The Aztexan

Now that's the kind of Aztex game we could get used to! Despite a slow start — letting Puerto Rico have the bulk of possession for the better part of the first half, in fact — Austin was able to rally to a strong, no-doubt-about-it win over the CONCACAF Champions League semi-finalists.

The You-Had-To-Be-There Moment of the Match: the 3rd Austin goal. Nine minutes after the Aztex secured their 2-0 lead, the Islanders pulled one back in the 64th minute. With all the concerns about the Austin roster lately, it was easy to envision the game slipping away, at least to a draw. But when Yordany scooted that shot past Gaudette in the 88th, there was no doubt that we had it sewn up.

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

• box score — USLSoccer.com

  Weather: Hot

• Aztex get win over Puerto Rico — Austin American-Statesman
  

  Making his USL-1 debut in place of the injured Silva on the right wing, Jeff Harwell was the catalyst, sending an inviting cross into the Islanders' box. Alvarez was on hand to nod home from 4 yards out in the 42nd minute.
  
  "I'm very pleased for the players because there were what people would count as the fringe players ... (who) have done well. I thought Jeff Harwell was fantastic tonight," said Austin coach Adrian Heath.

• Alvarez leads Aztex to 3-1 victory over Islanders — AustinAztex.com
  

  Alvarez tallied two goals and an assist to lead the Aztex (2-2-3, 9 points) to a 3-1 victory over Puerto Rico (2-3-3, 9 points) Friday in front of 2,019 fans at Nelson Field.
  
  "Personally, this was really important," Alvarez said through a Spanish translator. "I'm getting confidence and I need that confidence."
  
  Alvarez’s two-goal night pushes his season goal total to three, all of which have come against Puerto Rico.

• Islanders lose again, 1-3 to Aztex — The Offside's Islanders blog
  

  It is the first time a USL team scores 3 goals against the Islanders since June 21st last year, when the Atlanta Silverbacks defeated the Puerto Ricans 3-1.
  
  It’s also the first time the Islanders lose two in a row since they dropped the first two games of the 2008 season against Portland and Miami.

• Austin Aztex FC vs. Puerto Rico Islanders Highlights — austinaztex1 @ YouTube
  
  

Next up for the Aztex: a Friday/Sunday home double header next weekend against the Charleston Battery. Though the Battery are undefeated after 9 contests (5-0-4), they have 19 points, earning them 2nd place in the current standings.

As the Aztexan Schedule & Index shows, Friday night's game will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel. At FSC's request, all fans will be seated on the far side of the field, in the eastern stands. To make up for the inconvenience, the team will give a 50% discount on tickets to Sunday's match to attendees of Friday's game.

Labels: postgame, USL-1

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

• Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Pairings announced — USOpenCup.com
  

  All 32 lower division teams will enter the tournament in the first round and have been grouped geographically into eight groups of four teams. The first-round match ups were drawn randomly within the four-team groups, although match ups between teams in the same division were avoided when possible.
  
  The two winners from each group will face off in the second round on June 16, with the winners then advancing to the third round to face the eight qualified Major League Soccer teams. The quarterfinals will be played July 7, the semifinals will be played July 21 or 22, and the final will be played on Sept. 2.

  The Aztex's first game is against PDL side Mississippi Brilla on June 9, here in Austin. According to the full bracket, the winner of that game will go on to player the winner of the El Paso Patriots (PDL) vs. Arizona Sahuaros (USASA).


• GRASS: Grassroots Austin Stadium Supporters — AustinStadium.org
  

  GRASS is a new grassroots organization dedicated to the idea of bringing a multipurpose music and sport stadium to the City of Austin. The group was founded by a group of soccer and music fans who believe that Austin needs a centrally located place to enjoy outdoor concerts and sports.

  Hopefully this is the beginning of something great for Austin!


• Call For Photos — Aztexan.net
  
  I'd really like to have a photo to use with each match report blog post, like on this one. But my camera is kind of crummy, and it's one more thing I'd rather not worry about at the game.
  
