The Aztexan

Well, it wasn't a blowout. It wasn't a romp. It wasn't a massacre. Though for a few minutes at the start, it looked like it might be a couple of those, the Aztex hung in there and fought the good fight. Scoreless at the end of the first half, it was easy to imagine overtime after another 45 minutes like that.

Unfortunately, the second half wasn't quite like that. Houston came out stronger and dominated more thoroughly. Most importantly, of course, they were able to do what Austin has not been able to do reliably for some time now: put the ball in the back of the net.

Some are still wondering about the way Jeff Harwell was brought down in the Houston box early in the game. An Aztex penalty kick at that point would have certainly affected the game. In related news: if a frog had wings, he wouldn't bump his ass a-hoppin'.

So ends the Aztex's 2009 U.S. Open Cup run. But getting to this round wasn't without its benefits. The game last night was very well attended, just a couple hundred shy of the 5,000 mark. A meaningful meeting with a major league team, even if it was just for the poor under-appreciated Open Cup, also brought more press attention than most games get.

The You-Had-To-Be-There Moment of the Match: just seeing all the Houston fans in attendance. I don't know if we have a bunch of closet Dynamo supporters in town, or if that many folks really drove 3 hours for a midweek game. Either way, it's impressive and heartening to see that level of fan support. Even if they are all attired in that ridiculous neon orange that Houston is saddled with.

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

• box score — USOpenCup.com
  


• Ashe douses Aztex's chances in Open Cup — Austin American-Statesman
  

  The ever-active Harwell then sprinted the length of the field to turn the ensuing Houston corner kick into a scoring chance at the other end, but his appeal for a penalty went unheeded after he went down in the Houston box following contact with the last defender.
  
  The remaining minutes of the first half followed a similar pattern, as Houston camped in the Austin half but couldn't score while the Aztex sat back and used Harwell's speed to counterattack.

• Ashe’s performance leads Dynamo to 2-0 win over Aztex — AustinAztex.com
  

  Houston’s best chance of the first half came late, when Mullan, who had made himself comfortable along the right side all half, fired in a cross that Danny Cruz headed just wide of the post. The half ended scoreless before Ashe came out and put away the game with his impressive second-half performance.
  
  “They’ve got Ashe, they had Kei Kamara [off the bench]; that shows their strength in depth,” Heath said. “They’re probably one of the best run clubs in the MLS. I’m disappointed with the result, but pleased with the performance.”

The Dynamo advance to the Open Cup quarterfinals, where they'll face the Charleston Battery, in Charleston on Tuesday, July 7. That's the same Cup matchup they've had for the last 2 years, and Houston has gone down to the USL-1 side both times. Here's hoping for a third!

No rest for the Red & White - they're back on the road for a rematch of last weekend's matchup with Cleveland City Stars. That game is Friday, July 3, at 7:00 PM CT. Watch it live on Fox Soccer Channel, at home or in the company of other fans at Cuatros on 24th.

Labels: MLS, postgame, U.S. Open Cup

The Aztex take the field for the first of just three home games this month Wednesday evening, July 1, at 7:30. They host MLS' Houston Dynamo in the 3rd round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The cup, the oldest team tournament in U.S. sports history, is just seeing the entrance of the top-level MLS teams in this round. The winner of this game will go to Charleston to play the Charleston Battery, who beat MLS' Chivas USA tonight, 3-1.

The Dynamo are a formidable opponent, coming into the game at the top of the MLS table, with a record of 8-3-4. They are returning to the Lone Star State from a 1-0 loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy, however. That defeat ended an 11-game unbeaten streak for Houston.

This won't be the first time the Red & White have hosted the Orange. Houston was here back in March for a preseason game, a contest that ended in a 2-2 draw.

Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear gave his view of the Open Cup in a short interview with AustinAztex.com:

AA: How important is the Open Cup to you guys? With the longer season, where is it in your priorities?

DK: It’s important to us. Obviously the bigger priority for us is the MLS and the MLS Cup. But this is a game for us to win. It’s the easiest trophy to win. You play four games in a row over a period of a time and you get the trophy.

Both teams will be missing some of their key players:

Houston’s Brian Ching and Stuart Holden are on the U.S. national team’s roster for the Gold Cup and are on their way to Seattle for the opening match against Grenada on Saturday. Defender Andrew Hainault will be on national team duty for Canada while Wade Barrett and Craig Waibel are out with injuries.

Match Forecast

Temp:	upper 80s
Rain:	10%
Wind:	3mph
Sunset:	8:37

as of 9:00 PM, 6/30/09

Add in Ricardo Clark who has been out with the national team after its spectacular run in the Confederations Cup and the Dynamo have had to do some shuffling.

...The Aztex are without starting goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo (leg) and midfielder and second-leading scorer Yordany Alvarez (foot). Also missing for nine games has been forward Gifton Noel-Williams, who has been out with a bad hamstring. Noel-Williams is slowly working his way back to form and said he should be fit enough for Wednesday.

Speaking of Noel-Williams, the game may see a reunion of sorts between him and former teammate Ade Akinbiyi:

Noel-Williams knows firsthand about Akinbiyi. The two became close friends during their time playing together for Stoke City and Burnley back in England where the duo’s physical presence proved to be effective both on and off the field.

The game should be a great one. Advancement to face Charleston in the 4th round is on the line, temperatures will stay down in the comfortable, 2-digit range all day, and lots of Dynamo fans are expected to make the trip. It may just be, as the Aztex email promotion claims, "THE BIGGEST COMPETITIVE SOCCER GAME IN AUSTIN HISTORY!"

Kickoff will be at 7:30, so that means the pre-match supporters' gathering at Nomad Bar (map) will start to come together about 5:00. Tickets for the match are $20 for adults, $15 for kids 12 and under.

After this game, the Aztex turn around and head back to Ohio on Friday for a rematch of last weekend's game against the Cleveland City Stars. That match will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel.

Labels: gameday, MLS, U.S. Open Cup, USL-1

You may have seen ads for Nothing But Nets, the charity supported by MLS (and NBA, VH-1 and WNBA, among others). The purpose of the group is pretty simple: buy insecticide-treated bed netting to distribute to malaria-stricken areas of the world. That netting, draped around their beds, protects people in those areas from mosquito bites and, more importantly, from the malaria they transmit.

I'd heard of this before, myself. But it wasn't until I read this amazing National Geographic article: Malaria - Stopping A Global Killer, that I really realized what a monster malaria is. Virtually nonexistent in the U.S., in some parts of the world it's a terrifying part of daily life.

A nationwide health survey in 2005 [in Zambia] concluded that for every thousand children under age five living in the North-Western Province, there were 1,353 cases of malaria. An annual rate of more than 100 percent seems impossible, a typo. It is not. What it means is that many children are infected with malaria more than once a year.

...Few infectious agents can overwhelm the body as swiftly as [malaria parasites Plasmodium] falciparum. An African youth can be happily playing soccer in the morning and dead of falciparum malaria that night.

There are a lot of problems in the world, and a lot of worthy organizations working to help. But when I read that story, I knew the cause I wanted to help fight for. I challenge you to read it and not be moved to help, too.

