The Aztexan

photo: my iPhone (see the white streak of the
ball right above the 45 yard line? Action shot!)

Another beautiful night at House Park, another Aztex win. Yawn.

All right, all right: just kidding! Of course it was exciting, and fantastic, and Eddie Johnson‘s two goals were just as thrilling as the 11 others he’d scored so far this year.

There was one dark spot on an otherwise pretty perfect evening, however. A blemish that sullied — almost ruined — the experience. A failure on the part of those responsible that was so reprehensible that I hesitate to even bring it up. . .

The Amy’s tent ran out of ice cream. Gutted.

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

• box score — USSF

  Attendance: 3,744

• Aztex Outshine Minnesota; Return to First Place — AustinAztex.com
  

  In the 24th minute, Johnson struck for the first time in the game after receiving a through ball from Watson that set up a one-on-one against the Minnesota (7-12-7) keeper. After faking to the right, Johnson dodged back outside and left the helpless keeper with nothing to do but watch him put it in the back of the net.

• Austin Aztex 2, NSC Minnesota Stars 0 :: Match Report — Chantico’s Army
  

  Sometime in the second half though, the play took a bit nastier turn as a Minnesota Stars player, accidentally or not is not known, tagged Aztex Midfielder Lance Watson in the back of the head. The referee did not call the foul, even when Watson clearly showed him the blood flowing from his scalp.

  
  One last touch on the new fieldhouse: the stadium name

  Following treatment on the sideline, Lance was able to return to the pitch and complete the match. Eddie Johnson would then collect a yellow (the only of the match for the Aztex) in the 67′, although I felt the booking should’ve gone to the Stars player for a rough tackle.

• Aztex find bursts of energy to shut out Stars — Austin American-Statesman
  

  In the 80th minute, Patterson outran several Minnesota defenders for a loose ball deep in Austin’s attacking third and sent in a long cross. The pass found Jamie Watson on the other side of the field, who promptly sent another into the box. Johnson broke free of his defender and scored on a easy header from four yards away to seal the win and earn Austin its first shutout in six games.

• NSC Stars Fall to League Leader Austin Aztex — Inside Minnesota Soccer
  

  Neil Hlavaty was subbed into the game in the 82nd minute but didn’t even make it to the end of the game, being red carded off 3 minutes into extra time. He will be suspended for the next Stars game against AC St. Louis on Saturday, September 11.

• Austin Aztex Regain USL Conference Lead; Eddie Johnson Scores Twice — The NASL Fanatic
  

  Coach Manny Lagos’ Stars came out pressuring in the second half, and did some good work in Austin’s side of the field, but anytime they looked likely to get off a shot, an Austin defender was there to block it. Many admire Austin’s high-scoring attack, but it’s time to give a shout out to the Aztex defenders. Playing without the injured Jay Needham in the center, Yohance Marshall, Kevin Sakuda, Kieron Bernard and Leonard Griffin seemed to be everywhere, blanketing Stars’ forward Brian Cvilikas anytime he got a touch. Miguel Gallardo will be credited with another clean sheet, but only had to make two saves and perhaps should be buying dinner for his defenders, considering the quality work they did.

• Photos (10): Free Beer Movement in Action: “Danny Beerseed” in Austin — The Free Beer Movement

• Video: Aztex-Stars Highlights (3:17) — AztexSoccer on YouTube

  
  

Next up for the Aztex is a 1-week, 3-game road trip that will send them to Puerto Rico, Tampa and St. Louis. The first of those games, against the Puerto Rico Islanders, is next Saturday, Sep. 11, at 7:05 PM CT.

Pro soccer returns to House Park on Saturday evening at 7:30, reclaiming AISD’s high school football venue for a few hours. Our Aztex will be hosting the NSC Minnesota Stars for their second and final matchup of the season (the first was a 2-1 Aztex win in Minnesota on May 1).

The Stars are coming off a bye week, not having played since Aug. 21. Their 7-11-7 record has them struggling to garner enough points to stay in playoff territory. Their last game, a 0-1 home loss to the Portland Timbers (match report/box score), was the second such result in a row for Minnesota, following 5 straight draws. They’ll bring their backup goalkeeper for Saturday’s match, leaving starter Joseph Warren home with the red card he picked up in the Portland game.

The Aztex will be missing a few players as well: Stephan Campbell, Jay Needham and Lawrence Olum are out with hamstring and groin injuries. Sullivan Silva and Joey Worthen will miss the game as well, after picking up injuries (knee and hamstring, respectively) this week in training.

The Rochester Rhinos, current league leaders by 2 points, have a bye themselves this week. That gives the Aztex the opportunity to reclaim the top spot with a win Saturday.

In addition to the customary pregame gathering at The Tavern (starting about 5:30, 2 hours before the 7:30 kickoff), there will be a tailgate party, sponsored in part by the Free Beer Movement, in recognition of Brazil’s Independence Day. Starting at 4:30 in the parking lot of the Thundercloud Subs across 12th Street from House Park, it will feature live music by the Brazilian group Manga Rosa.

Even the Aztex ticket office is getting in on the celebration. You can get tickets to the game for just $9 (regular $15) in honor of Brazilian Independence (note that you have to buy those in advance, prior to 2:00 PM on Saturday).

We’re coming down to the last few games now. This will be the next-to-last regular season home game; the last one will be Sat., Sep. 25 against AC St. Louis. And there will be at least one more home game after that, in early October, seeing as our Red & White have already punched their playoff ticket.

A good game, a chance to reclaim the top of the league, a great weather forecast and an open invitation to a tailgate party with live Brazilian music. What more could you ask for? See you there!

photo: Eric Flexyourhead on Flickr

Another nail-biter; another point for the Aztex. Despite a few handicaps, our Austin team put up a heck of a fight, and didn’t come up empty-handed for their trouble.

My two cents:

• Yay for Mister Tramps! We moved watch parties from Cuatro’s to this pub on 183 for a few reasons. We already knew it well it from its association with Austin’s American Outlaws chapter and the Free Beer Movement. But we were also fleeing increasingly poor service and increasingly throwball-centric clientele. Two watch events in, I’m happy to report that Mister Tramps is treating us right. We get the room with the big screen (and the soccer-pitch-painted floor) all to ourselves, and they even have a laptop there ready to plug in for our video streams. Waitstaff has been fast and attentive and prices aren’t bad. Keep up the good work, Trampers! (And you better shape up, Taverners . . .)

• Yay for Vancouver’s video server! Sure it was kind of pixelated and blocky on that giant screen, but there wasn’t a “buffering…” message in sight all game! It was like a live broadcast! I wonder if they can spare a couple of their gerbils to go run on the wheel in Portland’s server room.

• Cheers to Coach Heath, caught for a moment on video cruising the beer garden at halftime.

• The good news is, we had a new fan join us at the watch party. The bad news is, he was so thoroughly blitzed that he’s surely forgotten the entire evening.

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

• box score — USSF

• It’s ‘painful’ says coach, as Caps twice blow leads — The Vancouver Sun
  

  Caps forward Cornelius Stewart opened the scoring in the 16th minute when he ran down a Martin Nash pass/clearance, broke through the Aztex defence and beat Austin keeper Miguel Gallardo with a low 20-yard strike.

  The speedy 20-year-old St. Vincent & Grenadines international nearly scored again just six minutes later when Gallardo mishandled a high ball and was forced to make a quick reaction save off Stewart from close range.

• Fulltime: Whitecaps 2 Aztex 2 — The Province
  

  Caps’ forward Ridge Mobulu, one of 10 players signed since Vancouver last played at home on July 25, produced a dazzling goal in the 52nd minute to again pull the home side ahead.

  Stewart sprung Mobulu on the left side and the Swiss-born 19-year-old dribbled around goalkeeper Gallardo before stopping dead on the end line, outwaiting defender Leonard Griffin on the post and chipping the ball in.

• Aztex Inch Closer to First Place With Draw — AustinAztex.com
  

  Two minutes after trotting onto the field in the 78th minute, Eddie Johnson snapped a header into the Vancouver Whitecaps goal to send the Austin Aztex home with a 2-2 draw at Swangard Stadium, giving Austin at least one point against every team in the USSF D-2 Pro League.

• Video: Austin Aztex @ Vancouver Whitecaps FC – Highlights (6:32) — VancouverWhitecapsFC on YouTube

  
  

Pro soccer returns to Austin on Saturday evening, Sep. 4, when the Aztex host the NSC Minnesota Stars at House Park at 7:30. Start Labor Day weekend right, spend it with the red & white!

The Austin Aztex venture into the Great White North to play the Vancouver Whitecaps today. Kickoff is 6:00 PM CT.

Vancouver is currently in 3rd place in the league, with a 9-3-12 record. Their last game was a 1-1 draw with FC Tampa Bay more than a week ago (match report/box score).

Though they’ve done well this season, they’re clearly starting to look more to next year’s MLS season, and less to this year’s Division-2 season. This piece in the Vancouver Sun tells the tale:

The last time the Vancouver Whitecaps played at home, Willis Forko was in Norway, Terry Dunfield was in England and Jonathan McDonald was in Costa Rica.

Now they are all members of a new-look Vancouver roster that features nine new players signed since the Caps tied Minnesota 1-1 at Swangard Stadium on July 25.

Seven of those players have joined the team — with Swiss internationals Alain Rochat and Davide Chiumiento still to arrive — and expect several to make their Swangard debut Sunday when the Whitecaps host the tough Austin Aztex.