  So this is an open call to anyone and everyone: send me game pictures. The details:
  
  • I usually write the postgame post the next day, so the sooner I get a picture after the final whistle, the better.
  • just email your picture(s) to the email address in the sidebar over there
  • I am not going to start or maintain any kind of photo gallery. I just want one — and only one — picture to accompany each match report. (You're welcome to send as many pictures as you like, I'm just saying I'll only ever use one per game.)
  • I'll attribute and/or link your picture however you want
  
  Thanks!


• Minor League Sports Games — DadLabs.com
  
  Some interesting promotion of the Aztex from this video blogging site, DadLabs.com. This guy, "Daddy Clay", is pointing out the fun to be had on the cheap at minor league sports. His main example: the Austin Aztex. Though he tweaks the experience a little bit — calling the Aztex mascot Sgt. Pepper "an anorexic apple", for example — and he includes a caveat for the ESPN crowd ("I get it, being a soccer fan is kind of a tough sell for a lot of American guys"), it's still ultimately a good plug for the games. And it's pretty funny, too. Here's the video.
  
  

Labels: media, stadium, U.S. Open Cup

The Aztex USL-1 team continues to rack up firsts in their inaugural season, though unfortunately neither of last night's were good ones: first rain downpour at a home game, and first regular season loss at home.

The rain was heavy at times, but thankfully it was intermittent. This gave some of the 2,388 fans in attendance a workout, as they trudged down to seek shelter underneath the stands each time it started up, and then came back up to their seats when it abated. One would think that a weblog author who posted a pre-match report showing a 60% chance of rain would be well prepared for such a situation, but one would be mistaken.

The other first, the first loss at home, is of course even more disappointing than a little precipitation. Going into the game, facing a team with one of the best records in the league while missing some crucial players, I had modest hopes. And despite a Carolina Railhawks team that was pressing hard the better part of the night, the Aztex defense looked like they were going to withstand the onslaught. Until, that is, a highly questionable hand-ball was called by the referee, who awarded Carolina the penalty kick that gave them the game.

The You-Had-To-Be-There Moment of the Match: when, after the final shower of the evening had ended, a big, bright rainbow appeared directly behind the eastern stands, in full view of all the fans who had held out that long. Just as I was wondering if its appearance might be a good sign for the Red & White, the ref handed (get it? handed?) the game to the Railhawks.

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

• Railhawks win after Aztex's late penalty — Austin American-Statesman
  

  The undermanned Aztex — missing top scorer Eddie Johnson and star striker Gifton Noel-Williams to work permit and injury issues — withstood the Railhawks' assault for most of the game.
  
  Goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo turned in an outstanding performance, keeping the game scoreless with a series of diving saves and sliding interventions.
  
  But with time winding down and the home side pinned in its half, referee Tyler Ploeger decided the fate of the match when he called a penalty against Austin defender David Sias, who blocked an attempted cross from inches away on the edge of the penalty area with his arm.

• Controversial handball call sends RailHawks home with 1-0 victory — AustinAztex.com
  

  "I thought the penalty was ludicrous," Heath said. "[Sias] must have the best reflexes of any player I’ve ever known to deliberately hand ball it from a yard away."
  
  ...The Aztex relied on Silva to provide the spark offensively with so many players missing. Silva did his best to keep the offense moving, using his footwork to put pressure on the Carolina back line. The Aztex were able to keep up with the RailHawks offensively, matching the visitors with 13 shots for the match.
  
  "I think what’s been apparent over the last two games has been our lack of firepower," Heath said. "That’s something we’re going to have to address in the next few days."

Next up for Austin is the 2nd of 4 in this home stand: Puerto Rico Islanders on Friday, May 29 at 7:30 PM CT. This will be the 3rd time Austin has hosted the former CONCACAF Champions League heros. Both previous contests, one a pre-season exhibition, have ended in draws. Here's hoping the Aztex can find the offensive energy they've been looking for (and that David Sias keeps his Hand of God aspirations under control).

