The Aztexan

photo: me

Though their time on the field has come to an end, the Austin Aztex accomplished a lot this year, and had tremendous success. And though they couldn’t put together the scoreline they needed last night, they went out in fine form, reminiscent of their peak this summer.

It was yet another beautiful evening for pro soccer at House Park. The early sunset helped make it one of the coolest games of the year. The clear skies capped a perfect record of perfect weather at Austin home games this year. We’ve had the threat of rain a few times, but never a drop since the Aztex moved to House.

The crowd of 2,872 was a little on the light side. But for a playoff game that wasn’t included in the season ticket package, and given that some 70,000 people were down at Zilker Park for the Austin City Limits Festival, that’s not too shabby. Those in attendance were treated to a cracking good game, played with good skill and intensity on both sides of the ball.

The one downer in the supporters’ section was the guy with the euphonium. Props to the guy for dragging that big horn into the game. But as he continued to blow long, low tuneless notes on it throughout the game, I began to realize how bad the vuvuzelas must have been at live games in South Africa. Bring the horn back next year, bro – but play Reveille or some Sousa or something.

In the calm reflection of the day after, the taunts and jeers we direct at opposing players are usually faded and half-forgotten. Sometimes, however, there are exceptions: such is the case for Montreal’s Nevio Pizzolitto. The fact that this unsportsmanlike jerk wears the captain’s armband for the Impact is a serious blemish on the reputation of an otherwise worthy opponent. He seems to have more aptitude for the theatre than for sport; may he realize the wisdom of a career change soon.

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

• box score — USSF

  Attendance: 2,872

• Yesterday in the Playoffs: Rochester Loses the Hard Way; Montreal and Carolina Don’t — Eighty Six Forever
  

  The best viewing for the neutral came in Austin, Texas, when the Aztex tried to overturn a 2-0 series deficit against the Montreal Impact. Both teams are known for their scoring and it was the Montreal attack which struck early: in the fourth minute, big Ali Gerba somehow emerged from behind his marker on a Philippe Billy free kick and neatly defected Billy’s ball past Austin’s Miguel Gallardo.

• Aztex Record-Setting Season Comes to an End — AustinAztex.com
  

  At the open of the second half with Austin tied 1-1, Gerba gave his team a 2-1 lead in the game, but more importantly, a 4-1 aggregate lead in the series.

  Despite being with the Impact for only the second half of the season, Gerba’s total of 13 goals puts him at third in the league.

  Austin fought back valiantly all night and constantly pressured the Montreal defense causing Coach Marc Dos Santos’ heart to “skip a beat.”

  “What we did tonight was beat an excellent team,” he said. “Austin’s offense is a coach’s nightmare.”

• Montreal Defeat Austin, Head to Next Round of Playoffs — The NASL Fanatic
  

  Gerba put the Impact ahead again four minutes after intermission, as he beat Gallardo with a low shot after receiving a pass from Impact midfielder Leonardo Di Lorenzo. But the Aztex had no quit in them, and came back to tie in the 58th minute as USSF D2′s second leading 2010 scorer Eddie Johnson beat Jordan from a pass by midfielder Lawrence Olum. The hopes of the Aztex fans were growing again, as the team needed two goals in the final half hour of the game. Jordan had to leave the contest because of a groin injury, and was replaced by Srjdan Djekanovic, who played almost half the Impact’s regular season games. Djekanovic was able to shut down the Aztex the rest of the way, and veteran Eduardo Sebrango gave Montreal the win in the 89th minute with a high shot that became his sixth Impact’s game-winner.

• Austin Aztex end season with loss — Austin American-Statesman
  

  Montreal knocked Austin out of the playoffs with a 3-2 victory in the second leg of their opening-round series. The score pushed the aggregate to 5-2 in favor of the Impact, sending Montreal into the semifinals against Carolina and abruptly ending an Aztex season during which the team sat atop the league standings for much of the year.

  “I’m disappointed for the players because they’ve worked hard all season,” Aztex head coach Adrian Heath said. “My players have done me proud this year.”