Vancouver head coach Teitur Thordarson said the new players have clearly raised the team’s technical skill level but fans shouldn’t expect miraculous highlight-reel plays all over the field right away.

“Spectators should expect to see good talent but be a little patient,” he said after the Whitecaps trained on Friday. “These guys need some games before we can expect them to perform at their best.

“Some of them haven’t played for months and are not totally game fit right now.”

For their part, the Aztex aren’t exactly storming into Vancouver. They’ll be missing a couple of players who can’t leave the U.S. (Yordany Alverez, Tyler Hemming), an injured player (Lawrence Olum) and a couple of red-card bearers (Kieron Bernard and apparently anger-managment-challenged head coach Adrian Heath). But if Miguel can stay big in goal and the front-end firepower can find their mojo, the Red & White should do all right.

The supporters’ buffering, er, watch party will once again be held at Mister Tramps on 183, come on out and join us!

The Aztex had an eventful start to their 2-game trip in Portland on Thursday night. Though they gained a point, they lost some personnel for the trip to Vancouver. First Lawrence Olum injured his hamstring in practice, then both Kieron Bernard and coach Adrian Heath were ejected from the game, which of course earns them both a ban from the Vancouver match (at least).

Before I get to the match reports, allow me a moment to rant about the video. It was disgraceful. The amount of video buffering we had to endure, and the time delay that the buffering caused, made the game simply unwatchable. I was actually glad we didn’t have a bunch of new fans join us for this mid-week, late-night watch event, because it would have been about the worst first impression imaginable.

For all of the standards that the USSF is cooking up, here’s a humble suggestion for whoever runs the Division 2 league next year: make the teams’ video not totally suck.

These free broadcasts are clearly not intended to attract new fans; the quality is so poor that if anything, they would have the opposite effect anyway. Therefore they must be primarily watched — and given the quality, I honestly don’t know how much watching is actually happening — by hardcore supporters. For our sakes, I’d almost rather not have any video at all, than these broadcasts that would embarrass a middle-school audio/video class.

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

• box score — USSF

• Aztex Steal a Draw at Portland — AustinAztex.com
  

  In the 56th minute, the tide changed in favor of Portland after Bernard was given a second yellow for a tackle on the Aztex defensive half of the field. Following the card, the Aztex defense tightened up and absorbed the plethora of shots to close out the remaining 30 minutes and improved to 1-2-2 against Portland all-time.

• Austin Aztex 1, Portland Timbers 1 :: Match Report — Chantico’s Army
  

  Sullivan Silva, who was making his first start in quite some time, seemed to take a giant leap in a return to form. Silva has had a hard time coming back from a knee injury early in the season, and although getting time in many matches, has done so coming off the bench. His touches have seemed uncharacteristically heavy, and his magic with the ball absent. However, on Thursday night he seemed to have some of that “Brazilian Samba” back, as he was able to break past Timbers defenders on multiple times. Finally, in the 27’, Silva took the next step in his recovery when he scored his second goal of the season, the first since the July 31 match against Miami FC.

  [Note: Chantico's Army gaffer Matthew Gray attended the game in person; don't miss this in-depth report.]

• 14,985 Witness a Wild One At PGE Park — Dropping Timber blog
  

  Suddenly, Aztex manager Adrian Heath is given a red card and ejected from the match after an exchange of words with an official on the sideline. Heath would then walk off the field and head towards the North End, first passing by Gavin Wilkinson and shaking his hand, then walking up into the stands, finding a seat in the rafters, leaning back with a dejected-look smeared across his face and proceed to watch the match amongst the fans. Strange. Simply bizarre and I’ll admit, also kinda awesome. Eventually, Heath was escorted back to the locker room.

  [Note: That blog post is also very lengthy, but I can summarize it for you: 'boo-hoo, the Aztex did exactly what every team on Earth would have done when they went a man down on the road at the beginning of the second half, boo-hoo, we like to think Portland is a great team this season despite all evidence to the contrary, therefore Austin must have cheated or been unsportsmanlike or something, boo-hoo.']

• Video: Aug. 26, 2010 Highlights vs. Austin Aztex (4:27) — TimbersFC on YouTube

  
  

The next game for Austin, just 3 days after this one, will be the Vancouver Whitecaps on Sunday, kickoff at 6 PM CT.

The Aztex play the first of a 2-game Pacific Northwest road trip Thursday night. Kickoff for the match against the Portland Timbers is at 9:00 PM CT.

Portland has 34 points from their 9-7-7 record, putting them 3rd in the USL Conference, 4th in the league overall. Their most recent match was a 1-0 win at the NSC Minnesota Stars last Saturday. That game was narrowly decided by a red card to Minnesota’s goalkeeper and the accompanying penalty kick, converted by league-leading scorer Ryan Pore (match report/box score).

This will be Austin’s last league game — ever — with the Timbers, as the franchise will be moving up to MLS next year. Portland’s only other meeting with the Aztex, here in Austin on June 9, resulted in a 0-0 draw.

Austin will be without the services of key defender Jay Needham, who didn’t make the trip due to the hamstring injury he picked up on Sunday. They’ll also be without Yordany Alvarez, who has a hard time traveling out of the country due to his exile status. On the other hand, we’re happy to have Jamie Watson on the trip, back from being on the injury list for a fractured collar bone.

Despite the distance, the Red & White will have at least two traveling fans on hand: Chase Hoffman won the Aztex Alliance grand prize drawing: a trip to Portland for this game. Chantico’s Army gaffer Matthew Gray will be with him, as well. Here’s hoping the guys have a great trip, and that they aren’t beaten up by a mob of angry Timbers Army members after the Aztex win. I also hope they packed their long underwear; the forecast calls for a downright frosty mid-60s temperature.

Back here in Austin, where it will still be a toasty 90 degrees an hour after sunset, loyal fans will be gathering at Mister Tramps on 183 to watch the action. Sure, kickoff isn’t until 9:00 PM, and sure, it’s a school and/or work night. But you wouldn’t want to miss the Aztex closing the gap with the Rhinos by 3 more points, would you? You wouldn’t want to pass up the chance to see who’s going to score Austin’s goals this time around, would you? You wouldn’t leave the person who’s on the hook to hook up the video (yours truly) to sit there all by himself, would you? Of course not! See you there! (Psst! If you get there early, and the setup works out right, I might have a pre-game treat for you: video of the 1977 NASL Soccer Bowl, Cosmos vs Sounders.)

AustinAztex.com — Aztex Clinch Playoff Berth with Sunday Night’s Victory

A 3-2 victory over Carolina combined with the results from the rest of the USSF Division-2 Pro League over the weekend gave the Aztex a spot in the playoffs for the first time in their brief two-year history.

“I’m delighted that with nine games left in the regular season still, we’ve achieved our first goal for this year in reaching the playoffs,” Aztex President and Owner Phil Rawlins said. “I now look forward to pressing on with our next goal — bringing a championship to Austin.”

Read it all.

And mark your calendar: the playoff game date will be either Wed. Oct. 6, or Sat. Oct. 9. Pre-order tickets are on sale now: $15 for adults and $12 for children 15 & younger (tickets at the gate will be $20 and $15, respectively).

photo: AustinAztex.com Photo Gallery

As promised, it was hotter than a stolen tamale at House Park on Sunday evening. But for another exciting game, and three more points for our Austin Aztex, we can stand a little heat.

Don’t let the low number of cards fool you: it was a pretty rough match. The ref must have only brought the two yellows he gave out, because if he’d had more in his pocket, he surely would have been dealing them left and right. (Either that, or the vision problems people were yelling at him about are real. . .) Most of them should have gone to those brutes from North Carolina, of course. I guess you can’t blame them for getting frustrated.

Oh, and a note to Rochester: look out behind you. You’re in our spot.

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

• box score — USSF

  Attendance: 4,188

• Austin Aztex beat Carolina RailHawks 3-2 — Austin American-Statesman
  

  Austin Aztex coach Adrian Heath believed his team would bounce back after falling out of the league’s top position with a poor outing last week in Puerto Rico.

  A long week of harder practices did the trick.

  “I wasn’t (worried) because I’ve raised enough of a stink this week that I knew I’d get a reaction,” Heath joked.

• Aztex Derail Carolina at House Park — AustinAztex.com
  

  Randi Patterson was welcomed to the Austin Aztex Sunday night with his first goal for the team that cemented a 3-2 victory over the Carolina RailHawks at House Park.

  The goal came on a pass lobbed into the center of the six-yard box from Max Griffin that was chested down by Patterson. After one touch on the ground, Patterson blasted it to the keeper’s left side, giving the Aztex a 3-1 lead.

• RailHawks fall short against Austin 3-2 — WRALSportsFan.com
  

  Despite going down by two goals with under 10 minutes to play, the RailHawks refused to quit. After a flurry in front of goal, Allan Russell picked up a loose ball and blasted it past Aztex goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo for his first goal as a RailHawk, to make it 3-2. The RailHawks nearly salvaged a tie in stoppage time when Gallardo misplayed the ball, but the RailHawks were unable to take advantage of the scramble.

• Photos (28): Aztex vs. Carolina, 8-22 — AustinAztex.com Photo Gallery

  There are some really good ones in there – don’t miss this one of Coach Heath, or this one of Miguel. Too bad they’re not bigger, though.
  