Labels: postgame, USL-1

The Austin Aztex return home to Nelson Field tonight, Sunday May 24, at 6:00 to face the league leaders Carolina Railhawks.

The Railhawks are perched at the top of the table, tied for 1st with the Charleston Battery; both teams have 16 points from 8 games. The Railhawks are 5-2-1, coming off a 3-0 win over Cleveland City Stars on Friday night in Cleveland (match report / box score).

The Aztex will be looking to redeem themselves, coming off a rough 0-4 loss to the Montreal Impact last weekend in Montreal. That may be a lot to ask of the Austin squad, however, as they continue to face injury & personnel issues.

Several players will be returning against Carolina to help out Heath’s lineup including Godbolt, Adams and Reynolds. Despite those additions, there are still a few that will be out including Englishmen Gareth Evans and leading point scorer Eddie Johnson who both remain out of the country while they wait for paperwork associated with their permits to be approved. Noel-Williams' injury will likely keep him off the pitch as well.

"It would be a tall task for him to play," Heath said of Noel-Williams.

To make matters worse, Silva (ankle), Bernard (knee) and Jarius Holmes (knee) all suffered some degree of injury during training this week. Heath ruled Bernard as doubtful for Sunday’s game and labeled Silva and Holmes as probable.

This match is the start of a 4-game home stand for the Aztex. Their next game will be next Friday, May 29, against the Puerto Rico Islanders.

With Memorial Day off from work & school tomorrow, tonight is a great evening to spend watching pro soccer with your Austin Aztex. Kickoff time tonight is early, 6:00, so the pre-match supporters gathering at Nomad Bar will start around 3:30, and head to Nelson about 5:15.

Go Aztex!

Labels: gameday, USL-1

The Aztex U23s make their 2009 home debut at 7:30 tonight, Friday May 22, against the El Paso Patriots. As last year, the PDL squad are playing their games at Round Rock High School's Dragon Stadium, near I-35 and RR 620 in Round Rock (map).

Officially this is the second home game, but it will be the first played in Austin. The first home game, a 4-2 win over the DFW Tornados last week, was played at Baylor University in Waco. That was the first of 3 home games that will be played in venues outside Austin this season, in an attempt to raise awareness of Austin's soccer club in nearby cities. The others will be in Bastrop on June 4, against Houston Leones, and San Marcos on July 3, against the Laredo Heat.

The U23s are currently 1-1-1, while the visiting Patriots are 2-1-0. In addition to being a regular season league match, tonight also counts for Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup qualifying. The Patriots are currently the team to beat, sitting atop the standings with 6 points from 2 games (unfortunately their loss to Laredo last Saturday was not an Open Cup qualifier). The Aztex U23s are tied for second, with 4 points from 3 games. Their chances of qualification aren't great, but they're not eliminated yet.

In other U23 news, defender Chris Spendlove was named to the PDL's nationwide team of week, for his game-winning goal and solid defense in the win over DFW.

While the game tonight may be a smaller crowd than we've been seeing at USL-1 games at Nelson Field, these are some of the best college-aged players in Austin (and El Paso). Their experience is less, but their intensity and passion for the game isn't.

The other nice thing about U23 games is that tickets cost less: adults $8, kids $5, little kids (5 & under) free.

With the addition of the Open Cup qualification on the line, tonight promises to be a good one. It's also worth noting that with so many holes in the USL-1 team at the moment, Coach Heath will be looking for players to pull from Coach Suhnholz's squad.

See you there!

Labels: gameday, U-23, U.S. Open Cup

• Aztex adjusting roster because of injuries, travel issues — AustinAztex.com
  

  In the last week, the Aztex have been without the services of forward Gifton Noel-Williams who pulled a hamstring and backup goalkeeper Sam Reynolds who suffered a hip injury.
  
  Now the team is without England natives Eddie Johnson and Gareth Evans, who are both home while they wait for work permits to be approved, which could take as long as four weeks as their paperwork makes it through the English system.
  
