The Aztexan

I stopped by day 2 of this weekend's U-23 tryouts today. The weather was beautiful. I'm no scout, but even I could see there was quite a range of skill on display. There were three separate scrimmages going on at the same time, so I guess that means there were about 66 hopefuls in attendance. The Aztex expect about that many more for next weekend's tryouts (Mar. 15 & 16), too, so I'm sure we'll get a good strong team out of all these guys.

I'm also no photographer, but I took a few snapshots. You can see them in the new Flickr account I set up. I've also started setting up a Flickr group, so that others can share their amateur (or pro!) Aztex photos. (Note, as of this posting, no pictures are showing up in the group, apparently because Flickr hasn't completed their review process of my account yet.)

Speaking of the tryouts, there's a nice interview with U-23 Head Coach Wolfgang Suhnholz on the Aztex website (start on the main page; then read the rest):

Question: Will the Aztex Stoke connection mean a “British style of play?”

Suhnholz: There no longer is a British style, or German style, or Mexican style. That has all changed. Soccer is a global sport. You play with the players you have and what they can bring to the table. I am a big believer that a good soccer player can play with anybody and any style.

Soccer has changed. The bottom line is that you want to put a good winning product on the field. I worked with European, Hispanic, African players, people from all over the world. Even the English don’t play old English soccer anymore. Look at Adrian Heath who has played in the UK and in Spain. He will take the best from everything and play the style that will win. That’s what we intend to do.

Labels: coaches, players, U-23