The Aztexan

The next match is upon us already: tonight (Friday) at 7:30 at Nelson Field the Aztex will once again host the Puerto Rico Islanders. This will be the Islanders' third visit to Austin, after a pre-season exhibition and one regular season game. Both of those previous matches ended in draws: 0-0 and 1-1, respectively.

The Islanders are currently in the middle of the standings, 3 points above the Aztex, but with one more game under their belts. They come into this game after a Friday/Sunday "double header" at home against the Portland Timbers, in which they drew one, 1-1 (match report / box score) and lost one, 2-1 (match report / box score). Some Puerto Rico fans are starting to have concerns about the team's performance so far this season:

The Islanders haven’t won a USL-1 game since May 2nd, the team has 2 losses and 2 ties in the last 4 games and their only win this month was in over-time against Haitian side Tempete FC in the Caribbean Champions Cup semi-final. This weekend we had a couple of players out playing with their national squads in a Haiti-Jamaica friendly, but that’s the beauty of not having to depend on just one or two players to win – the team still should have come out with at least 4 points against Portland.

So finally, what’s wrong with the Islanders? Well, my opinion: it’s all a case of some bad mojo.

Meanwhile the Aztex are trying to get their own mojo back. Still missing Noel-Williams, Johnson & Evans, and with Sullivan Silva "doubtful" for Friday due to a bad ankle, the Aztex are bringing in a loaner from Real Salt Lake: Jean Alexandre.

Heath found help in the form of Jean Alexandre, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound midfielder who while he might be new to Austin fans, is quite familiar to Heath and the Aztex organization. That’s because Heath had his sights set on Alexandre before the season with the hopes of signing the Division II player out of Lynn University.

"We identified Jean very early. We thought he was under the [MLS’s] radar; people weren't really talking about him," Heath said. "We were disappointed because we thought we unearthed one." Real Salt Lake selected Alexandre in the first round of this year's MLS SuperDraft in February.

And although some key players are missing, there's still lots of talent on the team. Defender Lyle Adams was just named to the USL-1 Team of the Week for the second time this season, for example.

The game is Military Appreciation Night: all military personnel and their families can purchase tickets for just $5 with military ID. Also, if you bring a canned food item to donate to the Capital Area Food Bank, you'll get a $5 coupon for the June 21st game, Father’s Day, against the Rochester Rhinos.

For another cheap way to get into the game, come to the supporters' pre-match gathering at Nomad Bar starting at 5:00. Chantico's Army will hold a drawing for 2 sets of 3 tickets to the game.

Next weekend Austin will have their own Friday/Sunday double header, their first meetings with the tough Charleston Battery. For that Friday game (June 5), all fans will be seated on the far side of the field, in the east bleachers, to accommodate the Fox Soccer Channel broadcast.

Tonight's should be a good game; you won't want to miss it. The weather looks much better than last weekend, for one thing. And it will be interesting to see how well our borrowed firepower from RSL will be able to work, on such short notice. See you in the stands!

Labels: gameday, players, USL-1