• Video: Aztex-Impact Playoff Quarterfinals, 10-9 at Austin (3:17) — AztexSoccer on YouTube

So that’s it for 2010. As posted previously, there are some wrinkles to smooth out before we know for sure what league and which opponents the Aztex will face in 2011. Regardless, we can look forward to Coach Heath, the squad he assembles and the entire organization continuing to bring the excitement of live soccer to Austin.

Here’s to this season, next season, and many more to follow. Go Aztex!

photo: Montreal Impact/PEPE

Well, that’s not the first game result we wanted to see.

But it’s not the end yet, either. Remember, this Aztex team has one of the highest goal differentials in the league this season (13). The trick will be getting back to the groove they were in earlier in the year, when they were racking up all those goals. And they’ll have their chance to get that groove, Saturday night at House Park.

First, here’s a rundown of other post-match coverage from the first game, in Montreal:

• box score — USSF

  Attendance: 7,962

• Impact Repeat 2-0 Performance in Quarterfinal First Leg — AustinAztex.com
  

  Austin had few other chances in the latter part of the first half other than a volley by Johnson, but that was when Montreal really turned up the heat. The Impact came closest to getting on the board with a shot by Eduardo Sebrango that seemed destined for the back of the net, if not for a miraculous sprawling save by Gallardo to punch it wide. Gerba then sent the Impact into the half up by a goal.

• Montreal Defeats Austin, Carolina and NSC Minnesota Draw in Wednesday Night Playoff Action — NASL Fanatic
  

  “The effort from everyone was excellent today,” said coach Marc Dos Santos. “A 2-0 victory was a fair result in my opinion. They [Austin] put a little more pressure in the second half, but they were not able to create scoring chances against us. Defensively, we offered up another excellent performance. We now have to prepare for the next game and we must be willing to do whatever it takes to win the second leg. Nothing is won yet.”

Which brings us quickly, again, to the next Aztex match. The second leg of this playoff series will be played here in Austin, kicking off at House Park on Saturday evening at 7:30. Sure, ACL Fest is going on, but duck out for a couple of hours (you won’t miss anything, the band lineup is even lamer than usual this year). Pre-game festivities will begin, as always, at The Tavern around 5:30.

This is it! To keep from being eliminated, the Aztex will have to either win outright in regulation time by 3 goals, or at least win by 2 to force the contest to extra time, and then penalty kicks if necessary. Then they’ll go on to the semifinals, to face either the Carolina Railhawks or the NSC Minnesota Stars in the next round. They just need to find the back of the net 3 times first.

As mentioned above, this is a team that can get those goals. Three of the players on the league’s top 10 point leaders list play for Austin (Eddie Johnson, Maxwell Griffin and Jamie Watson). And we’ve seen goals from lots of other players besides them, as well.

These guys can do it on Saturday night. It will be an absolutely perfect night for live soccer in Austin. Come out and see it happen for yourself! Go Aztex!

photo: MontrealImpact.com

This is the way the season ends, not with a bang, but with a whimper.

Here’s a rundown of post-match coverage:

• box score — USSF

  Attendance: 12,608 (note, that’s the number of “spectateurs“, which must be metric or something)

• Aztex Falter in Season Finale; Lock Up Third Seed — AustinAztex.com
  

  Just three minutes after the goal, the game took a serious turn for the worse for Austin when Patterson was shown a red card for unsporting behavior, putting the Aztex down a man for the rest of the match. Without the help of one of its two forwards, the Aztex mustered just one shot on goal in the first half, and five overall in the game.

• Montreal Defeats Austin 2-0; Rochester Claims Top Playoff Seed — NASL Fanatic
  

  The actual match today seemed almost anti-climatic, although a large crowd of over 12,600 at Saputo Stadium were delighted with the result. Both coaches rested key players, but Austin looked relatively flat throughout the game, especially after forward Randi Patterson was red-carded in the 20th minute. Having played a tough match in Carolina on Friday night, the Aztex displayed little of the offensive flair that has been their hallmark in 2010. The Impact, eager to please their crowd, scored the only goal they needed six minutes after Patterson’s ejection, as Frenchman Anthony Le Gall scored his first goal in an Impact uniform on a shot from the right of goal, with an assist on a long pass by defender Patrick Leduc. Montreal dominated possession throughout the match as Austin played without leading scorers Eddie Johnson, Jamie Watson and Maxwell Griffin (Griffin made a brief cameo appearance late in the match).