  

• Video: Aztex vs Carolina Railhawks final 3 2 Aztex (1:18) — AztexSoccer on YouTube

  
  

• Video: Aztex 3, Carolina 2 – Postgame Interviews (0:55) — AztexSoccer on YouTube

  
  

We don’t have to wait long to find out if this is the beginning of another winning streak. The Aztex head to the Pacific Northwest this week, facing the Portland Timbers on Thursday, and the Vancouver Whitecaps on Sunday. The forecast for PGE Park on Thursday calls for a high of 67. 67! I just hope that our boys bundle up, and that nobody gets attacked by a polar bear or anything.

The next home game will be on Saturday, Sep. 4, when the NSC Minnesota Stars make their sole trip to the Lone Star State this season.

The Austin Aztex will return to House Park at 6:00 Sunday evening, playing the Carolina Railhawks for the first of just two matchups this season.

The Railhawks are currently in second place in the NASL conference, their 8-6-7 record giving them 31 points. They’ve been on a busy schedule the last couple weeks; Sunday’s match will be their fifth in 15 days. Most recently, they beat Miami FC (because, come on, who doesn’t beat Miami?) 2-1 on Wednesday (match report/box score).

Railhawks head coach Martin Rennie had this incisive tactical observation about the contest:

[Austin's] record is very good this season and they are high up in the league standings because of their good results.

Well. He seems to have it all figured out. One can only hope Austin can come up with something to outfox him.

I expect the Aztex to field a lineup closer to their usual starting eleven than they did in last week’s 2-0 loss in Puerto Rico. They’ll have to do without Jamie Watson, who is still out with the fractured collarbone he picked up on Aug. 7, but I’m sure Max Griffin and Yordany Alvarez will start.

The game kicks off at 6:00, so the pregame gathering at The Tavern will start around 4:00. With temperatures predicted to top 245 degrees (Celsius), hydration will be key for supporters who want to last the full 90. If you get to feeling too sorry for yourself in the heat, you can take comfort in one fact: at least you’re not the poor wretch who has to wear the Sgt. Pepper costume at this game^*.

Kidding aside, don’t forget that after Sunday, there will be just two more regular-season home games (9/4 and 9/25). School starts back in Austin next week, so this is the last weekend of the summer for families with school-age kids. What better way to spend an August Sunday in Texas than coming down to House and watching your Austin Aztex whip up on some Tar Heels?

Yo si le voy, le voy a los Aztex!

^* Apologies to the poor wretch who has to wear the Sgt. Pepper costume at this game, if he or she reads this blog. Actually, more than apologies: if the supporters find out who wears that costume on Sunday, I’m sure that person will drink free all night at Cuatro’s after the game.

A blog post on a not-well-respected site called MLSRumors.com today suggested that the Austin Aztex and Rochester Rhinos are considering moving to Division 3 next year, in response to the Division 2 standards recently announced by USSF.

As you might guess from a site with “rumors” in its name, and which deals mostly in headlines with question marks at the end, they should be ignored. They’re trolling for page-views, and I’m not going to contribute by linking to them. (You can Google them easily enough, though I assure you: you’re not missing anything.)

Neither I nor anyone I know has heard the slightest hints of anything like this. Further, a fellow Aztex fan (thanks, Jeff!) sent me this statement, which he received from Aztex CEO Djorn Buchholz:

“I can assure you that the rumors you heard on MLSRumors.com are just that, rumors. This club has no intention of playing D3 soccer. Yes, the new D2 standards are quite strict, but our ownership group has assisted US Soccer in setting those guidelines and we meet them. I do appreciate your email and rest assured, we will play D2 Soccer for years to come.”

Update: Brian Quarstad at Inside Minnesota Soccer has more on this: Quelling Rumors – A USSF D2 Update. He adds a statement from Rochester Rhinos owner Rob Clark, and he has a good summary of what kind of shape all the teams, current as well as possible future, look like.

Humph. It’s been a while, but I remember now: losing isn’t nearly as much fun as winning. I summed up my opinion on Twitter last night late in the game: “Who are these people in red & white, and what have they done with my Aztex?” The team I saw on the video feed (in between bouts of camera-induced motion sickness) just seemed off. Off pace, off target and generally off their game.

There shouldn’t be too much shame in it: Puerto Rico ain’t a bad team. They did just knock the LA Galaxy out of the CONCACAF Champions League. That’s what makes their constant time-wasting tactics that much harder to take. Islanders! Cut it out! It’s embarrassing! Goalkeeper Bill “Not Yet” Gaudette, of course, is the worst. I heard they were going to give him a newly coined Time-Waster of the Match award . . . but were afraid of how long it would take him to accept it. I heard it takes him 10 minutes to make a 3-minute egg. I heard when he falls out of bed he doesn’t hit the floor till morning. I heard he doesn’t like molasses, because it pours too fast.

Ahem. You get the idea.

Meanwhile, Rochester‘s 2-1 win over Montreal lets them nose into first place (42 points to Austin’s 41). But the Aztex have 3 games in hand, which should make the Rhinos nervous in spite of last night’s showing in Bayamón.

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

• box score — USSF

• Puerto Rico Ends Short-handed Aztex Streaks — AustinAztex.com
  

  Prior to tonight’s contest at J.R. Loubriel Stadium in Puerto Rico, the Austin Aztex had two seven-game streaks in the works — they had yet to be defeated on the road all season long and had not lost since June 12. The Islanders ended both of those marks though with a 2-0 victory over the short-handed Aztex, who were playing without two of its top three scorers or its top midfielder.

• Aztex 0, Puerto Rico 2 :: Match Report — Chantico’s Army
  

  In the first half, we knew right away that the Aztex were having difficulties. The passing and ball management, which had been so crisp and clean this year, really seemed to revert to the ball management of the 2009 Aztex. Passing was lethargic, there was propensity for long ball play, and the Islanders seemed to be on the other end of Aztex passes as much as we were. Although the Aztex may very well have had trouble with the pitch, which was very wet and pocked, the familiarity with the Bayamon field had to help the Islanders. This was evidenced by the number of opportunities Naranje had with multiple shots on goal in the first half, that test Aztex goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo.

• USSF D2 Saturday Action: Islanders Upset Aztex; Rhinos Win Again and Slip into First Place — The NASL Fanatic
  

  Although the Aztex were without key players Maxwell Griffin, Jamie Watson and Yordany Alvarex [sic], they still outshot the home team , 16-8. Props to veteran Islanders’ goalkeeper Bill Gaudette on keeping the clean sheet. Colin Clarke’s Islander squad is peaking at the right time, leveling their league record at 7-7-7. The Islanders begin group play in the CONCACAF Champions League this Tuesday when the match up with Honduran team CD Olimpia.

The Aztex return home this weekend, hosting the Carolina Railhawks at House Park on Sunday, Aug. 22 at 6:00 PM.

The Aztex start in on the road-heavy portion of their schedule this weekend. Over the next eleven games, eight will be away games. Saturday night’s match will be at Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium in Bayamón, facing the Puerto Rico Islanders.

This is the third of four matchups with the Islanders; the last will also be at Puerto Rico, on Sep. 11. In the two previous games, the Aztex got a 2-1 win on June 5 and a 1-1 draw on July 3.

Puerto Rico is 6-7-7 in regular season play. They’re on a kind of streak of draws lately, tying 5 of their last 6 (with a win being the 6th). Their most recent result was Wednesday night, when they gave up a 92nd-minute equalizer to draw 1-1 with FC Tampa Bay at home (match report/box score).

We’ll see whether Austin continues its impressive form on the road, currently 5-0-2. They’ll have to do it without a couple of key players:

Forward Jamie Watson will be held out of this weekend’s contest with a fractured collarbone and will be joined on the sidelines by Stephan Campbell (groin) and Max Griffin (rest). Watson’s injury could possibly put him out on August 22 as well, but he will be re-evaluated before then.

Kickoff will be 7:05 CT; video of the game will be streamed live online at austinaztex.com. As usual, everyone is invited to the Chantico’s Army-hosted watch party at Cuatro’s.

The Red & White will be back in Austin next Sunday, Aug. 22, playing the Carolina Railhawks for the first time this year.

Inside Minnesota Soccer — USSF D2 Update; New Standards Set for League, Current and Future Owners

IMS has been told the standards that US Soccer presented to the team owners on Monday and that were passed by the Federation board on Tuesday will be released in the next several days. While some of the new standards may be negotiable the financial set of standards will not. Provisions are laid out in the documents that teams could ask for a wavier on certain aspects of the rules, However, US Soccer made it very clear to those in the room that the financial qualifications will be strictly adhered to.

I encourage you, as always, to read it all, but here are the highlights, in my opinion:

• St. Louis‘ Jeff Cooper didn’t attend. That guy is just determined to make his mark on American soccer. Too bad it’s a skid mark.
• None of the 165 people involved in ownership of Puerto Rico Islanders attended. Way to fight for your team, folks.
• No representative from prospective teams in Atlanta, Orlando or New York City attended. Thumbs up to those movers & shakers. (But don’t worry about Atlanta, they’re just sitting out the season. Oh wait, that was 2009.)
• USSF will require lots more dough of franchise holders starting next year: a $750K season bond (up from $350K this year and $100K last year), plus owners’ proof that they’re worth at least $20MM.
• USSF has no intention of directly running second division soccer themselves next year.
• There’s no mention here of rumored soccer-specific stadium requirements.
• Brian lists the Aztex as one of the 5 U.S. “teams that should be able to pass the financial standards”.