  With so many regulars absent, Aztex Head Coach Adrian Heath has turned to the Aztex U23 squad.

• Weekly radio show starring Coach Heath
  

  I can't find a good story to link to on this, but AM 1300 "The Zone" has started a new weekly show starring Aztex head coach Adrian Heath. The call-in format show is hosted by Ahmad Brooks, who's been doing commentary for the Aztex home games. The half-hour show is on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM CT. If you have as hard a time finding an AM radio as I did, you can stream it live from their website.

• Follow Up on "The Soccer Project" — Inside Minnesota Soccer
  

  Late in March I ran a story on "The Soccer Project", a documentary in progress called "Footplay". If you’ve not seen the trailer, please go to that story and watch the video I have embedded there. You won’t be disappointed as Footjoy is not about professional, youth, or college soccer. It’s about the pure joy of futbol through pick-up games played around the world.
  
  ...Yesterday I received a notice from The Soccer Project. The message brought great news. Footplay won the Melrose Mac competition! The notice went on to say,
  
  "Thanks to all of your votes, we now have two brand new editing systems and accompanying software to get the editing off the ground. We can’t thank you guys enough for continuing to be so supportive as we try to get this documentary to the finish line."
  
  "We returned last week from our final shoot in Iran with more great footage and stories, so we will be in the trenches all summer long to edit and finish the movie by September."

Labels: media, players, U-23, USL-1

So this is what Cleveland fans feel like.

The Aztex received their first loss of the regular season yesterday from the Montreal Impact, in Montreal. And it wasn't just a loss. It wasn't just "one that slipped away from them", or "the Impact stole it at the last minute" or even the old favorite, "terrible refereeing!" It was a regular old butt-kicking.

It was quite a different squad on the trip than we've seen at Nelson Field. And it was very cold & windy. And it was on the road, and on foreign soil, and all French-y, and involved the metric system somehow, and possibly a moose, and the way everyone said "aboot" instead of "about" was distracting. . . Let's just chalk it up to one or more of those excuses, figure the big loss is out of their system now, and not talk about it anymore after today. Ever.

Before I get to the rundown of other post-match coverage, may I just say that Montreal's commentators on the USLLive.com video feed were two of the most irritating twerps I've had the displeasure of listening to in a long time? And it wasn't just because Austin was losing, either. I couldn't stand them from the very start.

• Offensive explosion gives Impact first win — The Gazette (Montreal)
  

  Second-half goals by Roberto Brown, Joey Gjertsen, Tony Donatelli, and Simon Gatti, powered the Impact to its first league win in six games this season, a 4-0 blitz of the expansion Austin Aztex before a crowd of 11,470 at Saputo Stadium yesterday.
  
  The first three goals came in a span of 11 minutes. The outburst began with Brown’s first of the season – unassisted – in the 51st minute. The goal ended a four-game, 319-minute scoring drought going back to Rocco Placentino’s sixth-minute strike during a 2-1 loss to Rochester in the team’s United Soccer Leagues First Division home opener May 9.

• Aztex FC suffers first loss of season at Montreal — AustinAztex.com
  

  Three starters (forward Sullivan Silva, midfielder Yordany Alvarez, and defender Kieron Bernard) didn’t make the trip because of travel permit issues. In addition, the main cog of the Aztex front line, Gifton Noel-Williams, was absent from the lineup after suffering an injury late in the week back in Austin. Starting defender Lyle Adams also didn’t make the trip to attend his college graduation.

• Match Report :: USL1 League Match :: Aztex 0, Montreal Impact 4 — ChanticosArmy.com
  

  In the first half, Eddie Johnson had a number of touches that really provided quality play up front. When teamed up with Ryan Caugherty, the two were able to get the ball moving up the field often and quickly. Jarius Holmes had very good movement on the left side of the pitch, and so the attacks from the Aztex really seemed to be creating stress in the Impact backline. The passing showed the control and management that many of us have been wishing for since the NE Revs match. In fact, I remember talking to several at Cuatro's about the fact that we finally seemed to have kicked the first half challenges that we'd been suffering under recently.