• AUSTIN 0 IMPACT 2 — MontrealImpact.com
  

  “We did exactly what we needed to do to win today,” declared Impact defender Philippe Billy. “The victory was the perfect way to end the regular season. It allows us to keep our momentum and will create some great team spirit for Wednesday, because we know that wins usually lead to more wins. It will be crucial to start the playoffs at home, in front of our fans. We’ll have to fight hard to show up in Austin in the best position possible.”

• Photos (11): 2010/10/03 Austin @ IMPACT — MontrealImpact.com

  [Unfortunately, there's no way to link directly to that page of photos. If it's still within the first few days of the match, they'll probably be the first pictures you see there. After that, you'll have to click through their archives to find them.]

Having lost the top of the league and the first seed in the playoffs, the Aztex won’t face the Puerto Rico Islanders, a team that they’ve never beaten on the road, and against whom they’ve struggled at home. Instead, they’ll face the Montreal Impact, a team that they’ve never beaten on the road, and against whom they’ve struggled at home. The first of the two-game series will be in Montreal this Wednesday, Oct. 6, and the second will be in Austin on Saturday evening, Oct. 9.

Austin scored twice, but unfortunately one of those was in the wrong goal.

Here’s a rundown of post-match coverage:

• box score — USSF

  Attendance: 2,728

• Aztex Unable to Clinch Title at Carolina; One More Chance at Montreal Left — AustinAztex.com
  

  Austin’s offense started off a big sluggishly in the first half, but an own goal in the 43rd minute sparked the visitors who equalized the RailHawks after trailing for just two minutes. Carolina got on the board first when they lobbed a ball into the box that was inadvertently headed past Gallardo by defender Kieron Bernard.

• RailHawks conquer Aztex — News & Observer
  

  The RailHawks scored the winning goal in the 84th minute, as second-half sub Etienne Barbara buried the ball into the net after a cross from Matt Watson on a 2-on-1 breakaway.

  Barbara, the RailHawks’ leading goal scorer this season who has missed several games with injury, may have scored the most important goal in franchise history to this point.

  Carolina piled on one more goal in stoppage time, as Tom Heinemann‘s blast was mishandled by Austin goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo.

• Carolina Defeats Austin in Friday Night Showdown — NASL Fanatic
  

  It was a tough loss for Austin, who played without injured forward Eddie Johnson. Johnson’s 14 goals are second only to Portland Ryan Pore’s 15 in the league, and his sound, aggressive play has been a hallmark of Austin’s strong attack all season. Austin did welcome the return from injury of midfielder Lawrence Olum, who went the full 90 and partnered very effectively with Yordany Alvarez. Austin’s attack was sparkling at times, but Carolina’s determination and physicality won the night. Austin Coach Adrian Heath had to coach with an eye towards the team’s regular season finale in Montreal Sunday afternoon, and their playoff appearance in the middle of next week. And although Gallardo let in an easy late goal by Heinemann, he kept Austin in the game with his athletic saves. Gallardo isn’t the most orthodox goalkeeper, but the quickness and courage he displayed throughout the contest was admirable.

Next up for the Aztex, Montreal Impact on Sunday (aka tomorrow).

Another great night at House Park! A huge reported crowd of 5,800 was on hand (thanks in part to bunches of free tickets) for a beautiful evening, an exciting game and plenty of goals.

AC St. Louis didn’t play like they had already been eliminated from the playoffs. Though getting the worst in the end, they did put up a fight, including coming back from a two-goal deficit before halftime.