But don't just take it from me, take it from former Houston Dynamo, current Toronto FC star Dwayne De Rosario, in this short video:



It's easy to help, and it's not expensive. A bed net costs $10, which includes delivery to Africa. Ten bucks! That's the cost of two pints of Guinness at the Nomad (not including tip). Meanwhile, that $10 could literally save a kid's life somewhere in Zimbabwe, or Mali, or Chad.

And if you donate now, you'll have a chance to win 2 tickets — including airfare & hotel — to this year's MLS All-Star Game in Salt Lake City in July. Leading up to World Malaria Day on April 25th, 4 MLS teams are participating in the "Nothing But Nets Challenge", a contest to see whose fans can raise the most money for this cause. The teams, and links to their Nothing But Nets Challenge pages, are: LA Galaxy, Chicago Fire, DC United and Seattle Sounders. Donate through one of those pages, and if that team wins the contest, they could draw your name to win the All-Star Game trip. (Hint: Seattle's the team to go with. As of this writing they've raised over $10,000, far ahead of the next highest team, DC United with $1,600.)

Go ahead, don't wait, do it right now. Send a net. Save a life.

Labels: community, MLS

The Aztex were in Sandy, Utah on Saturday for their fourth pre-season match against a high-quality MLS opponent. This time it was Real Salt Lake, a team that just barely missed a trip to the MLS Cup last year, and which is ranked highly by many for 2009, including ESPN & Ives Galarcep.

The match was part of a unique free open-house event put on by RSL to show off Rio Tinto, the newest soccer-specific stadium in MLS. It was a clever way to make lemonade out of the lemons they got by being the odd team out of MLS First Kick weekend.

The Better Than Nothing I Suppose award goes to the live streaming audio provided of the game via KALL700. Listeners were able to follow the score, and a few of the big plays, but had to endure approximately 85 minutes of pointless chit-chat. Some other post-match coverage:

• Real finish preseason with 3-1 victory & box score — MLSnet.com
  

  If the Utah side hoped for a good test before officially starting MLS play, its wish was granted in the form of the USL-1 Aztex. Austin gave RSL a run for its money, but ultimately could not do enough to slow down the club's offensive attack.
  
  ...The Aztex finally struck in the 72nd minute when reserve midfielder Alex Tapp delivered a pass perfectly on target to defender Kieron Bernard in front of the goalie box. Bernard mimicked what Olave did earlier and unleashed a header in one fluid motion that sailed right past Rimando and tied the score at 1-1.

• Real Salt Lake Defeats Austin Aztex 3-1 — Keepin' It Real!
  

  The game had a few chippy moments as Kyle Beckerman and an Aztex midfielder had several encounters, one bringing both sides together in the middle of the field for what appeared to be just a minor shoving and shouting match.

And a little video footage, including two of RSL's goals:



That leaves nearly 2 weeks until the next Aztex game: another tough preseason exhibition here at Nelson Field against the Puerto Rico Islanders on Friday, April 3.

Labels: exhibition, MLS, USL-1

It was another good game last night to wrap up MLS Madness. The crowd was definitely smaller than last week's Dynamo match, but the weather wasn't nearly as bad as I'd braced myself for.

The You Had To Be There Moment of the Match: supporter Alejo Loco's mad dash across the entire width of the stands (and back again!), a giant Texas flag streaming behind him. Here's a rundown of other post-match coverage.

• Aztex beat Columbus Crew 1-0 in exhibition — Austin American-Statesman
  

  Even as captain and center forward Gifton Noel Williams looked on from the bench Saturday with an ankle injury, the Aztex controlled the game from the first kick. The home side took the lead in the 25th minute courtesy of a 20-yard strike from forward Eddie Johnson. He turned his man outside the box and fired a low shot to the far post, beyond the reach of goalkeeper William Hesmer.

• Austin Aztex 1, Crew 0 — Covering The Crew (Columbus Dispatch)
  

  Gino Padula was sent off in the 35th for a hard but late single-leg tackle. He was going for the ball, but the referee deemed it egregious.
  
  ...The USL-1 Aztex were not at full strength roster-wise but were pretty impressive. They are a skillful bunch and were a good test for the Crew. Too bad the playing surface, while not horrible, was not what the Crew needed to be playing on in its final tune-up.
  
  ...The always affable Dominic Kinnear and his staff were watching from the press box. The Dynamo tied Chivas USA 2-2 in the Home Depot Center last night. Kinnear and Co. flew home to Houston this morning, hopped in the car and made the trip to Austin.

• Austin Aztex 1 - Columbus Crew 0 — Austin Photographer Patrick Meredith

  

• Austin Aztex FC defeat MLS Champion Columbus Crew 1-0 — AustinAztex.com
  

  Aztex head coach Adrian Heath was obviously pleased with the result. “The first half was good. I saw some of the stuff that we’ve been working on during training. It actually looks as though I know what I’m doing for the moment,” Heath joked . “We’ve come an awful long way. Sullivan excited people in first half. I’m really happy Eddie got his first goal. And Jarius made some terrific runs in the box.
  
  “I was pleased with the shape of the team. When you’re doing two sessions a day and working them hard, (a result like this) is a bit of vindication of what you’re doing. I can’t be too hasty though. I know we’ve got an awful long way to go to be where I want to be.”

Next week the Aztex will be dancing with the odd girl out from MLS' "First Kick" season opening weekend, Real Salt Lake. The next home game will be another tough preseason exhibition that was just announced last night: the Puerto Rico Islanders on Friday, April 3. The Islanders will be gearing up for the second leg of their CONCACAF Champions League semifinal against Mexico's Cruz Azul the following week.

Labels: exhibition, MLS, USL-1

Last but certainly not least in the Aztex's "MLS Madness" preseason is this Saturday's match against reigning MLS champions and Supporters' Shield winners Columbus Crew.

Actually, this won't be the last preseason game the Aztex play against an MLS side, just the last home game. Official word was out Tuesday that the team will travel to Salt Lake City to play MLS' Real Salt Lake. The game is part of a free open house event that RSL is using to show off the brand new and highly acclaimed Rio Tinto Stadium.

Meanwhile, back here in Austin, Saturday is the the last officially announced Aztex action before the season starts on April 18, with our opener against Minnesota Thunder.

The Columbus Dispatch's Crew beat writer Shawn Mitchell is in town with the team. His Dispatch-hosted blog included this post yesterday: Crew reserves 4, St. Edward's University 0. Along with details of a slight hamstring strain suffered by forward Robbie Rogers and a mention of Austin native and former Crew player Jacob Thomas was this item:

Word is the Crew attempted to get out of Saturday's game against the Austin Aztex after it found out the exhibition will be played on an artificial turf field but were unable to do so because of contractual obligations.

Discussion of the field at Nelson merits its own post(s), but I'm not sure what to make of that little tidbit. Surely the Crew knew before they agreed to the trip that the match would be on artificial turf? Is the surface at Nelson Field somehow worse than they thought? And is it substantially worse than the handful of MLS stadiums with plastic grass? I don't mean these as rhetorical questions, I'd really like to know.

Unfortunately the weather hasn't been cooperating this week. It has been, and will continue to be, chilly and wet. Game-time temperatures are predicted to be in the low 50s, with a "slight chance" of rain. With crummy weather, without a boost from lots of opposition fans, but playing against the best team in MLS, it will be interesting to see what the crowd turns out to be.