I’ll see what the official statements say before I get too worked up or too relieved about anything. In honesty, I’ll probably be nervous until I’m sitting in the stands at the 2011 season opener. I applaud the USSF for finally bringing some adult supervision to this level of soccer. I just hope that enough of the teams’ ownership, present as well as future, is strong enough to rise to the occasion.

photo: AustinAztex.com Photo Gallery

Another exciting game — well, an exciting first half, anyway — and another Aztex win. We’ve seen an amazing sixteen goals in total between these two teams in their first three meetings of the season. At this rate, Austin will win the fourth meetup, 26 to 3. (Don’t try to figure out where I got those numbers, they came right out of my . . . ear.)

(I’m going to try something a little different in this postgame report, by the way. Rather than try to be Mr. Junior Sportswriter — which, let’s face it, I ain’t fooling anyone on that account anyway — I’ll just give you a random jumble of observations, opinions and impressions. The links below will still give you as much straight match report verbiage as you want.)

• Five subs! Coach Heath used five subs! Some folks in the supporters’ section didn’t even know that USSF-D2 allows five subs, because we never see more than two.

• One of the Aztex goals was “controversial”. I believe it was the third one; Tampa Bay claimed it didn’t cross the goal-line, the linesman said it did. In the “postgame interviews” video below, the interviewer says it was a goal, and that he caught it on tape. Well, it happens fast, and it’s just YouTube video quality, but . . . I don’t see it. Not saying it didn’t happen; just saying I don’t see proof in that video.

• On the other side of the karmic scales of soccer justice: I heard from people with a better angle than we had in La Villa Aztex that the penalty that gave the Rowdies one of their two goals was bogus.

• Props to the Crocketteers, who roadtripped an hour and a half in that sweet red double-decker bus to see the Aztex. I also love the slogan on their shirts: “Cross the line“. It will almost be a shame if San Antonio gets a Div-2 team, and Austin has to humiliate them game in and game out.

• I like elaborate goal celebrations (in moderation), and you can see a good, jumprope-inspired one from our boys in the videos below. But it makes the superstitious part of me nervous. In the words of the immortal Han Solo: “Great, kid. Don’t get cocky.”

• We have a definite contender for the best chant of the year. After the obligatory “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” following Long Tan’s red card in the 38th minute, he was also treated to chants of “Long Tan; short game!” Credit, no surprise, to Dan the Free Beer Man.

• Speaking of young Mr. Tan, many of us were amazed that he was allowed to sit out on the front walk of the fieldhouse for most of the rest of the game, sipping mimosas under a bright yellow-and-green parasol. Okay, the mimosas and parasol bit is unconfirmed, but he really was sitting out there, watching the game. I thought red cards sentenced the receiver to the locker room, removed entirely from the game for the duration. In fact, I thought that our own Coach Heath received an additional one-game ban earlier this season when he didn’t vacate the field promptly. One of the supporters complained to the fourth official, who merely shrugged. Will this Rowdies player be allowed to flaunt the rules of the game without punishment?

• Or is having to wear that hideous strip week in and week out punishment enough? Seriously, those yellow-and-green uniforms are the worst. I thought after the first time the Rowdies were here that I might get used to them, but no. Maybe they do something for people trapped in the ’70s, or Florida, or both, but they make me queasy. If the Aztex had that kit, I think I’d join the Crocketteers.

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

• box score — USSF

  Attendance: 3,671

• Aztex again take win in scrap with Rowdies — Austin American-Statesman
  

  But controversy would help Tampa Bay respond when the following kickoff saw Aaron King chase down a loose ball in the box with Austin’s Kevin Sakuda pressuring him. As the two went for the ball, both got tangled up and fell.

  Head referee Niko Bratsis called a foul on Sakuda, giving a penalty kick for Tampa Bay and provoking a fierce protest from Austin’s players that included Sakuda kicking the ball downfield. Sakuda earned a yellow card, and Tampa Bay’s Ricardo Sanchez converted the penalty kick.

• Aztex Roll Rowdies; Remain Unbeaten in 7 Matches — AustinAztex.com
  

  With the man advantage, Austin cemented its lead in stoppage time of the first half when Max Griffin‘s effort put them ahead 4-2. Griffin received a ball from Austin midfielder Lawrence Olum at the top of the Tampa Bay goal box and used a tricky array of moves to get behind his defender and calmly put the ball into the back of the net.

• Austin Aztex 4, FC Tampa Bay 2 :: Match Report — Chantico’s Army
  

  In the 69′, the Aztex Nation got our first glimpse of the other new acquisition, when Randi Patterson (Forward, formerly of Crystal Palace Baltimore) made his first appearance by replacing Max Griffin. Randi’s first touch came moments later when his run down the left side resulted in a ball going out the end line resulting in a Rowdies goal kick.

• Photos (22): Aztex vs. Tampa Bay, 8-7-10 — AustinAztex.com Photo Gallery

• Video: Aztex vs Tampa Bay Rowdies Highlights (2:19) — AztexSoccer on YouTube

  
  

• Video: Postgame Interviews (3:00) — AztexSoccer on YouTube

The Aztex head down to Puerto Rico next Saturday, to take on the Islanders. They’ll return to Austin the following Sunday, Aug. 22, to face the Carolina Railhawks for the first time this season.

Another weekend, another home game against a Floridian opponent.

This weekend we’ll see the Tampa Bay Rowdies return to House Park for the second time this season, and for the third of four scheduled contests. The previous two have both ended in draws, despite a total 10 goals scored (2-2 on May 8 and 3-3 on May 19).

The Rowdies have a 6-7-6 record, putting them in next-to-last in our USL conference, though they’re in 7th place in overall league standings. They have been winless the last two months, with the sole exception of a 2-0 win over Miami FC on July 25. (And come on, who doesn’t beat Miami? Oh, wait: the Rowdies also drew with them on July 4.) Their most recent match, hosting the Portland Timbers last weekend, resulted in a 2-2 draw (match report/box score).

Though there is no random, stoner-autographed musical instrument on the line in this match, there will be a police car, fire truck and ambulance “for kids to play with” in the Kids’ Zone.

That’s part of “Austin Heroes Night”, which will see Austin Police, AISD Police, Austin Fire and Austin-Travis County EMS honored during halftime.

Also, regular Aztex fans will be bolstered by an expected 30 Crocketteers, who are road-tripping up from San Antonio to see the game. The coolest part? They’re coming in the Lion & Rose‘s old-fashioned double-decker bus.

As always, fans will start getting together at The Tavern at 5:30, about 2 hours before the 7:30 kickoff. And don’t miss the after-game (another victory celebration, probably) with fans, coaches & players at Cuatro’s.

On paper, it was a match that the Aztex shouldn’t have had much trouble with, and in the end, they didn’t. I give Miami FC some credit, though. They went down one goal just before halftime, and another just after. Other than maybe the very first minutes of the game, those are about the most dispiriting times to give up goals. But Miami didn’t wilt. They kept fighting, and even pulled one back in the 75th.

But it was too little, too late. Once Kendall McFayden sealed the deal with a stoppage-time goal in his first pro appearance, it was a perfect 4 wins from 4 games against the Blues. More importantly, it was another 3 points in the 2010 bank.

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

• box score — USSF

  Attendance: 3,228

• Aztex roll past Miami — Austin American-Statesman
  

  “To be honest, I’m a little bit disappointed with us tonight,” Aztex head coach Adrian Heath said. “Having been a striker, I’m always wary to have a go at strikers because I know it’s a difficult job, but we were wasteful tonight with chances.”

• Aztex Crush Rival at Home; Sweep Season Series — AustinAztex.com
  

  In the 44th minute, defender Leonard Griffin played a fantastic ball across the field to the head of [Eddie] Johnson who was standing all alone on the edge of the Miami six-yard box. Johnson was able to head the ball back across the goal leaving the Miami keeper with no chance of making the save.

  The goal was his ninth of the season.

• USSF D2 Recap for July 31st: Aztex continue to roll! — The NASL Fanatic
  

  While the result isn’t exactly what Shore was looking for, he was somewhat pleased with their play.
  “I don’t think the score was indicative of the way we played,” Miami FC Head Coach Daryl Shore said, according to the official website. “Once again we did well to keep possession, but possession doesn’t get you results.”

• Video: Austin Aztex 3, Miami FC 1 (1:24) — AztexSoccer on YouTube

  
  

• Video: Postgame Interviews – Aztex 3, Miami FC 1 (0:56) — AztexSoccer on YouTube

Next week Austin will host their other Florida opponent: the FC Tampa Bay Rowdies will be at House Park on Saturday, Aug. 7, at 7:30. Tell a buddy, and bring a friend!

And . . . we’re back! After a week off, the Aztex will return to league action Saturday evening, hosting Miami FC here in Austin at 7:30.

This will be the fourth and final meeting between the two teams this season. Austin has won all three of the previous matchups, and will be looking to take another three points.

Miami, meanwhile, will be looking to break a winless streak that stretches back 7 games (0-5-2; two of those losses were to the Aztex). Their most recent result was a 2-0 loss to Tampa Bay (match report/box score). The team has made changes to try to climb out of last place: last week they hired a new head coach, Daryl Shore. Shore goes to Miami after a 10-year stint as assistant coach with MLS’ Chicago Fire.

The Aztex, meanwhile, should be rested and raring to go. With the recent signing of Tyler Hemming and some trialists in town, we may see some new players on the field.

