The Aztexan

The Aztex head back to New York for their third and final contest of the regular season with the Rochester Rhinos on Saturday, August 8. Coming down the home stretch of the 2009 campaign, with just 9 games remaining, the Aztex need to start picking up wins if they're going to be anywhere near the playoff race.

Their luck so far against the Rhinos hasn't been good, however. Their first meeting was here in Austin on June 21: a 2-0 loss. Two weeks later, on July 5, the Aztex went to Rochester and suffered a 4-1 defeat.

The Rhinos, however, are sitting comfortably mid-table. Currently in 5th place, their most recent result was a last minute 1-0 loss to the Carolina Railhawks on Wednesday night (match report / box score).

The Rhinos are well into an epic 11-game home stand. The only match they've played outside Marina Auto Stadium was their 2-1 loss to D.C. United in the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup on July 21. Despite the loss, the Rhinos took home the $10,000 prize for being the team to advance furthest in the tournament from their league.

The Aztex are hoping to come together behind target striker Gifton Noel-Williams, who on Saturday will be playing his 5th game after returning from a prolonged time on the injured list. Coach Heath certainly hasn't given up on the season yet:

“There’s nothing in the USL manual that says we can’t win four or five games toward the end. I haven’t read that anywhere.”

Heath set another goal two weeks ago, saying the team needed to win three of its last four home games in order to keep pace. After settling for a draw in its previous home game against Montreal, the team is going to have to find some points on the road.

“We know it’s a tall order” Heath admitted. “But we need the players to keep believing. The second they don’t, we have nothing.

“Is it difficult? Yes. Is it impossible? No.”

Kickoff will be at 6:35 CT. You can watch the free video stream at USLLive.com at home, or in the company of Chantico's Army and other supporters at Cuatro's. Come on, Austin! ¡Sí se puede!

Labels: gameday, USL-1