The Aztexan

Holy cow! We won!

I mean, er, of course we won, I never had the slightest doubt, it was in the bag, like falling off a log, a walk in the park. (A walk in the park that you're used to getting mugged in, that is.)

Wow, what a difference a win makes. Fifteen minutes in to the second half, I was on the verge of posting on the Aztex BigSoccer "what players should we keep for next year?" thread with something like, "none of them!" But they withstood the Timbers' onslaught, and they kept pecking away, and the next thing I knew, Ryan McMahen put a long-range rocket into the net, and we were level. More withstanding, more pecking, and then suddenly Lyle Adams sneaks in a diving header, and the Aztex take the lead! The lead! What a concept!

That was exciting, but then it was time to endure the final minutes, waiting for the opposition to break our hearts with a late goal, as we've seen so many times this season. But no! They did it; they held on -- they won.

So between barely beating Austin last Monday, and getting shut out at home last night, what's the story with Portland? That's not how it's supposed to go between the teams in first and last place. Are they falling apart at the end of the season? That's possible, of course, though there's no obvious reason (e.g., player injury) why they should be. Perhaps they simply discovered that despite the lack of points the Red & White have earned, they can actually be a pretty tough opponent.

See you next year, Timbers.

Here's a rundown of other post-match coverage:

• box score — USLSoccer.com
  

  Weather: Sunny, 86; Attendance: 10,141

• Timbers fall 2-1 to the Aztex — KATU.com
  

  The Timbers attempted 17 of their 23 shots on the night in the second half, including four from Keita. Early in the second half, midfielder Brian Farber slashed his way through the box which drew Gallardo off his line. Farber hit a shot around the goalkeeper, but Keita got a touch on it to send it towards the far post. As the ball crept towards the goal line, an Austin defender was in position to clear if off the line.

• Aztex stun league-leading Portland with 2-1 victory — AustinAztex.com
  

  Timbers defender Stephen Keel headed the ball at the far post in front of the goal where Austin’s David Horst then attempted to clear the ball but instead headed it into upper corner beyond the reach of Aztex keeper Miguel Gallardo to give the home team a 1-0 advantage.
  
  “After the own goal, it was almost like here we go again,” said Heath. “But this time we didn’t.” Instead, in the second half, Austin responded.

Next up for the Aztex is a match-up against Vancouver Whitecaps, Sunday at 6:00 PM.

Labels: postgame, USL-1