to 0-8 on the season.

The visitors nearly opened the scoring in the sixth minute when forward Milton Lopez rattled the woodwork, but McKinney would not have to wait long to find the breakthrough.

Forward Tucker Eason scored in the 22nd minute after pouncing on a rebound created by a header off a corner kick, recording his second goal of the season.

McKinney doubled its lead eight minutes later when Lopez found the back of the net off a cross from Ty Reynolds to make it 2-0. The Southern Methodist University product picked up his second goal of the season.

Then the match quickly turned into the Jaylinn Mitchell show.

Mitchell, a California native who was selected No. 23 overall by Minnesota United in the 2026 Major League Soccer SuperDraft, made his club debut Wednesday and wasted little time making an impact. The midfielder scored his first goal for McKinney in the 37th minute on a simple finish before adding another in the 42nd minute to give the club a commanding 4-0 lead at halftime.

Mitchell became the first Chupacabras player to record a brace this season and was named Man of the Match postgame for his efforts.

"It was nice just to finally get out here with the boys," he said. "It was nice to grab the three points and win as a team."

The SMU standout played much of the second half, looking for the hat trick.

“I wanted it pretty bad, but as long as the team wins (I’m happy),” he said.

The one-sided affair continued in the second half as McKinney added three more goals, with multiple players scoring their first goals of the season. The second 45 minutes featured several firsts for the club.

Defender Aiden Ussery scored his first goal of the season in the 54th minute off a cross to extend the lead to 5-0. Midfielder Ian Arendse added another in the 66th minute, finishing while on the ground for his first goal of the season.

With the result all but decided, goalkeeper Ryder Claborn, who made his club debut, finally faced what was seemingly the Vaqueros’ first shot on target in the 76th minute and made the save in what was otherwise a quiet night. The University of Texas at Dallas product was rarely tested as the Chupacabras controlled possession and dictated play throughout the evening.

Fort Worth spoiled the shutout bid in the 81st minute when midfielder Dylan Cabrera headed home the club's first home goal of the season despite the Vaqueros playing shorthanded after a red card.

McKinney answered three minutes later as midfielder Christian Nardelli scored his first goal for the club to cap the scoring at 7-1, with six different players finding the scoresheet.

The match also marked the first time this season the Chupacabras finished without a booking.

McKinney returns home at 7:30 p.m. Saturday to face West Texas FC at Ron Poe Stadium, looking to avenge last week's 2-2 draw.

Mitchell said he is already looking forward to making his home debut Saturday and hopes the stands are full.

"It looks so electrifying," Mitchell said. "I'm super excited. I just want to get out there in front of the fans."

Words by Grayson Pitts.

Edited by Elliott Stockdale.