The win, along with Miami FC once again getting the better of first-place contender Rochester Rhinos, puts the Aztex back at the top of the standings. Ironically, earning that 1st seed in the playoffs would ensure a first-round pairing with 8th seed Puerto Rico Islanders. With Austin’s 1-1-2 record against them this season, they are exactly the opponent that fans didn’t want first.

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

• box score — USSF

• Aztex Reclaim League’s Top Spot With 4-2 Win Over AC St. Louis — AustinAztex.com
  

  Austin came out of the gate with a firestorm on St. Louis goalkeeper Alec Dufty, who was able to ward the Aztex off for only the first 14 minutes. After a corner kick was given to the Aztex, Jamie Watson drove a ball deep into the box that was headed by Jay Needham and punched out. On the rebound, Michael Callahan lined up and drilled the shot past Dufty, who could do nothing to stop it after the initial diving save. The goal was Callahan’s first points of the season and first career goal for the Aztex.

• Austin Tops USL Conference, Carolina Tie With Vancouver for NASL Conference Lead — NASL Fanatic
  

  Aztex’ Coach Adrian Heath must have had the right message for his players at halftime, though. Five minutes into the second half, forward Maxwell Griffin beat Dufty with a chipped shot for his ninth goal of the season. Austin pretty well had the run of play in the second half as the AC St. Louis team looked to run out of steam, although the big crowd at House Park had to be a bit worried, considering Austin’s penchant for giving up late goals recently. Former Crystal Palace Baltimore forward Randi Patterson put their fears to rest in stoppage time, though, as he beat Dufty one on one to give the Austin an insurance score and the win.

• Pair of unlikely goals help send Aztex over AC St. Louis — Austin American-Statesman
  

  With the score even at two goals a piece in the 51st minute, [Max] Griffin chased down a Yordany Alvarez pass . As a St. Louis defender bore down on him, Griffin chipped a shot at a tough angle from more than 20 yards out that hung in the air and floated just over the fingertips of St. Louis keeper Alec Duffy for a goal that put the Aztex up for good in a 4-2 victory over St. Louis.

  “Right when I got the ball, I looked up and saw (Duffy) take a couple steps off his line and said, ‘Why not just try it?’\u2009″ Griffin said.

  [Editor's rant: bless Colby White for writing these pieces, and bless the Statesman for running them, but I can't turn a blind eye to the shoddy editorial quality anymore. Take this bit I've quoted, for example. Spaces around punctuation, "a piece" vs. "apiece", computer character artifacts ("\u2009") and last but certainly not least -- St. Louis' goalkeeper's name is Alec Dufty. I'd expect better from my middle-schooler's language arts homework, let alone the website for Austin's daily newspaper.]

• AC St.Louis Falls 4-2 to Austin — Floodplain Footy
  

  Austin commanded the second half with an early 50th minute goal, and a score in extra time. By that point St. Louis was riddled with injuries as Troy Cole, Zach Bauer, Jack Traynor, Mike Ambersley, and Brad Stisser all encountered problems.

  “The injuries just made run out of juice in the second half,” said [St. Louis coach] Schilly. “The pace of the first half was as fast as we have seen and played all year. We certainly made our chances and could have been up as much as 3-0 early on. Austin then scores on their first two chances. I hate losing, but I am happy with this performance. It was a hell of game.”

• Video: Austin Aztex 4, AC St. Louis 2, 9-25-10 Highlights (4:59) — AztexSoccer on YouTube

  Update: The highlights video has been re-edited to include the 3rd (my personal favorite) and 4th goals. This video, unfortunately, doesn’t capture two of the loveliest goals we’ve seen at House this year; there’s a glimpse of Callahan’s rocket shot, but no trace of Griffin’s beautifully floated chip shot. And oddly, there’s footage from another game entirely: one of Eddie Johnson‘s goals against Minnesota on Sep. 4. But the interviews are good (and from the right game), and I do like that big white “Come And Take It” flag that’s carried by behind Miguel at around the 4:07 mark.