The next USL-1 game will see the Aztex back in Austin. The start of a 4-game home stand, the Aztex will face the Carolina Railhawks for the first time on Sunday the 24th, kickoff is 6:00 PM. The Railhawks are currently tied for first in the league with 13 points, though they've played 7 matches to the Aztex's 5.

This weekend also sees the amateur level PDL team, the Aztex U23s, with their first home game that will actually be played at home. They'll be hosting the El Paso Patriots, 7:30 Friday night. That game, like all the U23 games in Austin, will be at Round Rock High School's Dragon Stadium, I-35 & 620, not at Nelson Field. This will also be the final match in the Aztex U23s' Open Cup qualification run. Their odds are pretty long, but it is possible they'll squeak through, if they can beat El Paso.

Labels: postgame, U-23, USL-1

The Aztex take the show on the road today, Sunday 5/17, playing the Montreal Impact in Montreal. Kickoff is 2:45 PM CT. You can catch the game at an Aztex supporters' watch event at Cuatros, hosted by Chantico's Army. The game will also be shown live on USLLive.com.

Montreal's record is 0-3-2, and they're coming off a nil-nil draw with Charleston Battery (match report / box score) on Friday night. The Impact are also working under new head coach Marc Dos Santos, after John Limniatis was fired last week.

Rumor has it that Eddie Johnson, Gareth Evans and Kieron Bernard are among those not making the trip to Canada. More certain is that backup keeper Sam Reynolds won't be going, as he's recovering from a back injury.

Best of luck to the team on their first road game of the season, and here's hoping for a win over yet another draw!

Labels: gameday, USL-1

We had a nice, warm evening of soccer at Nelson Field last night, for yet another 1-1 Aztex draw. The Fox Soccer Channel cameras were there, and from the crowd to the performance on the field, I think Austin Aztex FC's national broadcasting debut went over pretty well. Unfortunately that opinion is from hearsay and not firsthand observation, since I don't get FSC (and can't get it from Time-Warner, without subscribing to another 1,700 channels I don't want, but that's a rant for another day).

The Islanders were tough, as expected. Couple that with a pretty shaky opening half from the Aztex — allowing Puerto Rico to get on the board first — and it looked like it might be a long night. But once again the Red & White came out looking like a different team in the 2nd half. I don't know what Coach Heath says to them in that locker room, but they certainly had the mojo after halftime. It was enough to draw them level, but not quite enough to pull out the win.

The You-Had-To-Be-There Moment of the Match: seeing a couple of skinny little white kids — 7 or 8 years old, tops — with their shirts off, waving them like crazy and jumping up and down right in the middle of a bunch of Hispanic guys in the supporters' section. Think you'd see that kind of enthusiasm (& integration) at a Round Rock Express game?

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

• Aztex tie Puerto Rico 1-1 — Austin American-Statesman
  

  Both sides missed a bevy of chances for a game-winner, settling for a 1-1 tie as Austin made its national television debut in front of a team-record 5,216 fans at Nelson Field.
  
  The game followed a familiar pattern, as the Aztex limped out of the gate with a disjointed display.
  
  After surviving several clear-cut chances, Austin fell behind in the 39th minute. Puerto Rico midfielder James Marcelin found time in the center circle and picked out the surging Cristian Arrieta in the Aztex box.
  
  The defender turned his marker inside-out before firing high into the roof of the net.

• Austin Aztex FC earn 1-1 tie against Puerto Rico Islanders — AustinAztex.com
  

  In the 67th minute, Johnson was once again involved in an offensive threat on the Puerto Rico end. This time, however, the forward dropped off a back pass across to former Cuban player Yordany Alvarez. Alvarez settled the ball, then delivered it high to Gaudette's left. The Puerto Rico keeper managed to get a portion of his hand on the ball, but it wasn’t enough as the ball found the back of the net and more importantly, the Aztex had tied up the game at one apiece.