Austin continues to lead the league with 35 points, even though it has 3 games in hand over the two closest challengers (Vancouver and Rochester, both at 33). The final third of the Aztex’s schedule is heavy with road games, and though their road record this year has been great, I’m sure that they won’t be taking these next home games for granted. Though this game has all the markings of three points for the Red & White, in this sport you never know the outcome for sure until that final whistle blows.

If you need tickets, you can get a good deal today (Friday, July 30) at Eversave.com: ticket vouchers are just $8. You can buy up to 10, and they’re also valid for next weekend’s game against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Proceeds of those tickets, as well as an auction of autographed players’ warm-up shirts at the game, will benefit Breast Cancer Resource Centers of Texas.

There are just five home games left in the season, so don’t miss this one! As always, fans will start getting together at The Tavern at 5:30, about 2 hours before the 7:30 kickoff. And don’t miss the after-game (hopefully another victory celebration) at Cuatro’s.

Let’s go Aztex!

AustinAztex.com — Aztex Add Depth to Midfield with Addition of Hemming

The Austin Aztex made a move to sure up [sic] their midfield on Tuesday by trading for the Montreal Impact’s Tyler Hemming for future considerations. Hemming, a capped Canadian international, has played in five matches for the Impact this season, four of those in a starting role.

“We are delighted to add Tyler to the team,” Head Coach Adrian Heath said. “Tyler is going to add much-needed depth to the midfield as we make our push to the playoffs and look to maintain our position on top of the league table.”

Maybe we’ll see Hemming, or some of the trialists in town this week, in this Saturday’s home game against Miami FC.

News 8 — Athlete of the Week: Griffin maxing out potential with the Aztex

News 8 Austin’s commendably good coverage of the Aztex continues with this nice video (1 min 39 sec). Unfortunately it’s not embeddable, so you’ll have to click the link to watch it. The charming bit at the end, about why Max and his brother Leonard both play for the Aztex, made me laugh.

photo: AustinAztex.com Photo Gallery

It was a hot one at House Park on Saturday night. And the same way that the thermometer doesn’t always reflect how hot it really feels, so too, a final scoreline doesn’t always tell the whole story, either. That was certainly the case at House Park this weekend.

The 3,702 fans in attendance found the Aztex pressing hard from the opening whistle, barely letting St. Louis have the ball. The shot stats give a better idea of the heat the Red & White were pouring on: they took 15 in the first half, vs. St. Louis’ 1. Though the visitors fought back with intensity in the second half, they were a man down by that point, and it was too little, too late.

Though it was a solid win, I can’t help but feel that Austin should have really crushed this one. Playing at home, having the clearly stronger offense, with the benefit of a 1-man advantage, St. Louis was lucky (or did well defensively, depending on how you look at it) to not get really clobbered in this game.

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

• box score — USSF

• Aztex Blank AC St. Louis; Further Stretch League Lead — AustinAztex.com
  

  Ten minutes later, Jamie Watson was able to deliver a ball to Lance Watson that put the midfielder in a favorable scoring position. In an effort to halt Lance’s scoring chance, Dufty took him down inside the six-yard box, resulting in a penalty kick for the Aztex.

  Eddie Johnson stepped up to take the kick for the Aztex and attempted to place it to the Dufty’s left. With a quick reaction, Dufty was able to push the ball away from goal, denying Johnson his 10th tally this season.

• Austin Aztex beat St. Louis — Austin American-Statesman
  

  Austin earned redemption in the 34th when a Yordany Alvarez free kick floated toward a contested Jay Needham in the box. In the middle of the scrum Needham’s header deflected off St. Louis’ Jeff Cosgriff, who was given a red card for a handball, setting up another penalty kick. This time Jamie Watson stepped up to take the penalty and sent the shot into the lower right for the goal.

• AC St. Louis Lose 2-0 at Austin — The AC St. Louis Fanatic
  

  AC St. Louis in the second half had the daunting task of trying to win being a man down against the best offense in USSF D2 on the road. Coach Dale Schilly made liberal use of his substitutes, as Ryan Moore, John Lesko, Elvir Kafedzic and Alex Titton came in — Brad Stisser came in during the first half when Chris Salvaggione took a hard knock and was stretchered off the field. And although AC St. Louis made a game effort, the Aztex were able to double the lead in the 69th minute on a Maxwell Griffin goal. Being a man down in the 90-plus degree Texas heat was too tall of an order for the Saints to overcome, although they did force Aztex goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo into making some good saves on some hard, long-range shots.

• Photos (20): Aztex vs. AC St. Louis, 7-17 — AustinAztex.com Photo Gallery

• Video: Aztex extend unbeaten streak blanking St. Louis 2-0 (1:35) — News 8 Austin

• Video: Aztex 2, AC St. Louis 0 – Highlights (1:13) — AztexSoccer on YouTube

  Don’t miss the unbelievable defensive save St. Louis’s Jack Traynor makes of a lovely little chip from Eddie Johnson; see it from 0:18 to 0:28.

The Aztex won’t play again for two weeks, when they host Miami FC again on Saturday, July 31. I understand the players will be given some days off, and have a chance to really relax, visit family, etc. Congratulations to the team on a great season so far, enjoy a well-earned rest and good bragging rights with friends and family, and see you all back dominating the league in a couple of weeks!

Bleacher Report — This Is the Los Angeles Galaxy: Yohance Marshall

Football shares a few parallels with life in general. One of those parallels is a significant one: Getting a chance to prove yourself isn’t always a given.

For Yohance Marshall, it’s a parallel he knows very well. Standing tall at 6’2″ (1.88 m), this defender from Trinidad & Tobago has yet to shine on game day for the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Currently, he is playing for the Austin Aztex in the USSF Division 2 Professional League on loan from the Gs. One day, his experience playing on the back line at House Park will translate to many memorable matches at the Home Depot Center.

Read it all.

The Aztex return to Austin to host AC St. Louis for their first match after the completion of the 2010 World Cup. Will we see some of those huge numbers of Cup final viewers? While Austin vs. St. Louis may not have quite the cachet of Spain vs. Netherlands, we’ve seen some exciting soccer at House Park, and I hope Saturday evening is no exception.

St. Louis continues to struggle through their inaugural season. Their 3-8-4 record gives them just 13 points from 15 games, putting them right at the bottom of the league table. The pregame story on the Aztex website calls them “streaking” over the last 6 games, but I think that’s a generous description of a 2-1-3 run.

Saturday’s game will be the second of a four-game road-trip for St. Louis. The first was just Wednesday night against the NSC Minnesota Stars. Though they got a point from the 2-2 draw, to St. Louis it must have felt like a loss: they were leading 2-0 until the 87th minute (match report/box score).

Austin will be looking to regain its offensive firepower in this game. Having averaged 2 goals per game for the first 14 games of the year, the Red & White haven’t scored at all in the last two matches. Perhaps the return of midfielder Lance Watson, just back last weekend after being absent since early June with hamstring trouble, will spark the Aztex offense.

Unfortunately, on the defensive end, stalwart Kieron Bernard is listed as questionable for Saturday with a groin injury.

The Aztex have teamed up with “Austin Pets Alive!” (APA), an organization working to stop the practice of killing stray cats and dogs in Austin. If you order your tickets from this fundraising page, the Aztex will donate 20% of your ticket price to APA.

Kickoff is the usual time: 7:30 PM. And the pre-match gathering at The Tavern is the usual time, as well: 5:30. And don’t forget the after-match spot, Cuatro’s, which is sure to be a victory celebration. Come on out and have a great Austin evening of live, pro soccer. Go Aztex!

Austin Pets Alive! — Soccer Fever:

If you can’t get enough of soccer watching, check out Austin’s own soccer team, the Aztex. The Aztex will donate 20% of all ticket sales for the game on Saturday, July 17th that come from this link: http://aztex-soccer.com/apa

photo: DemocratAndChronicle.com

I had to miss a fair bit of this game, but what I saw was a rain-soaked standoff between two of the toughest teams in the league. Props to the Aztex for holding on to the “undefeated on the road” mantle, that’s not insignificant. And it was nice to have Lance Watson back in the starting 11. But somebody in red & white needs to start scoring again.

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

• box score — USSF

• Aztex Play Rochester to Scoreless Tie — AustinAztex.com
  

  As the clock neared the 90-minute mark, the frenzied shots picked up, including a cross from the right side of the pitch that landed safely in Gallardo’s hands – until the rain-soaked ball slipped out right to a waiting Rhinos player who fired a rocket on net. Fortunately for the visitors, Bernard had not given up on the play and was able to get enough of the ball to send it back on its way and away from danger.

• Rochester Rhinos tie Austin Aztex — Democrat and Chronicle
  

  “I don’t think we took enough risk,” [Rhinos coach Bob Lilley] said after his second-place team failed to gain ground on Austin, which maintained its six-point lead in the USL Conference at the midway point of Rochester’s schedule.

  “If you want to win these games we have to do more. I don’t feel like we were poor, we just didn’t do enough. Games like this aren’t generally going to be decided by a mistake. Teams that are playing well, you’re going to have to find a good goal.” Austin led 10-8 in shots and 8-3 in corner kicks.

• Photos (10): Austin Aztex vs. Rochester Rhinos — Democrat and Chronicle

The Aztex return to House Park next Saturday, July 17, to face last-place AC St. Louis for the second of four times this season.

The Aztex are in New York, preparing for Friday night’s game against the Rochester Rhinos. This will be a rematch of one of Austin’s two losses of the year, from all the way back in April, when the Rhinos handed our boys a 1-2 loss at House Park.