As always, kickoff is at 7:30 at Nelson Field. Supporters warmup (i.e., 12-ounce weightlifting, etc.) starts at 5:00, this week at the Nomad Bar (map) rather than La Palapa.

Labels: exhibition, gameday, MLS

Great game last night, as the traveling Dynamo fans swelled the crowd at Nelson Field to nearly 4,200. The weather was much warmer than last week, as predicted, but the March wind was still roaring.

• Aztex get 1st pro goal in club history, tie Houston Dynamo — Austin American-Statesman
  

  The Austin Aztex pulled ahead twice in the first half of Saturday night's exhibition against two-time MLS champion Houston, but the Dynamo rallied with goals on either side of the break to produce a 2-2 draw.
  
  There was plenty of history made for the Aztex, who are playing their first pro season: first goal, first lead and first red card. Aztex captain Gifton Noel-Williams was sent off in the first half after earning two yellow cards. In a move of sportsmanship that stood out sharply in contrast with the physical nature of the game, the Dynamo allowed Austin to replace Noel-Williams with another player to keep the game going as a contest.

  I especially liked the description of the first goal (emphasis added):
  

  Noel-Williams won a header near the halfway line and released winger Sullivan Silva with a perfectly weighed chip. The Brazilian outran the Dynamo defense before beating goalkeeper Tally Hall with a composed finish. The first goal in team history was Silva's final contribution on the night before he limped off with a hamstring injury.

  Here's hoping the hamstring is no problem, and we start seeing that sentence a lot, fill-in-the-blank style: The Brazilian outran the _________ defense before beating goalkeeper ____________ with a composed finish.


• Aztex secure 2-2 tie against Dynamo — AustinAztex.com
  

  With the valuable lessons learned from last week’s defeat against the Revolution and another solid week of practice, Heath said he expected this type of performance from his team. "I thought we would be better and we were. We had some good performances out there tonight including some of the younger guys. Sullivan Silva can be a good player. Jarius Holmes can be a good player. For being just 12 days in, I’m pleased with the result."

• Austin Aztex vs. Houston Dynamo — Austin Photographer Patrick Meredith
  


• 2009 Spring Break Camps — AustinAztex.com
  Not directly related to the game, but there was a postcard for this on everyone's windshields after the game, so I'll mention it, too.
  

  The Austin Aztex Spring Break Youth Soccer Camps will be held March 16-20 at two locations in Austin. English soccer star and Aztex USL-1 Head Coach Adrian Heath will oversee the camps, which are designed for children ages 5 to 15.
  
  "We are very excited to present our Austin Aztex soccer camps during the 2009 Spring Break. Players will have several new camps to choose from this Spring as I have added a skills school, shot stoppers-GK and striker school, and a basic Soccer 101 to our usual rec/select player camp offering."

That does it for Houston. And look at me, I managed to be nice and not say a word about what a bunch of bland, generic losers they are, or how they totally blew it in the CONCACAF Champions League, or how their kit is hands-down the ugliest combination of ugly colors to ever mar a soccer pitch. Oops, well, I almost managed it.

Next weekend we'll see our third and final MLS exhibition (unless rumors about going to Dallas or Salt Lake City pan out), when we host the reigning MLS champions, Columbus Crew. Is it Saturday yet?

Labels: exhibition, MLS, USL-1

Next up in the Aztex's preseason MLS lineup is the Houston Dynamo this Saturday, March 7. As the Chronicle reports, they're coming off a 3-0 loss Tuesday night to Atlante of Mexico's Primera División, which eliminated them from the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals.

With Houston being our closest pro soccer neighbor, plus their renowned supporters groups (El Batallón and Texian Army), we could have quite a crowd at this one. And if you can round up 11 or more friends, you can all get in for the new group discount price of just $15.

The Aztex are expected to once again be trialing a good number of players, though the roster did officially grow by one this week with the signing of English midfielder Eddie Johnson:

The 24-year-old Johnson comes to the United States after a successful career in England, which included stints on the U16-U20 English national teams as well as his first professional job with Manchester United back in 2001 at age 17.

United loaned Johnson to the Belgian club Royal Antwerp in January 2004 where he made 11 appearances, scoring five goals. In July 2004, Johnson went on loan to Championship-side Coventry City for the 2004–05 season where he gained valuable first-team experience.

Eddie and I will see you at Nelson on Saturday night. Once again, an open invitation to meet up with other fans at La Palapa at 5:00; kickoff is at 7:30. Best of all: you can leave your winter coat and mittens at home this week. The current forecast calls for temperatures in the 70s.

Labels: exhibition, gameday, MLS

In a month or two, temperatures in the 40s at Nelson Field will seem impossible, but that's what we endured last night.

Considering how young the Aztex team is — remember, they haven't even announced enough signings yet to field a full eleven — they held their own very respectably against the New England Revolution. Sure it was a 2-0 scoreline, but the Revs only scored one of those goals themselves!

Following is a rundown of post-match coverage. The best part of the game that's not covered in any of these stories was the One-Man Chris Albright Hate Club, who verbally assaulted the Revs defender throughout the second half.

• Gameday: Revs at Aztex— New England Revolution Blog

  "This feels like classic New England fall weather with the chill in the air and heavy wind."
  "It’s so chilly out that [acting head coach Paul] Mariner has brought a towel out from the locker room to wrap around his legs on the bench."

  [Ha ha!]


• Aztex Fall Short Against Revolution in Exhibition Match, 2-0 — AustinAztex.com

  More than 2,000 fans braved blustery conditions Saturday night at Nelson Field to see what professional soccer under the Aztex brand name would look like...
  
  Aztex Head Coach Adrian Heath was understandably disappointed in his team’s shaky start. “We started off quite poorly. I think we actually started both halves very nervous. That’s something we’ll have to speak about. But after the initial 10 minutes we played some really good football.”

• Aztex get a quick dose of reality from MLS power New England — Austin American-Statesman

  Despite missing talismanic striker Taylor Twellman and several other starters, the Revolution and All-Star midfielder Shalrie Joseph bossed possession for most of the match.
  
  see also: Statesman photo gallery

  [How's that for a nickname: Taylor "The Talisman" Twellman?]

Next week: soon-to-be-CONCACAF-Champions-League-losers Houston Dynamo come to town. And bring some warmer weather with them, I hope!

Labels: exhibition, gameday, MLS, USL-1

This is it, today's the day! The first Aztex game ever!

Okay, granted that since we're in our first season (for the second time; this year it's the USL-1 team), we get to have lots of "firsts". We'll get to have another one with the first league game, but that's still more than a month away.

For now, this is it: the first official public game to ever be played by the Austin Aztex USL-1!

The opponent tonight is MLS' New England Revolution, who have been in town all week, training in the warm Texas sunshine. The Revs and the Aztex scrimmaged at least once this week, with the Aztex winning or drawing all 3 30-minute matches.

Supporters group Chantico's Army has a nice match preview, which includes details on lots of the Aztex players who are not yet officially signed. And News 8 Austin has a short video on the Aztex's preparations for the game. As they note, this is the first of a 3-week exhibition home stand. Next week we'll see the Houston Dynamo. The week after that the Columbus Crew will be in town.

Though we've had highs in the 80s the last couple of days, a cold front came in overnight. Highs today will be in the 60s, but temps during the game are forecast to drop from mid 50s to high 40s.