The Aztex's next match will be next Sunday, May 17, against Montreal Impact, in Montreal. This will be the first road game of the season for Austin, and their first time to face the Impact. The match will be broadcast on USLLive.com; watch here or on ChanticosArmy.com for details on a where the supporters will gather to watch it.

In PDL news, the Aztex U23s kicked off their season this week. They lost their season opener in Laredo, losing 1-3 Thursday night to the Laredo Heat. Last night (Saturday, 5/9), they drew 1-1 with Houston Leones, in Houston. These first games of the PDL season count as Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup qualifying games. Only the top team in the Southern Conference advances (conference standings), and these first two results will make it hard for the U23s to pull that off.

There is far better news from Austin's partner club in England today, however: Stoke City FC have clinched their spot in the Premiership with today's 2-1 win over Hull City. Congratulations to the Potters, a big fat raspberry to all those who thought Stoke would go right back down, and a hearty early welcome to the team whenever they come to Austin. It's great to have a Premiership team as a partner, rather than a former Premiership team!

Labels: postgame, Stoke City, U-23, U.S. Open Cup, USL-1

After a week off, the Aztex return to the field Friday night, hosting the Puerto Rico Islanders here at Nelson Field, at 7:00 PM CT.

Neither team has dropped a game yet this season. The Aztex have won 1 and tied 2, their 3-0 win over Cleveland City Stars being the most recent. Meanwhile, the Islanders are 2-0-1 so far this season, coming off a 3-2 win over the Montreal Impact in Puerto Rico last Saturday (match report / box score).

This home game is of extra significance for the Aztex, as it will be the team's debut on Fox Soccer Channel (FSC). This will be one of 5 Aztex games (2 at home, 3 away) to be aired nationally by FSC. Hopes are high for a good showing from the crowd as well as the team. Be sure to note: because the game will be televised, kickoff will be at 7:00 PM CT rather than the usual evening game time. That's despite what you may have heard previously (or seen printed on your tickets!).

As the USL pregame story notes, this isn't the Islanders' first visit to our fair city:

While it is the first official competitive meeting of the year between the two clubs, the pair are somewhat familiar with one another with Puerto Rico having made a training friendly stop in Austin en route to their CONCACAF Champions League Semifinal match in Mexico. Just days before their second leg meeting with Cruz Azul, the Islanders played to a scoreless draw as they prepped for the decisive game of the series. As witnessed last week on Fox Soccer Channel with Rochester's 3-0 win over Cleveland, whom they played to a goalless tie in the prior to the season, preseason contests may not be a reliable indicator for future showdowns.

The weather forecast looks great, it's starting to warm up here. This should be another great game , with both sides out to prove something following their preseason draw. Following this match, the Aztex will have a long week until their next game, on the road against the Montreal Impact next Sunday, May 17.

Though the kickoff is early — that time again: 7:00 PM — the pre-game supporters gathering hosted by Chantico's Army at Nomad Bar will officially begin at the usual time: 5:00. (Though if you want to arrive earlier to get a head start, who could stop you?) The group will head over to the stadium at about 6:15 to congregate and be ready to enter the stadium at 6:30. I'll be the one in red; hope to see you there!

A quick note to mention the other big game this weekend: Aztex partner club Stoke City FC have another chance to secure their spot in the Premiership in a match against Hull City on Saturday.

If we win, we are guaranteed another season of top flight football. Even if we lose, this could still be the case if eighteenth and nineteenth placed Newcastle and Middlesbrough draw their more than crucial fixture on Monday night.

Come on you Potters!

Labels: gameday, media, Stoke City, USL-1

Coming off a bye week, the Aztex have a big home game this Friday night against Puerto Rico. This will be Austin's premiere national TV appearance on Fox Soccer Channel (FSC). More on that later this week; for now, here are some quick hits.

