An under-pressure Adrian Heath drastically changed up his starting lineup. The comfortable rut of 4-2-3-1 was discarded for the rather adventurous route: a 3-5-2. Rookie Wyatt Omsberg received his second start of the year and joined Brent Kallman and captain Michael Boxall as the centerbacks, while Tyrone Mears and Alexi Gómez lined up as wingbacks. Darwin Quintero and Christian Ramirez made up the front two. Midfielder Collin Martin, who came out as gay earlier in the day, did not start but was named a substitute.
The most memorable moment of the first half was its end—two teams not known for their intensity scarcely did battle in 90+ degree heat.