Kickoff tonight is 7:30PM at Nelson Field. Individual tickets are $20 or $30. Chantico's Army folks are gathering at La Palapa at 5:00, and then heading over to the stadium. I unfortunately won't be able to join them, but it's open to anyone, fans of either team. I will be at the game, hope to see you there!

Update: rosters for both teams on the Aztex website.

Labels: exhibition, gameday, MLS, USL-1

Here's one for the newer fans of pro soccer in the U.S. It's a topic the die-hards among us take for granted, but which is surely confusing to many casual fans. After I'd explained it to my wife for the thirteenth time, I thought perhaps it was worth writing up.

She never asks it this way, but the question boils down to: Where do the Aztex fit in the soccer landscape in the U.S.? It turns out to be a pretty complicated answer.

You could answer that the Aztex play in the United Soccer Leagues (USL). That would be correct, if not especially meaningful to most people.

That's partly because most people, if they've heard of pro soccer in the U.S. at all, have heard of that other league: Major Leauge Soccer (MLS). Both USL and MLS are professional soccer leagues, but they're totally separate, without much of any official relationship between them (and certainly no system of promotion and relegation). MLS is clearly higher up the scale of what we expect pro sport to be: more fame and more fortune. For example, MLS has players like David Beckham (maybe), Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Juan Pablo Angel.

As I've written before, I personally think a more formal relationship between MLS & USL should be hammered out, but I'm not holding my breath.

When you hear about the Aztex's upcoming preseason exhibition games against MLS teams, that's who they're playing. Even better, the 3 teams coming to town — the New England Revolution, the Houston Dynamo and last season's champs Columbus Crew — are among the best MLS has to offer. (By the way, if you're even remotely considering getting Aztex season tickets, be sure to get them before Feb. 23 to get in on a great package that includes those MLS games.)

Okay, the Aztex play in the USL, that's great. But the next source of confusion is that the the USL itself is made up of not one, not two, but five separate soccer leagues. There's a youth league ("Super-Y"), a women's league ("W-League"), a developmental amateur league ("PDL") and 2 levels of pro league ("Second Division" and "First Division"). Sometimes there are connections between teams in these different leagues, but most of the time they're completely separate.

Here in Austin, as of 2009, we'll have teams in two of those USL leagues. They're both run by the same organization: Austin Aztex FC.

One team is officially called the Aztex U23s, and they began play in the Premier Development League (PDL) last year.

Because PDL teams are mostly college players keeping their game up during the summer break from school, the season is short, lasting from May through July. And PDL players aren't paid; if they were, they would lose their amateur status and be ineligible to play college ball.

The PDL is divided into 8 regional divisions, to minimize travel. This year, the Aztex will be playing in the all-Texas "Mid South Division", against such teams as the El Paso Patriots, the DFW Tornados and the Laredo Heat. The Heat are a formidable team: they were national champs in 2007, and they just barely fell short of a repeat last year, losing in the league final to Ontario's Thunder Bay Chill on penalty kicks.

The schedule for the 2009 PDL season has been announced, but the locations of the Aztex U23 home games haven't been yet. I've heard most will be at Round Rock High School's Dragon Stadium, and that some may also be played in other cities around Austin, in an effort to draw in more fans.

The other Aztex team is new this year, and will be the team most people mean when they talk about "the Aztex" from now on. They will play in the USL's First Division (USL-1). This team didn't "move up" or get "promoted" from last year's U23 squad (though a few of the players did). Fielding a team in this league was the plan ever since the Austin Aztex FC was announced, and the club has been working on building to this since early last year.

The players on this team are not amateurs, they are paid professional soccer players. There may not be superstars with the household name recognition of a Beckham or a Blanco, but the teams are nevertheless stocked with a high level of talent, drawn from all over the world. This is especially true of the Aztex, whose global reach has already brought on six international players, and counting.

The 11 teams that make up the USL-1 span the country, from Miami FC in Florida to the Portland Timbers in Oregon. In fact, 3 of USL-1's teams hail from beyond U.S. borders: the Puerto Rico Islanders, the Montreal Impact and the reigning champions, the Vancouver Whitecaps. The USL-1 season stretches from April to September.

All 15 Aztex home games, plus those 3 preseason MLS games, will be played at Nelson Field. Some USL-1 games, though not all, are televised on Fox Soccer Channel. Online streaming video (for a fee) may be available again from USLLive.com this season to cover the rest of the games.

Hopefully this helps clarify where the Aztex fit in the bigger picture of U.S. (and Canadian) soccer. If nothing else, I can give the link to my wife the next time I need to explain it.

Labels: MLS, U-23, USL-1

Huge news: Aztex FC has managed to schedule not one, not two but three exhibition games against MLS teams in the upcoming months. All three will be played at Nelson Field, the new home stadium of the Aztex.

• Feb. 28 vs. New England Revolution (4-time MLS finalists, 2007 Open Cup Champions, 2008 Superliga Champions)


• Mar. 7 vs. Houston Dynamo (2-time MLS Champions, 2008 Western Conference winners)


• Mar. 14 vs. Columbus Crew (2002 Open Cup Champions, 2-time Supporters Shield winners, 2008 MLS Champions)

Owner Phil Rawlins was on AM 1300's The Zone today to make the announcement. The story is on the team's site, and was also covered by the Statesman:

"Exhibitions are a great way to evaluate talent and since this will be our first-ever game action, I believe these games will allow us to really identify who will see considerable playing action in the upcoming season," said Aztex coach Adrian Heath.

These games are going to be fantastic. Sure it's offseason for the MLS teams, and the Aztex side won't even really be complete. But in terms of publicity and excitement and a demonstration of the seriousness of our Austin team, this could hardly be better. These aren't run-of-the-mill MLS squads, either: no San Jose, no Toronto, no Kansas City. They even made it easier on all of us FC Dallas fans — who would have been conflicted about who to cheer for — by inviting that other Texas team, the one that's easy to root against.

Best of all, it drastically brings in the date to look forward to: instead of being way out in mid-April, now it's just over 6 weeks until that Feb. 28 match against the Revs. Suddenly, instead of too much time, it almost seems like too little (key word, "almost").

Seating at Nelson Field is divided into two levels. Better is "Center Circle"; cheaper is "Sideline" (see chart). Tickets for the individual exhibition matches will be $30 and $20, respectively. If you buy season tickets ($290 for Center Circle; $240 for Sideline) before February 23, the MLS games are included. There's also an "MLS Madness" pack: the 3 MLS games plus 2 regular-season Aztex games ($100 or $70). Full details on the team website.

Labels: exhibition, MLS, USL-1

I've been seeing a good deal of "USL vs. MLS" talk lately. Stuff like:

• "How does MLS get away with stealing USL's markets?"


• "If MLS is the top level league, why are they getting their butts kicked in the CONCACAF Champions League while USL teams are cruising through?"


• "How did a lowly USL-1 side like Charleston Battery almost knock off powerhouse DC United in the US Open Cup?"


• "What role did MLS expansion plans play in the demise of the Atlanta Silverbacks?"

If you're looking for answers, you've come to the right place. I'm here to give the definitive solution to the real question that underlies all these:

How should these two American leagues relate to each other?