• Last Thursday's Timbers Match on USLLive
  
  I've been watching a good number of other teams' matches on USLLive.com (it's free, in case you haven't heard ;-). As mentioned here and elsewhere, the video and audio production quality varies a lot from game to game. And I'm not going to pretend that my own team has it all figured out quite yet, either.
  
  But this game last week, Portland's home opener against the Carolina Railhawks, showed how good it could be. It was produced by FSN, a Fox Sports affiliate, and the professional quality was fantastic. I don't know what kind of money and effort it takes to achieve that level, but if the USL and the teams could get anywhere near it on a consistent basis, it would be a huge win for improving the image of the league. It was the April 30th game, if you want to check it out on USLLive.com (I'd link it directly, but their web UI is a fancy Flash control that makes that impossible).
  
  I also couldn't help but notice the Portland MLS 2011 banners all around the field. Apparently, despite what the Atlanta Silverbacks claimed when they folded last year, the specter of impending MLS doom doesn't instantly kill the USL-1 franchise. Portland's attendance at that game — a Thursday night — was over 8,500.


• Swine Flu non-cancellation
  
  Just a quick note, in case you're wondering: despite cancellations of some events in Texas and Mexico, Friday night's 7:00 PM match with the Puerto Rico Islanders is very much still on.


• 2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Structure Finalized — ussoccer.com
  
  Want to see a bad case of schedule congestion? Check out what June looks like for the Aztex (and other USL-1 teams, presumably). This assumes, of course, that they'll advance through qualifying. Which they will.
  
  
  1. 5th (Fri.) vs. Charleston Battery @ home
  2. 7th (Sun.) vs. Charleston Battery @ home
  3. 9th (Tue.) Open Cup First Round
  4. 12th (Fri.) vs. Puerto Rico Islanders @ Puerto Rico
  5. 14th (Sun.) vs. Miami FC @ Miami
  6. 16th (Tue.) Open Cup Second Round
  7. 19th (Fri.) vs. Carolina Railhawks @ home
  8. 21st (Sun.) vs. Rochester Rhinos @ Rochester
  9. 27th (Sat.) vs. Cleveland City Stars @ Cleveland
  10. 30th (Tue.) Open Cup Third Round
  11. July 3rd (Fri.) vs. Cleveland City Stars @ Cleveland
  
  
• Electronic Arts FIFA petition for USL-1
  
  If you've ever played one of Electronic Arts' annual FIFA soccer video games, you'll know that the teams you play with in the game are real teams from leagues across the world, all the way down to the players on the roster. This petition seeks to have Electronic Arts include USL-1 teams in future editions.


• Aztex U23 schedule — AustinAztex.com
  
  The PDL season is getting underway, and starts for the Aztex U23s this Thursday against rivals Laredo Heat, in Laredo.
  
  The first home game, technically, is against the DFW Tornados on Wednesday, May 13. But it will be played at Baylor University in Waco, so the first home game that will actually be here in town will be against the El Paso Patriots on Friday, May 22. Note that the U23 home games will be played at Dragon Stadium in Round Rock, not at Nelson Field, like the USL-1 games.
  
  It's clear that the Aztex club will be focussing their promotion efforts on the USL-1 team, so you may not hear as much about this team. If you're confused about these 2 different Aztex teams and how they relate to each other, this post explains it in detail.


• Women's Pro Soccer
  
  The WPS season is also well underway, and if you haven't been following any of the action, you're missing out. This is shaping up as the place to be for all the best women players in the world. The attendance numbers I've seen have been in the solid 5,000+ neighborhood. Between the economy and this being a brand new league, that seems pretty good to me. Unfortunately my team, St. Louis Athletica, is not doing too well. Already tied for last place, they just lost their Brazilian star Daniela "indefinitely" to a knee injury.
  
  The next televised game is Sunday, May 10 on Fox Soccer Channel: Chicago Red Stars host New Jersey's Sky Blue FC; kickoff is 5:00 PM CT.

Labels: media, U-23, U.S. Open Cup, USL-1, WPS