The Aztexan

It's time once again, with the season starting in just 10 days, to preview the Division-2 scene. Presenting: the 2010 USSF Division-2 Pro League Season Preview.

This is the second year (here's last year's) for this collaborative preview, written by many authors, including yours truly, and coordinated by Brian Quarstad of Inside Minnesota Soccer.

Following is my contribution, about the Aztex. But little of that will be news to regular readers & fans; be sure to read the whole preview to get the scoop on all of Austin's opponents.

The Austin Aztex come into their second pro season hoping to show some marked improvement over last year.

Though the franchise had a solid start in 2009, the results on the field left much to be desired. Starting with a roster that was both short and low on experience, the Aztex spent much of the season scrambling to cover for a punishing injury list. All too often, they ceded points in the final minutes of the match, and the season ended with the team staying home from the playoffs.

This year, fans hope things will be different. Returning coach Adrian Heath’s roster started with the best and brightest from last year, including Eddie Johnson, Sullivan Silva, Yordany Alvarez and Kevin Sakuda, plus Miguel Gallardo-Aparicio in goal.

That core has been bolstered by some real talent, including former Thunder midfielder Lawrence Olum; defender Jay Needham, who played for the Islanders as well as Norway’s Alta IF; striker Jamie Watson, who returns full-time to Austin after a season in Wilmington; and brothers Leonard and Maxwell Griffin. Leonard is a former Timbers and L.A. Galaxy defender, while his younger brother Maxwell was a key goalscorer for UCLA.

Note the international composition of the team, with English, Brazilian, Cuban, Jamaican, Kenyan and Mexican players joining the Americans. Though the roster is still shorter than some fans might like, the amount of experience is certainly an improvement over last year’s squad.

Another big change this year: the team will play at House Park rather than Nelson Field. House, though sadly also a high school gridiron field with artificial turf, should have much better atmosphere. That’s thanks primarily to the absence of a track around the pitch and its downtown location, close to several nice watering holes.

Our team's sounding pretty good, right? Wait till you read the whole story, and see what our boys are going to be up against.

Labels: media, rivals, The League, USL-1