Since then, Rochester has kept up a good record. At 7-3-4, they’re in 2nd place in our conference, and 3rd place in the league, and with at least one game in hand over both teams they’re chasing (Austin and Vancouver).

Similar to the Aztex’s U.S. Open Cup fortunes, the Rhinos exited in the third round, to an MLS opponent. They were knocked out by the Columbus Crew after Felix Motagalvan got ejected with a straight red in the 85th minute, and they gave up the winning goal in the 2-1 game to Steve Lenhart in the 94th.

Friday’s game will be the third and final of a short home stand for the Rhinos, and hopefully an end to an unbeaten streak (not counting the Open Cup loss) that stretches back to May 22. Their most recent match was a 2-1 win over the Montreal Impact last Saturday (match report/box score).

Kickoff for the Aztex-Rhinos match is 6:30 PM CT. It can be watched live at rhinossoccer.tv. You’re also invited to join Chantico’s Army’s watch party at Cuatro’s, starting at 6:00.

U.S. Soccer: Austin Aztex Forward Max Griffin Named June Player of the Month

The Palmdale, Calif., native opened the month with a goal at home in Austin’s 2-1 win on June 3 against the Puerto Rico Islanders. He then recorded the first hat trick in franchise history in the 3-1 home win against Miami FC on June. With the help of his 13 shots from the point of attack, the Aztex jumped out to a 3-1-1 record for the month in league play.

Griffin now finds himself in the top five of every major offensive category in the league in just his first year with the club, including points (13), goals (5), assists (3) and shots (30).

It was Eddie Johnson last month (for May), now it’s Max. Check back next month to see whose turn it will be in July.

Read it all.

Despite the threat of rain earlier in the day, it turned out to be a beautiful evening at House Park Saturday night. Unfortunately the Aztex performance wasn’t quite as enjoyable.

Though they managed to get a point, Austin scored neither of the match’s two goals. And that was despite the state of Puerto Rico‘s defense. In addition to giving up an own-goal in the first minute, keeper Bill Gaudette had a shaky game, including trouble with his leg for the last third of the game.

The Red & White remain at the top of the league, but they’ll need to start scoring again soon if they want to stay there. They’ll visit the Rochester Rhinos, currently 6 points back but with a game in hand, this Friday.

The attendance, at least, was good: 4,050. That’s the second time we’ve broken 4,000 (not counting the Haiti benefit match and the Tampa Bay match where the stands were carpeted with free passes). There were a good number of vocal Islanders’ fans at the game; maybe it’s no coincidence that the other greater-than-4K game was the last time Puerto Rico came to town.

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

• box score — USSF

• Aztecs [sic] tie Puerto Rico Islanders — Austin American-Statesman
  

  After only 30 seconds, a Jamie Watson cross was misplayed by Puerto Rico defender Richard Martinez, who sent the ball in his own net, giving the Aztex an early lead.

  The scenario nearly repeated moments later when the a backpedaling Marco Velez almost sent an Austin throw-in into the Puerto Rico net. In the 12th minute, the Islanders came close to another own goal when both Puerto Rico’s David Horst and Austin’s Eddie Johnson challenged an aerial cross, but Puerto Rico keeper William Gaudette was able to recover before it went over .

  I cannot believe that our hometown paper, in the middle of the season, after soccer fever has swept the land, made this idiotic misspelling mistake with the team’s name. Sigh.

• Aztex Grab Tie Against Puerto Rico; Remain in First Place — AustinAztex.com
  

  Johnson nearly put a second tally on the board for the Aztex when his powering shot was pushed away by Gaudette. Aztex captain Kevin Sakuda struck a 60-yard ball behind the Islanders’ backline for Johnson to run onto. When Johnson got into the box he was able to spin around and split a couple defenders before getting his shot off.

  Keon Daniel earned the equalizer in the 75th minute when he hit a laser from just outside of the Aztex goal box. The left-footed strike left Aztex goal keeper Miguel Gallardo with little chance to make a save.

• Video: Aztex vs Puerto Rico Highlights (1:01) — AztexSoccer on YouTube

Austin heads out on a one-game road trip this week: they’ll play the Rochester Rhinos on Friday, 6:30 PM CT. They return to House Park to host AC St. Louis the following weekend, Saturday July 17.

The Aztex may be out of the Open Cup, but their standing in the league is as strong as it’s been all season. At 7:30 tonight, Saturday July 3, the Puerto Rico Islanders will put them to the test at House Park once again.

Puerto Rico continue to struggle this season. Their 4-6-1- record puts them in last place in the USL Conference (though not in the league overall). One of those losses was at House nearly a month ago, when the Red & White beat them 2-1. Their most recent game was a 3-0 road loss to the Rochester Rhinos last Saturday (match report/box score).

But Coach Heath isn’t taking the Islanders for granted:

“Puerto Rico is always tough competition for us,” Aztex coach Adrian Heath said. “We expect this game to be very close, as it always is between us, and hope we can find a way to get a result out of the match like the last time we played them.”

The edges of Hurricane Alex have kept it rainy this week in Austin, and there’s a continued chance of rain tonight. Note that Aztex games always take place rain or shine. Bring a poncho or an umbrella, but don’t let the threat of a little precipitation keep you home.

As usual, fans will start gathering at The Tavern on Lamar about 2 hours before the 7:30 PM kickoff. If you’re looking for people to talk with about yesterday’s Dutch upset of Brazil, Luis Suárez‘s “Hand of God 2010″ or whatever excitement comes out of today’s World Cup quarterfinal matches, you won’t find a better group in Austin than Aztex fans preparing for a home game. Except, possibly, Aztex fans (and players, coaches and staff) celebrating a home win at Cuatro’s on 24th. See you there!

After this game, the Aztex head “up east” to face the Rochester Rhinos next Friday evening (6:30 CT). The next home game is Saturday, July 17, hosting AC St. Louis.

photo: Dentro del Rebaño

The Aztex’s 2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup run is over, halted once again by an MLS opponent. The team with the best record in USSF-D2 (9-2-3) went up against a team with one of the worst in MLS (3-9-1), but Chivas USA managed to get — and hold — a 1-goal lead.

There was no video broadcast of this match, so those of us that stayed up to follow the west-coast game did so via Twitter or the Scorecrow gamecast.

Here’s a rundown of post-match coverage:

• Chivas USA scores early, holds on for win in U.S. Open Cup — LA Daily News

  The Aztex created another solid scoring opportunity in the 67th minute when Eddie Johnson, who shares the same name as the former U.S. national player, had his point-blank header pushed out of play by Thornton.

  Johnson took advantage of a solid curving corner kick from defender Kevin Sakuda. Thornton’s save bounced back to Olum, but the former Missouri Baptist standout had a second attempt ricochet off a defender and out of play.

  Austin outshot Chivas 9-7, but the home team posted five shots on goal to four for the Aztex.

• Aztex Bow Out of U.S. Open Cup to MLS Competition — AustinAztex.com
  

  Chivas USA Head Coach Martín Vásquez, on tonight’s match: “I thought we did well against a good team. I like the way we approached the game. We were serious, we were disciplined, and we created some good chances. That’s all positive at this time where we need to reinforce and have something to build on.”

• Photos: Chivas USA vs. Austin Aztex photo gallery — Dentro del Rebaño (official Chivas USA blog)

The Aztex are now back in Texas, preparing to host the Puerto Rico Islanders this Saturday evening at House Park.

AustinAztex.com: Aztex Move Up to MLS Competition in Open Cup Round of 16

After defeating the PDL’s DFW Tornados and the amateur Arizona Sahuaros, the Austin Aztex get a change of both competition and scenery in the 2010 U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday.

With two straight home games to start the tournament in the books, the Aztex are finally forced to hit the road for the round of 16 matchup against the MLS’ Chivas USA.

The game will be the first of the U.S. Open Cup for Chivas USA, as MLS teams are introduced to the tournament in the round of 16. Austin reached this game by defeating the DFW Tornados, 3-0, and the Arizona Sahuaros, 3-1.

There’s no word yet that any video will be available for this match, which kicks off at 9:30 PM CT. I’ll update this post if I hear anything about video availability. In any case, if we can find anyone to send texts or tweets from the game, then you can follow the Scorecrow gamecast.

League play rolls on in the USSF-D2, in spite of epic, landscape-altering World Cup matches left and right. Such as today’s big second-round game, U.S.A.-Ghana (as if you need me to remind you). But no matter the result from that, Austin and Miami FC will be fighting for their next three points tonight in Florida.

Miami (2-3-7) have no wins from their previous four games, with the most recent being their 1-3 loss here in Austin last weekend.

A new twist to the budding rivalry between Austin and Miami: the winners of the game will hold a Willie Nelson-autographed guitar as trophy.

The U.S. Hispanic Contractors Association (USHCA) will attend the soccer game between the Blues and Aztex on Saturday at Lockhart Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Texas State Representative Diana Maldonado and City of Lockhart Mayor Pro Tem Frank Estrada are among the Austin area representatives who will attend the game to show support for the Aztex.

As a ceremonial end to the event, the losing team’s representatives will present the winner with a trophy that symbolizes the rivalry’s spirit – a guitar signed by Willie Nelson. The guitar will then be on the line from this point forth in every matchup between the two clubs as a trophy.

I recently read that more people are watching the World Cup in Miami than in any other U.S. market. I hope The Blues are able to somehow capitalize on that soon, and start drawing some bigger crowds.