But first, let's step back and get some perspective. A good place to start is the fine 3-part series PotomacSoccerWire.com ran recently: Thriving in the shadows: The survival, and success, of the United Soccer Leagues. That short introduction includes links to all 3 parts, which are worth reading in full.

Part I: DC United exes find greener pastures in Vancouver

"I think players-wise, there should be more loaning back and forth," [Vancouver Whitecap Jay Nolly] said. "At the end of the season MLS should be looking [at USL] — the USL players have a lot more experience than going and getting a guy out of college. I almost think the USL should be more of a feeder system than a lot of the college system."

... Another common view is that USL players are typically just biding their time before an opportunity to move up to MLS presents itself. But Nolly and Moose offer a striking contrast to that idea as well: both men are happy with the Whitecaps and eager to help the club defend its championship in 2009.

So here are two seemingly contradictory statements: "MLS should be more interested in recruiting experienced USL players" on the one hand, and "some USL players are perfectly content to play at that level indefinitely" on the other. But that's not contradictory, that's perfect. There is (or could be) a path for advancement to higher league play, but there's also an acceptable and satisfying level for those who don't follow that path.

Part II: Season of success cues bullish outlook

"MLS clearly approaches [the Open Cup & Champions League play] differently — 'we'll get by one way or the other,'" adds [USL President Francisco] Marcos. "But guess what? The difference isn't enough for them to be able to take that attitude. We go to those games like our life depends on it — our reputation, our credibility depends on it. The results speak for themselves."

Those results have added lots of fuel to the "USL vs. MLS" fires. But some of the conclusions jumped to don't stand up to scrutiny.

For one, it's the nature of these kinds of competitions, especially the Open Cup, to result in upsets. Look at England's Carling Cup: as of the 5th round, 3 of the 8 teams left are from the 2nd division, and European superpower Chelsea was eliminated by Burnley in the most recent round. But does anyone argue that the Championship rivals the Premiership? Of course not.

Secondly, as in every league in the world, there are disparities between the teams that dominate year after year and those that always seem to languish further down the table. That is, just because the a league's best teams do well, that doesn't necessarily mean the whole league would be competitive at a higher level.

Part III: MLS expansion leaves United Soccer Leagues wary

"They have named five out of seven markets for possible expansion that are our markets, three of which are our clubs themselves," said USL President Francisco Marcos in an interview last week. "Are we flattered by that? Yes. But we can't eat flattery. Are we happy about it? Absolutely not. Can we do a whole lot about it? Not a lot."

..."There's other things that we're going to be demanding because we don't just want to become just simply the feeder, the testers of MLS grounds such as Rochester, which didn't happen. Montreal, which may happen. Vancouver, which may happen. Portland, which may very well happen," he noted. "Places that MLS would have never thought about if we weren't there."

I have a lot of respect for Marcos and all he's done for soccer in the U.S., but I'm afraid he comes off as a bit of a whiner in this piece. He hints that the USL may already be hip to my Grand Theory (coming up here in another thousand words or so), but I wish he wouldn't play the poor victim. Though what do I know? Maybe the USL is indeed the poor victim, and they've been majorly screwed by Major League Soccer. Either way, I couldn't agree more that it isn't fair for MLS to take advantage of USL's work.

Okay, that does it for PotomacSoccer.com's series. Our last exhibit is this piece by Mitch Howard on Major League Soccer Talk, USL Needs to Compete Directly against MLS.

The United Soccer Leagues has been a doormat to the MLS for too long. They have allowed MLS to walk all over them. MLS has taken multiple cities from the USL to put into their league and have not suffered any kind of legal troubles or image issues.

... History shows that the USL should compete directly against MLS. In both the history of football and basketball in the U.S., leagues have merged and absorbed each other.

Howard is taking the dramatic viewpoint here, casting MLS as the villain and USL tied to the tracks, feebly crying for help. Yet despite this difference in power, his proposed solution is a merger similar to those of the American Football League and the American Basketball Association.

The first argument (and the only one needed, really) against the head-to-head league idea is that FIFA prohibits it. FIFA countries are simply not allowed to have competing first division leagues. It's as true today as it was in 1967, when the NPSL and USA merged to become the NASL.

But even apart from that, the arguments against such a competition are legion. Soccer is an international sport, while American football and basketball aren't (and were even less in the 1960s). Once upon a time, those sports could get away with competing leagues, for a while at least. They could tweak the rules, snipe players from each other, etc., and it was all in a kind of U.S.-only vacuum. With our modern soccer leagues already dying to woo fans of "real" soccer abroad, such tactics are unthinkable.

The other side of this international coin is that the U.S., in both national team competitions and the club-level transfer market, would be held back by such domestic squabbling and rivalry.

Which brings us, at long last, to the big answer to the big question: 42. No, wait, that's a different story. This big answer is: admit to and formalize USL's role as the minor league.

First, the admitting. For all the giant-killing USL teams have done this year, and for all the markets that MLS has stolen or wants to steal after being built up by the USL, it's clear that the USL is the minor league. Exhibit A in this claim is the recent crumpling of the Atlanta Silverbacks USL-1 team, as previously discussed. This is simply not the kind of thing that happens in major leagues. Teams may have financial trouble sometimes, but when do they ever simply pack up their ball and go home? And this isn't an isolated incident. There's been steady turmoil in the USL for years: the Richmond Kickers dropping from USL-1 to USL-2 in 2005; the Virginia Beach Mariners folding after the 2006 season; the California Victory's one and only season in 2007.

Exhibit B: compare and contrast the league final games in USL-1 and MLS. As I wrote at the time, the meeting of the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Puerto Rico Islanders in the USL-1 final was quite an understated affair. I couldn't even find a way to follow the game live, and I was actively looking for it.

Meanwhile we have the MLS Cup game tomorrow. It may not be the Super Bowl or the World Series, but it will be on network TV (ABC), it's covered in mainstream media outlets like USA Today, and their national sponsor, Volkswagen, has produced VW Road to MLS Cup, a series of event-specific commercials (which are pretty funny, imho). At the very least, the league has a dedicated section of their website for the match.

So, USL is the minor league. But despite what the word "minor" might do to one's ego, there is not a single thing wrong with that. In fact, it's an essential role in the American soccer ecosystem. Without USL, there are a lot of players who wouldn't be able to play league ball (i.e., with crowds and fans and everything). Without USL, MLS would have only colleges to draw from for young soccer talent in this country. And most importantly to me personally: without USL, Austin would never have a pro soccer team.

The next step is to formalize this situation, and eliminate the unfairness and friction that exist today. Both leagues benefit from the existence of the other far more than they threaten each other. That needs to be acknowledged and agreed to more explicitly. There are lots of ways that this could work; here are just a few ideas off the top of my head.

• MLS should augment its reserve and youth systems with USL teams


• Even if MLS teams don't directly partner with USL teams, their reserves or youth should compete with them
  


• MLS and USL should promote each other's games. Most Aztex fans I know also support either Houston Dynamo or FC Dallas. Why on earth don't all three teams' marketing departments leverage that?


• There should be, as Marcos mentioned, fair compensation to USL when MLS expands into one of their cities. If MLS cherry-picks the USL's best markets and drives USL out of business, it's going to hurt them, too.