Next up, the end-of-season whirlwind begins. The Aztex hit the road for two more quick games to finish up the season: Friday the 1st in Carolina, and Sunday the 3rd in Montreal.

Then they’ll turn around again a few days later and play the first playoff game on the 6th or 7th, and then back to Austin for the second playoff game on the 9th or 10th. (That’s right, I said “9th or 10th”. Although everything I’ve seen to date, including the ticket sales page, says the 9th, rumor has it that if we do face Puerto Rico, the home game might wind up on the 10th.)

Aztex fans may have felt that last Thursday’s late draw felt like a loss, but after Saturday night in St. Louis, now we’re remembering what an actual loss feels like.

It feels pretty crummy, if you’re wondering. And it’s causing no small amount of worry: did the Aztex peak too early in the season, instead of now, when they need to? Were the months in first place built more on results against low-end teams than we realized? As the vision of a first place finish fades, the specter of facing Puerto Rico — one of Austin’s toughest foes this season — in the playoffs looms large.

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

• box score — USSF

• Aztex Drop Road Game to AC St. Louis, 2-1 — AustinAztex.com
  

  The Aztex (14-5-8) offense stalled all night long with just four first-half shots against an opponent that they managed to fire off 27 shots on goal in their last meeting.

  Austin started the game with five reserves in the starting 11 and never quite gelled through the contest. The first half ended scoreless with just one corner kick for both teams combined and Sean Kelley’s first save of the season. Saturday’s match was also the first time this season that Aztex goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo was not on the pitch.

• Saturday Night Fever: D2 Expansion Teams AC St. Louis and NSC Minnesota Rock ‘N Roll — NASL Fanatic
  

  Mindful of the young Saints’ penchant for surrendering late goals, the minutes clicked away much too slowly .As the game moved into stoppage time, history repeated itself and Eddie Johnson lasered a shot past Dufty to tie the score. All the good work done by Dufty and the backline of Jack Traynor and rookies Mark Bloom and Zach Bauer seemed to go to waste as with very little stoppage time remaining, the game looked to end as a draw.

  But, for AC St. Louis, history was made anew. With time running out, veteran Luke Kreamalmeyer found Luis Gil and the teenaged Californian beat Kelley to win the game. Gil’s first professional goal coincided with the Saints’ first come from behind victory, and the crowd erupted as disappointment turned to joy instantly.

The Aztex don’t have to wait long for their shot at revenge. They host AC St. Louis at House Park this Saturday, in the last home game of the regular season. That first-place spot is still in reach: Austin trails Rochester by a single point, and still has a game in hand over them. Here’s hoping that our boys can regain the momentum we saw earlier in the summer.

Puerto Rico’s Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium must be shaping up as on of the Aztex’s least favorite places to play: they lost there again Saturday night. The Islanders boosted their playoff chances by taking all three points with a 3-1 win.

And with the Rochester Rhinos getting a decisive 3-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rowdies last night, the Aztex fall back to 2nd place in the conference.

The watch event was a bit of a mixed bag, unfortunately. We still had good service from Mister Tramps, but there were network issues (Mister Tramps’, not the video feed) that put a damper on things for a while. And of course the place was crawling with college football fans, for whom the majority of TVs were tuned. The woman at the table next to us that kept yelling, “sluts!” at the TV whenever it showed cheerleaders or a predominantly female group of fans, was a little disconcerting. On the other hand, the Belgian Waffle (Guinness & Blue Moon) was cold and the michelada was spicy, so it wasn’t a total loss.

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

• box score — USSF

• Aztex Drop Game to Islanders 3-1 — AustinAztex.com
  

  In a game that the Aztex (14-4-7) were outshot 12-7, Austin managed few opportunities on net for the second straight contest in Bayamon, but were able to capitalize on a penalty shot early in the first half. Jamie Watson took the kick on the ground to the right of the goalkeeper, who wasn’t able to make a move on the shot. The goal was Watson’s seventh of the season, bringing him into a tie for seventh in the league.

The Aztex travel next to Tampa, to face the Rowdies on Thursday evening.

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.

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 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.