Kickoff will be at 6:30 PM CT, free streaming video available at miamifc.com. Who’s turn is it for a hat-trick tonight? Tune in to find out!

Update: They didn’t take long to take my advice — I just saw Miami FC‘s head coach, Victor Pastora, being interviewed at some length on Univision’s República Deportiva prior to the U.S.A.-Ghana match. Nice work, Miami!

photo: AustinAztex.com Photo Gallery

Better late than never for this match report, I hope. It was a good game, another U.S. Open Cup win for the Aztex, and they’re on to face Chivas USA in the third round next Tuesday.

Here’s a brief rundown of post-match coverage:

• Peri Marosevic’s Hat Trick Pricks Sahuaros — AustinAztex.com

  Peri Marosevic found the back of the net three times en route to a 3-1 victory over the Arizona Sahuaros Tuesday at House Park. The three-goal performance is only the second hat trick in Aztex history.

  The Austin Aztex witnessed the first ever hat trick when forward Max Griffin scored three goals in a league showdown against Miami FC on June 19.

• Video: Austin Aztex U.S. Open Cup Second Round (1:01) — AztexSoccer on YouTube

The Aztex will face Miami FC again in regular season play on Saturday night, before their trip out to California for their third-round Open Cup match against Chivas. They’ll be back in Austin the following Saturday, July 3, to host the Puerto Rico Islanders.

The Aztex return to Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup play on Tuesday, June 22, hosting the Arizona Sahuaros at House Park at 7:30 PM.

The Sahuaros, who from what I can tell aren’t exactly in a particular league this year, got to this second round in Austin by beating the PDL’s Ventura County Fusion after extra time and penalties last week.

As the Aztex pre-game report details, Austin will be looking to advance to face an MLS opponent in the third round, as they did last year.

Austin has a 3-1-0 record in four U.S. Open Cup bouts, with two wins coming last year before bowing out to the Houston Dynamo. This season, the Aztex won their opening round game against the PDL’s DFW Tornados. With a victory against the USASA’s Suaharos, Austin moves on to face the MLS’ Chivas USA.

As with last Tuesday’s first round game, season and flex tickets won’t be accepted at the gate. The crowd was on the smaller side last week, but it was a good game (always easy to say about a 3-0 win). So come out Tuesday evening and enjoy another great match at our House.

Pre-game gathering, open to one and all as always, will be at The Tavern starting about two hours prior to kickoff.

After this midweek game, the Red & White will head to Florida, where they’ll have a rematch with Miami FC on Saturday eveinng.

photo: AustinAztex.com Photo Gallery

That’s the kind of Aztex team we wanted to see! In the midst of a bounty of World Cup group-stage matches, the 2,143 fans came out to see their local boys — and potential future national team players — at House Park last night. The play was good, and the atmosphere was exciting: we were on hand to witness Maxwell Griffin‘s hat trick, the first in team history.

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

• box score — USSF

• Griffin gets hat trick as Aztex win — Austin American-Statesman
  

  Austin’s Maxwell Griffin had seen the same situation play out only moments earlier. A one-on-one chance against the Miami goalkeeper had given Griffin the perfect opportunity to tally his third goal of the night and he missed the shot.

  This time, he wasn’t missing.

  Griffin bent in a goal in the 87th minute Saturday to clinch a 3-1 Austin (8-2-3) victory over Miami (2-3-7) and tally the first hat trick of his professional career. Griffin finished the game with eight shots, many of them in prime scoring position.

  “I easily could have had six today,” Griffin joked. “I’ll take the three goals. I’m happy with that.”

• Max Griffin’s Hat Trick Carries Aztex Past Miami — AustinAztex.com
  

  The game took an interesting turn when the referee handed out two red cards in the 60th minute following a confrontation between Aztex midfielder Sullivan Silva and Blues’ (2-3-7) midfielder Sean Cameron. Both players had to leave the game and each team played out the rest of the match with 10 a side.

• Video: Aztex vs Miami highlights (1:10) — AztexSoccer on YouTube

Austin and The Blues will have an immediate rematch in Miami next Saturday. But first, we’ll have one more game at House Park: the Red & White will play the Arizona Sahuaros in second round U.S. Open Cup action on Tuesday night. The winner of that match will face MLS’ Chivas USA, in Los Angeles, in the third round.

Time once again for an Aztex game! For the game tonight, Saturday Jun. 19, Austin returns to league play. They’ll host Miami FC at House Park, kickoff at 7:30.

With a 2-2-7 record, Miami have had more draws than any other team this season. But they’ve won both of their last two: a 1-0 win over Portland at home last weekend (match report/box score), and a 5-1 rout (in overtime!) of the PDL’s Central Florida Kraze in first-round Open Cup action on Tuesday.

Austin will be hoping to have a game more like their own Open Cup victory on Tuesday, and less like last weekend’s 2-1 loss to Vancouver.

The Aztex pre-match report gives some hint as to the players we may see tonight:

Peri Marosevic, the most recent pick up for the Aztex, is expected to make his debut for the team.

Marosevic should aid the Aztex in their attempt to extend their league lead, which currently sits at five points.

Aztex center back Kieron Bernard is also expected to make an appearance for the team after a long absence due to a lingering hamstring injury. Bernard’s return will help provide depth to the Aztex backline.

Marosevic is on loan from FC Dallas until July 4:

Marosevic has also been a regular on the U.S. U-20 and U-18 rosters, and joined the U.S. U-20 squad for the 2009 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship last March. He played in four of the five games in the championship, scoring a goal in the opening match versus Jamaica. Last fall, he joined the U.S. U-20 team for the Under-20 World Cup in Egypt.

As always, fans will start gathering at The Tavern on Lamar about 2 hours before the 7:30PM kickoff. What better place to discuss yesterday’s U.S. and England games than with your fellow Aztex fans?

And perhaps the most exciting news of all: word is that the new fieldhouse locker rooms are finally ready!

So come on out, and see the Red & White reignite their dominance of the 2010 season!

photo: AustinAztex.com Photo Gallery

A small crowd was on hand for the midweek opener of the 2010 U.S. Open Cup at House Park Tuesday evening. I can’t find an official attendance number, but I’d guess between 1,000 and 1,500. Those that made it out, however, were treated to a return to scoring form for the Red & White, Jamie Watson in particular.

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

With the win, the Aztex advance to the next round of the Cup, hosted here in Austin next Tuesday. As you can see on TheCup.us’ bracket, their next opponent will be the Arizona Sahuaros. Arizona advanced by beating the Ventura County Fusion, the 2009 PDL champions, on penalties last night.

But before that next Open Cup match, the Aztex return to league play Saturday evening at 7:30, hosting Miami FC at House Park.

Tampa Bay Online: Rowdies’ Christie proud to represent New Zealand

This time promises to be different. In fact, soccer may be as big as it has ever been in both New Zealand and Australia, thanks to the Australian A-League, a similar-level league to Major League Soccer, and the Wellington Phoenix, based in New Zealand’s capital. Christie made 27 appearances in three seasons for the Phoenix under All Whites coach Ricki Herbert prior to joining the Rowdies before this season.

“I think the Wellington Phoenix has been massive,” Christie said. “The fact that they qualified for the finals and were one game away from the grand final this year, that alongside the All Whites qualifying for the World Cup really sent football into a different level in New Zealand.

Christie came on in the 77th minute in New Zealand’s 1-1 draw against Slovakia yesterday. New Zealand got a dramatic last-gasp equalizer in the 93rd minute.

The Aztex have faced Tampa Bay twice so far this year, both draws. Christie notched one of the Rowdies goals in the game in Tampa on May 8. The team will face Austin two more times this season: at home on Aug. 7, and in Tampa on Sep. 16.

It’s been a couple of days since the last Aztex home game, and it’s still June, so that means it must be time for: another Aztex home game! Austin will host the PDL’s DFW Tornados at 7:30 tonight, Tue. Jun. 15, at House Park.

This game will be Austin’s first in the the 2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Open Cup is an annual tournament, dating from 1914, that’s open to teams from all levels of men’s soccer in the U.S. The Tornados qualified by having the best record in their PDL division (the same division the Aztex U23s have played in in previous years) over the first four games of the season.

The Open Cup is a knockout tournament from the opening game, so if the Aztex win, they’ll advance to the next round. That second round has already been drawn, so we know that a win will see yet another game at House Park, next Tuesday, Jun. 22, against the winner of tonight’s match between the Ventura County Fusion (PDL) and the Arizona Sahuaros (NPSL). If the Tornados win, they would also face the winner of that match (at that winner’s home field).

DFW come to Austin in the midst of a pretty tough schedule themselves, their third road game in five days. They lost 3-0 to the El Paso Patriots last Friday, then got a 3-2 win over the West Texas United Sockers on Sunday.

Other pre-match coverage:

• Aztex face DFW in U.S. Open Cup — Austin American-Statesman
  Match Forecast
  

  Temp:	upper 80s
  Rain:	10%
  Wind:	10mph
  Sunset:	8:34

  
  as of 7:00 AM, 6/15/09

  The match will see the return of former Aztex forward Gifton Noel-Williams, the ex-star for England’s Watford and Stoke City who became a fan favorite in Austin’s inaugural season last year. Noel-Williams was the only player on Austin’s roster with significant first-team European experience , but a hamstring injury forced him to miss half the season.

  “It wasn’t a good year because of that hamstring,” Heath said of Noel-Williams. “To be fair to Gifton, our team (overall) last year was nowhere near as good as this (year). So it’ll be good to see him.”