• Movement of players between the leagues, such as the DC players in the PotomacSoccer.com article or the Red Bulls acquiring Mac Kandji from the Silverbacks, should be as easy. (In fact, this could be a lucrative deal for USL by itself)

Whew, okay, this post got a lot longer than I thought it would (congratulations on making it this far). I better wrap it up; here comes my inspirational conclusion.

Despite the perennial naysayers and their circa-1985 anti-soccer jibes, soccer is here to stay. It's not yet on the same level as baseball or basketball, and there are missteps and mistakes sometimes, but it's not going to disappear in a puff of smoke, either. There's still a lot of unrealized potential in the American sport, both within our borders, and on the world stage. The sooner Major League Soccer and the United Soccer Leagues acknowledge the realities and start working in concert, the better for everyone.

Labels: deep thoughts, media, MLS, USL-1

The Silverbacks website says "Silverbacks Men Sit Out 2009 Season." But given what a struggle it is to build and keep momentum in the world of pro sports, I bet that this is the end of this USL-1 team in Atlanta. Imagine if they were to try to start back up again in 2010, how many fans they'd have lost, due to this "sitting out" season.

The Atlanta Silverbacks announced today that the Atlanta Silverbacks Men’s professional team will take the 2009 season off.

Due to the state of the economy and the potential of an MLS team coming to town, the men’s pro team has decided to sit the year out while the Silverbacks assess the landscape.

I'm fully in blogger commentary mode here (i.e., I know not of what I speak but I'm not letting that stop me). But I'll go on to claim that "the potential of an MLS team coming to town" is a red herring. As I say, I'm not in the loop on what bids have been made or are going to be made, but I haven't seen anywhere that Atlanta is at the top of anyone's MLS expansion list.

Besides, why would that possibility keep the USL-1 side from playing next year? The only reason I can think of is that they're losing money each season, and are afraid they'll be run out of town in the future, after they've become profitable. But we know for sure that MLS couldn't come to Atlanta until 2011 at the soonest (Seattle & Philadelphia announced for the next 2 years), so if that's the rationale, then their profitability outlook must be pretty bleak for several years out.

In any case, this can't be seen as anything but bad news for USL-1. Now, rather than remaining the same size next year when the Aztex join the league (effectively replacing Seattle), it will contract by one.

Labels: MLS, rivals, USL-1

No matter your political persuasion, how can you resist a blog post title like this? Would Obama's election make soccer a major league American sport? (via American Soccer News' Twitter feed).

It's an interesting piece on Joe Roth, the majority owner of next year's MLS expansion team, the Seattle Sounders. Here's an excerpt to first excite, then depress soccer fans deep in the heart of reddest Texas:

"If you took a map of America where Obama is strongest and laid it over a map of where soccer has its biggest appeal, you'd see an incredible overlap," [Roth] told me. "The blue states on both coasts are very soccer-friendly as well as huge areas of support for Obama, where as the center of the country is full of people who are the enemies of soccer and Obama -- white, 50-and-over guys who listen to talk radio and only care about football or basketball."

Present company excepted, of course.

After some discussion of this intriguing intersection between national politics and soccer in America, the bulk of the article covers the novel ideas Roth is pursuing with the Sounders. These include giving fans a voice in naming the team, a system for season ticket-holders to "find their ideal seat selection based on their rooting behavior" and an American Idol-style player tryout show, complete with viewers voting online to pick a player to be signed by the team.

Not everyone thinks that Seattle's recent designated-player signing of Swedish star Freddie Ljundberg was a great idea — Goal.com has 5 reasons why it wasn't — but Roth's role is interesting:

Ljungberg was interested in the MLS, but said he wanted to play in Los Angeles or New York. So Roth made his pitch. . . Knowing that Ljungberg's agent also reps San Antonio Spurs star Tony Parker, he said, 'Talk to Tony. He wanted to play in New York or L.A., and he'll tell you that the best decision he ever made was going to San Antonio.' "

Labels: media, MLS

The inaugural year of the CONCACAF Champions League continues on, with group-stage play wrapping up today through Thursday.

Focusing on teams from U.S. leagues (MLS and USL-1), we have two games today (Tues. Oct. 28).

First, El Salvador's L.A. Firpo play their first game against the Houston Dynamo (their September match was postponed by Hurricane Ike, and will be played on Nov. 26). Kickoff is 9:00 PM CT, televised only on Fox Soccer Channel (FSC).

Today also sees Mexico's Atlante vs. the Montreal Impact, both of which have already secured their spot in the quarterfinals. This game also starts at 9:00 PM CT. It will be televised live on ESPN International and Galavision (channel 76 on Time Warner in Austin), and delayed until midnight on FSC.

Tomorrow (Wed. Oct. 29) the action continues for U.S. league teams. USL-1 champions Puerto Rico Islanders play Panama's Tauro FC at 7:00 PM CT on ESPN Int'l (or delayed on FSC at 10:00 PM CT). A win for the Islanders sees them through for sure; a draw might do it, too.

Last but not least, poor DC United has to play Honduras' CD Marathón. Coming into the game with only one sorry point after 5 games, and having just missed the MLS playoffs, I doubt they'll have much invested in this game. But who knows? You can find out yourself starting at 7:00 PM CT on FSC or ESPN Int'l.

Actually, I think if I were Fox Soccer, I'd swap tomorrow's games and show the more meaningful Puerto Rico-Tauro match live, and delay the DC-Marathón game.

As usual, Wikipedia has good details, tables, etc. For complete TV listings, including the games I didn't mention, see the CONCACAF TV page and the Fox Soccer schedule.

Update: results:
LA Firpo 1-1 Houston
Atlante 2-1 Montreal (both advance)
DC United 2-4 Marathón (DC eliminated, Marathón advances)
Tauro FC 2-2 Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico advances)

Labels: CONCACAF, MLS, USL-1

FC Dallas saw their last flicker of hope for postseason play vanish Saturday night with a 3-1 loss to Real Salt Lake. RSL got their first win in the beautiful new Rio Tinto Stadium, and Dallas got served a heaping helping of offense, with a side of red cards.

Dallas will play their last game this Sunday, taking on fellow playoff non-contenders LA Galaxy. Pretty meaningless-looking game, though there may be a little Golden Boot excitement, if Kenny Cooper (#2, with 18 goals) can net a goal or two, and Dallas' defense can keep Landon Donovan (#1, with 19 goals) under wraps.

Ives has an interesting summary of the four teams that are now out of playoff contention: Toronto, San Jose, Dallas & LA.

And Buzz Carrick, of the Dallas fan blog 3rd Degree, has a joint game review covering both the loss to Real Salt Lake and the 2nd leg of the Rio Grande Plate against Tigres last week (Dallas won the game, but lost the series on PKs). Buzz has lots to say about the games, and some strong ideas about where some of the blame lies for this less-than-stellar 2008 season.

But of special interest to Austin fans are his words about Aztex alumnus Jamie Watson:

Jamie Watson was terrific at forward in the Tigres game and the previous reserve game, far outplaying Oduro. Watson was dangerous, created chaos, made intelligent runs, combined well checking back to midfield, scored goals, played defense, and drove the opposition crazy. It’s why he was on the travel squad and it’s why he got into the RSL game [subbed in for Cooper in the 80th minute]. He even scored on a header off a corner against Tigres. Don’t undersell in the Freddy Adu hype that Watson used to do all the dirty work for Freddy.

Labels: alumni, MLS

My fifth-grade daughter volunteered to be a reporter on her school's closed-circuit TV news this year. The other day she was interviewing a classmate, and asked her that quintessential kid's question: "what do you want to be when you grow up?" The girl's answer: a professional soccer player.

Since the WUSA folded five years ago, there hasn't been a top-level pro league for women soccer players in the U.S. That league, created on the excitement of the national team's 1st place win in the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup and the star power of players like Brandi Chastain, Julie Foudy and Austin's own Mia Hamm, lasted just 3 seasons.

Now a new league, Women's Professional Soccer (WPS), is gearing up to take a second shot at the big time. They'll begin play next April, though of course preparations are well underway now.

This incarnation of women's pro soccer is also riding the momentum of the national team, though this time it's with gold medals from the Beijing Olympics. And it's a new generation of stars, too: Hope Solo, Christie Rampone, Natasha Kai and Shannon Boxx, to name but a few.

The league will start with just 7 teams in 2009, plus 3 more already announced for 2010. Dallas was on the original list of 2009 teams, but apparently they couldn't secure a place to play. The team in St. Louis not only has a very nice looking logo/crest, they also have an interesting name: "St. Louis". That's it. Just, St. Louis. No mascot, no club name, not so much as an "FC", from what I can tell.

The league is forming their teams now. They've already divvied up the 21 national team players, with three going to each team. And they held an "international draft", too. If I understand it right, that draft was just for the right to try to buy particular international stars, which I thought was pretty interesting. Marta, Daniela, Christiane and the rest of Brazil's single-named, silver-medalled Olympic squad will be the most sought-after, it seems.

Next up is the league's general draft, to be held this Monday, Oct. 6. This draft will include any players who signed up for it, whether domestic or international. I presume a good number of players will come from the USL's W-League. That's one aspect of WPS I'm looking forward to seeing: what its relationship to the W-League will be like. Hopefully more cooperative than what seems to exist between USL and MLS, anyway. And someday this could become of great interest to Aztex fans, if the club adds the W-League team they already own the franchise for.

Meanwhile, with no team in Texas yet, I've been following the Chicago Red Stars. And even though she's not listed in the international draft, if Germany's Fatmire Bajramaj ever comes to play in the WPS, I'll immediately switch allegiance to whatever team she goes to. Just because.

As I've said before, part of what I find fascinating about soccer in the U.S. is watching the business, promotion and marketing aspects of the sport. I think MLS has done a pretty good job so far in growing the league in a sustainable way. It's not perfect, and there's still criticism about the level of play compared to other leagues around the world. But at least they've avoided the flame-out of the NASL. So, I'm interested to see how WPS does, too. I understand their teams will be partnering with MLS teams in some cases, to take advantage of similarities and synergies (if you'll pardon the buzzword). As with MLS, the question boils down to: can this work?

On a related note, Austin's current women's team — the UT Longhorns, ranked 7th in the nation &mdash just lost the first game of the season last night, 2-1 to Nebraska. They play again at noon tomorrow (Sunday, Oct. 5), taking on Iowa State here at the Mike A. Myers stadium.

Labels: MLS, UT, W-League, WPS

Here's an interesting article by Greg Lalas about soccer salaries in the U.S.: "MLS getting what it pays for". Rather than wanting more millions to import marquee players from around the world, he's advocating that MLS teams pay more for "mid-tier players". And according to Lalas, that means MLS would become a better career choice for some of the players currently in the USL.

Simply put, USL teams are much better than MLS teams at scouting and finding talent. They look in places often overlooked by MLS scouts, such as Division II colleges and NAIA schools. Also, because the players are often youth coaches as well, they are dialed into the clubs and Olympic Development programs. This allows them to find and develop young talent.

If MLS is going to continue to grow and improve without always importing big-money Europeans and hit-or-miss South American and African youngsters, the clubs should start raiding the USL for their best. And they should be given the money to do it.

Labels: MLS, players, USL-1

Here's a follow-up to my recent post about where one could get one's soccer fix after the Aztex season finished. While I still miss the games out at Dragon Stadium, it's hard to argue there's not enough soccer to keep a fan busy.

• Stoke City — their season is underway, so there are games every weekend. Unless you have satellite TV, you'll probably watch these matches at a bar. For example: Mother Egan's this Saturday at 1:30PM to see Stoke City v. Aston Villa.


• USL-1 — I have been (casually) following the Carolina Railhawks, as I said I might. As part of this experiment, I paid for a month of video via USLlive.com to catch some of their games. The announcing is uneven but not terrible, the video quality I've seen is also uneven but not terrible. There have also been frustrating technical issues (video not starting, for example, or in one instance, the live stream being switched off "while we archive this video" before the game was even over!). It's pricey for that quality, in my opinion ($10/month or $50/year).
  
  I don't imagine they have zillions of subscribers. It's probably 98% avid fans who want to see their team at away games (e.g., like I'll be next season), so maybe that's just how the cost has to break down, but it's unfortunate. If it were cheaper — more like MLSnet's $20 (which just dropped to $10 after the all-star game) for the whole season — I'd just subscribe and catch the occasional game for fun. As it is, I won't continue past this month.


• Olympic soccer — what can you say about the U.S. men's team? "You lose some, you lose some"? There's been some great soccer to see, though. And the U.S. women's team will get at least silver, which is great, though gold would surely boost next year's WPS launch just a little bit more. We'll find out tomorrow morning! (On Telemundo, USA network or online, if I'm reading NBC's website correctly.)


• FCD — they seem to be coming around, maybe. They've been wheeling and dealing, cutting and signing, including, as you surely know, our own Jamie Watson. Told you Dallas was classier than Houston, didn't I?


• miscellaneous other stuff from previous post — Stoke U18 games, check; no knitting, as predicted; haven't gone to the Mexic-Arte Museum yet (but I have until Sept. 16); no rumors on stadiums yet (there's plenty of time for that); and Juan Toja's move to Liga I Frutti Fresh hasn't gotten another 2 seconds of my time since I mentioned it. Sorry, Juan.


• one major soccer option I completely failed to mention — the University of Texas women's team. Among Aztex fans it seems that mentions of UT result in grumbling about (a) the total preoccupation of the Austin sports media (and fans) with anything and everything burnt orange, or (b) how unlikely it is that the Aztex could ever play at UT's Mike Myers stadium.
  
  What's perhaps forgotten, at least by me (though not by Nick Barbaro at the Chronicle), is that there's already a soccer team that plays there, and a darn good one at that. Ranked 8th in the country, expected to win the Big 12 this year, etc. Here's the 2008 Longhorn Soccer schedule; their first home game is Friday night at 7:00 vs. Samford. I might just go; I'll be the one in the Aztex shirt (I don't have any burnt orange anyway).

Labels: MLS, stadium, Stoke City, supporters, USL-1

The first excitement, as you've probably seen, was when Jamie Watson signed with FC Dallas. That was just over a week ago, but already he's traveled to Toronto for Dallas' 2-0 win over TFC (though he didn't see minutes in that game). Then this week, he played for the FC Dallas reserve team in a match against Real Salt Lake's reserves. Although Dallas lost the game 3-2, Jamie scored both the home team's goals, getting a little player revenge on RSL, his former MLS club.