• Aztex Begin Open Cup Play Against the DFW Tornados — AustinAztex.com
  

  Last season the Aztex made it to the third round of the U.S. Open Cup. Austin beat Mississippi 2-0 at Nelson Field in the first round and followed that victory with another 2-0 result against El Paso in the second round. The Aztex finally faltered in the third round, losing 2-0 to Houston.

If we see Noel-Williams tonight, it will be because he’s come straight from Dallas to Austin, as he isn’t listed on the Tornados’ roster for either of last weekend’s games in El Paso or West Texas.

Note that Aztex season and “flex” tickets are not valid for this game, as it’s not a regular-season league game. Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for youth (children 5 and under are always free).

As usual, supporters will start gathering at The Tavern about two hours before the 7:30 kickoff. See you there!

It was bound to happen sooner or later: the Aztex gave up all 3 points at last night’s game. The 2-1 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps is just Austin’s second of the season. Both defeats have been suffered at home.

Despite failing to gain any points, the Aztex remain 5 points clear at the top of of the league standings.

The crowd was on the small side (2,841), and it seemed that many in the Chantico’s Army supporters’ section were running on fumes after the big U.S.-England match earlier in the day. It didn’t help that the Brazilian samba group, usually the source of nice, loud rhythm throughout the match, were unable to attend.

On the field, Austin pressed hard from the opening whistle, and had enough dangerous looks to make it feel as though a victory were inevitable. They went into halftime leading 1-0 after Lawrence Olum finally stole a goal in stoppage time.

But it was a tale of two halves, and the second half saw Vancouver pressing harder and faster, and the Aztex on their back heel. Perhaps the absence of coach Adrian Heath, serving the second of the two-game ban he earned from the Puerto Rico match, was being keenly felt.

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

• box score — USSF

• Aztex fall to Vancouver — Austin American-Statesman
  

  After going up a goal in the first half, Austin fell asleep on a Vancouver corner kick in the 68th minute, leaving Marcus Haber enough space in the box to head home the equalizing goal. In the game’s closing moments, Austin gave up the tie when Haber and Nizar Khalfan teamed up on a counter attack that the Aztex struggled to close down on. Khalfan, near the top of the box, had enough space around him to send in the game-winner.

  “The first goal he was just unmarked on the header,” Aztex defender Kevin Sakuda said. “The second one was just the transition game. We lost our shape.”

• Whitecaps Halt Aztex Unbeaten Streak — AustinAztex.com
  

  However, the Aztex would be the ones to strike first. In stoppage time, Max Griffin was able to wrestle the ball away at the top of Whitecaps goal box. As he begun heading toward the goal, he was tripped up and lost possession of the ball. Teammate Lawrence Olum took over from there.

• Whitecaps Come Back To Defeat Aztex — Nuke Soccer
  

  In many ways, the turning point of the contest came on 67 minutes, as Khalfan came on for Philippe Davies in what was the winger’s first appearance for the club since his 90-minute performance for his native Tanzania in last Monday’s international friendly versus Brazil.

  On 68 minutes, the Whitecaps pulled themselves level with a fine headed goal by Haber. The Vancouver native – who just had his loan extended to cover next week’s away match versus Puerto Rico Islanders – connected with Nash’s corner at the near post to make it 1-1 for his first goal in USSF D-2 and the second of his loan spell. Nash’s assist on the equalizer, meanwhile, took him to 99 points on the Whitecaps career leader list.

• Video: Austin Aztex vs Vancouver Whitecaps Highlights (0:53) — AztexSoccer on YouTube

Now, take a breath and rest up; we have two more Aztex home games this next week. On Tuesday at 7:30 the Red & White will start their 2010 U.S. Open Cup campaign against the PDL’s DFW Tornados, and next Saturday we’ll see Miami FC at House Park. And, oh yeah, 18 World Cup matches to follow in that same period!

I told you the games are coming thick and fast. And here we are again: Austin will host the Vancouver Whitecaps tonight at 7:30 at House Park.

Vancouver (4-2-4) is in first place in the NASL Conference, although they’d be third in the league standings overall. They are also on a busy schedule: while the Aztex were slugging out the 0-0 draw with Portland on Wednesday, the Whitecaps were battling the Carolina Railhawks to a 1-1 draw in Vancouver (match report/box score).

Vancouver is busy preparing for their debut in MLS next year. They’ll have a new logo, a new kit and sponsor and a new home stadium. Come out and see the 2010 Whitecaps, and see if you can pick which players will move up to the majors.

As you’re no doubt aware, there’s another soccer game of rather some interest today: U.S. vs England in their first World Cup matchup since 1950 (which, you’re no doubt also aware, the U.S. won). Today’s epic contest kicks off at 1:30 CT (you can watch it with the Aztex at Cuatro’s, or with the American Outlaws at Mister Tramps, or at any of a thousand places around town, really).

The pregame for the Aztex vs Whitecaps game, meanwhile, would usually start 2 hours before kickoff, at 5:30 at The Tavern. I’m sure people will be there, but I’m not sure if they’ll be there earlier than usual (straight from U.S.-England), or later (tired & hungover from U.S.-England).

Will it be the Aztex owners, coach and English fans with joyful smiles this evening? Or will it be us U.S. fans who are the jubilant ones? Maybe there will be a diplomatic détente, and both sides can have equal happiness (or lack thereof)?

No matter what the outcome, we can all agree on one key point: Vancouver’s country didn’t even go to South Africa.

After you’ve come out to support your country, be that Mexico yesterday, or the U.S., England or Nigeria today, then come out to support your boys in Red & White. All games at House Park are in stunning 3-D!

The good news was that the storms held off last night at House Park, but the bad news was that the goals did, too. The meeting of the league’s top three leading scorers, Portland‘s Ryan Pore and Austin’s Eddie Johnson and Jamie Watson, wound up being a defensive grudge match. The 3,241 fans in attendance saw no goals, and only a handful of threatening shots. It was a hard-fought game, and it had intensity, but neither team did much more than hold the other at bay.

The biggest question on the mind of most of the fans I spoke to after the game was, what in the world was the deal with Timbers Ross Smith‘s shorts? Somehow he had the legs rolled up, or tucked up, or something. It almost looked like he was wearing a Speedo, except for the baggy backside. We had fun calling him Captain Underpants and chanting “he wears short shorts” (a la the old Nair commercials), but it was kind of disturbing, honestly.

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

• box score — USSF

• Aztex can’t find rhythm in scoreless draw — Austin American-Statesman
  

  [Assistant coach Bobby] Murphy took over sideline duties for the game from head coach Adrian Heath, who received a two-match stadium ban after getting ejected in Austin’s last game. Ejections usually result in one-game suspensions but Heath, who watched the rest of the game from the stands, was giving another for not leaving the stadium.

  Without Heath, Austin continued to struggle with Portland throughout the early minutes of the match, continuously sending players — including league-leading goal scorer Ryan Pore — in and out of Austin’s right side to create chances. Alex Nimo put up the most troubling shot in the 25th minute, when a long-distance blast needed a leaping fingertip save from Austin goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo.

• Aztex and Timbers Battle to Scoreless Draw — AustinAztex.com
  

  The Aztex started with a bang in the second half when Austin forward Maxwell Griffin was able to put pressure on a Timbers’ defender and took the ball away and got a shot off, which was then saved by Portland’s goalkeeper Steve Cronin. This was the first and only save Cronin was forced to make in the match.

  Much of the early portion of the first half was controlled by Portland. The Timbers were able to keep possession of the ball in their own half, but seemed slow getting forward thanks to some quality defending from the Aztex backline.

• Video: Aztex vs. Portland Timbers (0:33) — AztexSoccer on YouTube
  [You can get a glimpse of Mr. Short Shorts starting at about 0:21.]
  

The next game will be Saturday evening. Another home match, the Red & White will kick off against the Vancouver Whitecaps at 7:30.

Time again for another soccer game! And if you think that was a fast turnaround from the Puerto Rico match last Saturday, you’d better hang on tight for the next month. Even if we just had Aztex soccer to look forward to, we’d be busy. But that other little soccer tournament in South Africa will be starting soon, too…

This midweek contest with the Portland Timbers may be a kind of last deep breath before the plunge for us fans, but these June games count just as much in the league standings as any others.

Though the Timbers were regular season champions last year (that is, they were in first place at the end of the season), they’ve gotten off to a rocky start in 2010. Their 3-3-3 record gives them 12 points from 9 games, and they’re winless since an April 29 victory over Vancouver at home. Their most recent result was a 1-1 draw to the Carolina Railhawks, also at home (match report/box score).

Portland, like the Vancouver Whitecaps (who we’ll see at House on Saturday), will move up from Divsion-2 to MLS next year. So they’ll be especially eager to start racking up some points, to build momentum heading into 2011.

The Aztex, of course, won’t be in any hurry to give up those points. They have a solid 5-point cushion over everyone else in the table (even accounting for teams that haven’t played as many games), but a home stand is the time to build up that padding even more.

The Aztex pregame piece says that although Eddie Johnson will be back, and Sullivan Silva is “probable”, we won’t see either defender Kieron Bernard or midfielder Lance Watson, who are both nursing their hamstrings.

As always, fans new and old are invited to gather at The Tavern before the game. With a 7:30PM kickoff, that gathering will start to happen around 5:30, possibly closer to 6:00, as people get off work. Alternative rock station 101X will be on hand once again, so you won’t want to miss the party! Go Aztex!