The excellent FC Dallas blog 3rd Degree had this to say about Watson's Hoops debut:

Jamie Watson was terrific against RSL with two goals. He was a bit lost through about 30 minutes until he scored and then raised his game after that. Obviously his nice performance might have been motivated by a team that dropped him. Still a good start for the kid. He combined well, took some guys on. He still needs to learn a bit of the role in Schellas’ 4-4-2.

"It was nice to see Jamie pick up two goals. He’s only been with us a short week and this game means something to him cause he was dropped by Real. So I think he had some internal motivation. I thought he did very well today, but I thought he faded also at the later part." - [FCD Head Coach] Schellas Hyndman

Also via 3rd Degree, a metric ton of fan photos from that reserve game. I went to the trouble of skimming through all 242 of them to find the decent ones featuring our man Jamie: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30.

Last but not least in this Week of Watson is this nice long story on him for MLSnet.com: Home sweet home for Hoops' Watson.

Ellinger, who is Hyndman's top assistant with the Hoops, is happy to have Watson playing for him once again.

"It's positive to have an extra addition to the team with what he brings. One thing I have always liked about him as a player is that he's always had that chip on his shoulder and isn't afraid to work. He feels that he can have a positive impact in any game whether it's an assist or a goal," Ellinger said.

Update: one last bit, a post by Watson himself about this whirlwind signing on The Original Winger, Damn It’s Been Awhile.

And though he hasn't gotten quite the press Watson has, the second big pro-signing news is for the very first member of the Aztex USL-1 team: goalkeeper extraordinaire Miguel Gallardo. Gallardo was also named by United Soccer Leagues this week as the PDL Goalkeeper of the Year, no real surprise given that he had the best GAA and most shutouts league-wide. It's hard to imagine a better nucleus around which to build next year's top-flight team.

Congratulations to Jamie, and welcome Miguel! Now, who's next?

Labels: alumni, MLS, players, U-23, USL-1

As you've probably seen, the Aztex U23s suffered a tough loss last night in Orlando, going down 3-1 to the Laredo Heat in the Southern Conference Final. You can read the gory details, if you don't already know them.

And so ends the inaugural season of the Austin Aztex. As I've commented elsewhere, I find it oddly difficult to feel too sad about the loss last night. Sure it would have been great to go the national finals. I mean, of course.

But the whole season has just so completely and consistently exceeded expectations, that it seems almost greedy to want the national title, too. I don't want to sound defeatist or anything. I'm just saying, they could have had a season like the Palm Beach Pumas — who ended with -1 points (that's right, negative one points) on the season — and I'd still be an Aztex fan.

The bummer is that we have a long, long offseason before we see the Aztex on the field again. Is there anything to keep an Austin soccer fan busy until next April? Here's what I came up with; hope it helps.

• Catch up on Stoke City's preparations for their first year in the Premiership


• Speaking of Stoke, don't forget their U18 Academy team will be here next month


• Pick a USL-1 team, any USL-1 team! Their season doesn't end until September (I'm thinking Railhawks)


• Go to the Mexic-Arte Museum downtown, to see the Aztec and Maya Revival exhibit


• There's some kind of soccer going on China next month, isn't there?


• Knitting? Nah, scratch that.


• Go back to following MLS soccer (in Texas, that means FC Dallas if you have any class or taste, Houston Dynamo otherwise)


• Follow the stadium speculation and rumors for next year's Aztex seasons


• Follow FC Dallas fan-favorite Juan Toja through his impending (or not) trade to Steaua Bucureşti, becoming an expert in Romanian football along the way. Apparently their top-level league is called "Liga I Frutti Fresh"; what more could you ask for?

Labels: MLS, Stoke City, U-23

You guys are very nice. That was a close one, but thanks for letting FCD squeak by. You know, their confidence can really use a win right now.

I really appreciate how cooperative you've been, throughout the Open Cup. I'll put in a good word for you with the Aztex USL-1 team next year, and see if they'll take it easy on you.

Labels: MLS, U.S. Open Cup

Euro 2008 action day after day after day (minus a day or two). Semi-finals yesterday and today, and good games at that (i.e., they didn't sit at nil-nil for 90 minutes before anything happened). A fine-looking final on tap between Germany and Spain on Sunday.

FCD snatching a point out of their new coach chaos on the road from the orangemen in Houston tonight.

But the best is yet to come: three Aztex home games in three days. Another shot at El Paso (number 3 of 4 this season, for those counting), a first match against Baton Rouge, and of course the big Tigres game squeezed in on Sunday.

And don't look now, but there's 2 more Aztex home games on tap next week: Laredo on Thursday and Mississippi on Sunday.

If there's such a thing as too much soccer, I guess we'll find out in the next ten days. See you at the games!

Labels: gameday, MLS, U-23

I know this is a bit off-topic for an Aztex blog, but I'd just like to say that I think FC Dallas GM Michael Hitchcock made a big mistake sacking head coach Steve Morrow yesterday. Granted that FCD aren't exactly dominating, and I was as embarrassed as anyone over the 1-5 butt-kicking they got from the LA Galaxy last weekend. But I liked Morrow, and thought he was working on a long-range plan. Regardless, 18 months isn't a long enough time for a coach to turn things around, in my opinion.

Steve Hunt at ESPN Soccernet has a good summary in a piece titled "Morrow a victim of unrealistic expectations":

FC Dallas general manager Michael Hitchcock dismissed Morrow on Tuesday in a move that looks half-baked at best, wildly unfair at worst. It was either a complete panic job or just a bush-league maneuver by an organization sometimes all over the place in establishing direction and gaining self-awareness.

...The Denilson debacle -- considering expectations, promises and money spent versus deliverables -- was arguably the worst personnel blunder in league history.

...Everyone knows pro sports aren't always fair. The point is, the handling of these important matters says something about clubs, plans and directions. On that regard, FC Dallas looks like the confused comb-over dude, no prize in looks and salary, but dumbfounded because he can't land the supermodel girlfriend.

Best of luck to Coach Morrow, I hope he lands well and goes on to great success.

Labels: MLS

Coming to San Antonio, TX (actually 20 miles northeast in Cibolo), March 3rd - 9th, the first annual Texas Pro Soccer Festival.

The first Texas Pro Soccer Festival presented by Touch-Tel will feature four Major League Soccer teams, including the two-time MLS champion Houston Dynamo, during an electrifying week of double-header exhibition games, events and daily practices, officials announced. Besides the Dynamo, other MLS teams coming to the greater San Antonio area for the first time ever include D.C. United, Toronto FC and Chivas USA. The festival’s games will be held March 5 through 9 at Steele High School in Cibolo, while daily practices opened to area soccer fans are scheduled for the Soccer International facility (formerly Pepsi Soccer, Texas) in Schertz.

Wednesday, March 5
+ D.C. United vs. Chivas USA - 6 p.m.
+ Houston Dynamo vs. Toronto FC – 8:30 p.m.

Friday, March 7
+ Toronto FC vs. D.C. United – 6 p.m.
+ Chivas USA vs. Houston Dynamo – 8:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 9
+ Houston Dynamo vs. D.C. United – 12:30 p.m.
+ Chivas USA vs. Toronto FC – 2:30 p.m.

Looks like a good time, despite the glaring absence of FC Dallas. I wonder if the Aztex USL-1 team could get in on the second annual Texas Pro Soccer Festival?

Labels: MLS