The Aztexan

When I first wrote about this documentary project almost a year ago, it had the working title, "Footplay". At the time, it was still a work in progress, waiting for post-production and finishing.

Now it's finished, titled "Pelada", and scheduled to be premiered in March at Austin's own SXSW Film festival.

Here's the description from the film's website:

Two players. 25 countries. One game.

Away from professional stadiums, bright lights, and manicured fields, there’s another side of soccer. Tucked away on alleys, side streets, and concrete courts, people play in improvised games. Every country has a different word for it. In the United States, we call it “pick-up soccer.” In Trinidad, it's "taking a sweat." In England, it's "having a kick-about." In Brazil, the word is “pelada,” which literally means "naked"—the game stripped down to its core. It’s the version of the game played by anyone, anywhere—and it’s a window into lives all around the world.

Pelada is a documentary following Luke and Gwendolyn, two former college soccer stars who didn’t quite make it to the pros. Not ready for it to be over, they take off, chasing the game. From prisoners in Bolivia to moonshine brewers in Kenya, from freestylers in China to women who play in hijab in Iran, Pelada is the story of the people who play.

They're not kidding about the globe-spanning scope of this movie. Some of the locales you'll see in the film (and in the trailer below): Ghana, Uruguay, Iran, France, South Africa, Brazil, Hungary, Kenya, Bolivia, Togo, Argentina, Egypt, China and Peru.

Sports Illustrated columnist and "The Beckham Experiment" author Grant Wahl has this to say about the film:

But what elevates Pelada from a cute highlight travelogue to something more resonant is the filmmakers' ability to find compelling stories and earn the trust of their interview subjects. "Once you play a game with someone, interview doesn't seem like the appropriate word," says [Gwendolyn] Oxenham. "There's this level of intimacy that you don't get if you don't play soccer. Every place we went, you're then invited into their homes. Everyone's mother wants to cook for you."

"[Playing soccer] would change the situation from being an outsider having an interview with them to having a conversation with a friend," adds [Luke] Boughen.

The result is a film that combines eye-popping cinematography (by co-directors Rebekah Fergusson and Ryan White) with human stories: the dreams of a teenage Brazilian girl nicknamed Ronaldinha; a lunchtime kickabout among workers building the Cape Town World Cup stadium; and an Italian writer who pens love poems to the sport. A tense game between Arabs and Jews in Jerusalem reveals the benefits (and very real challenges) that come with the sport.

I hope it won't be long before this movie gets wider distribution and returns to town in "regular" theaters. For now, don't miss your chance to catch it during SXSW. As the schedule shows, it's playing on March 14, 15 and 19. (I'm personally thrilled about the third showing; I'll be out of town earlier that week and will miss the first two.) Having a SXSW pass isn't required to see the film, though it is first-come, first-served. If you're lucky, you might even make an evening of it on the 14th, after the Aztex-Dynamo pre-season match.

One last nice note about the production, from Wahl's article:

Yet being accepted into a major film festival isn't the only news for Oxenham and Boughen. After crisscrossing the globe together, they're getting married in June. Part of their honeymoon may involve a screening of Pelada in Cape Town during the World Cup.

Labels: internacional, media

If you felt that the 2009 Aztex roster needed a serious shakeup for the team to be a contender next year, you were in good company. At least, management would seem to agree with you. In addition to several international scouting trips, the team just announced that it would not pick up the option on 14 current players.

The announcement made it clear that the team's poor inaugural season performance was the reason for the extensive player cuts.

"Our expectations as a club were to make the playoffs," said head coach Adrian Heath. "We didn’t achieve that and we know that things have to change for next season. Everyone we have let go today has given their all for us and in some cases the decision to release them was very difficult indeed. But we must move on."

Here's the list of guys who won't be returning in red & white next season:

David Sias Gareth Evans Gifton Noel-Williams Jarius Holmes Lyle Adams

Ryan Caugherty Ryan McMahen Sam Reynolds Wes Allen Zack Pope

A.J. Godbolt Josh Alcala Kyle Brown Michael Dello-Russo

A few of those were surprises to me. Gifton Noel-Williams, though out due to injury for much of the season, was originally hailed as the club's marquee player, and was thought to have been a mature, steadying influence on the young Austin squad. On the other hand, he never did quite make the kind of impact on the field that we all hoped for.

The release of Michael Dello-Russo, though the newest Aztex player on the list, was also a surprise. His arrival after being released by FC Dallas had some amount of fanfare, with a reported contract through 2011. So much for that.

It's also sad, as a fan of the club since the first, PDL-only season in 2008, to bid farewell to some players who date from that era: A.J. Godbolt, Zack Pope, Wes Allen & Josh Alcala.

Best of luck to all these fellows.

With these cuts, here's who's left from 2009: Miguel Gallardo, Kieron Bernard, Sullivan Silva, Eddie Johnson, Yordany Alvarez, Michael Callahan, Kevin Sakuda, Nick Noble and Salif Diao-Jimenez.

There's been no word on other players who made guest appearances last season, such as Jeff Harwell, Jean Alexandre and Jamie Watson.

So this squad was already on the small side, and now they've cut more than half the players. There had already been reports that the Aztex would be scouting abroad this off-season, but now we see how much recruiting work there is to do. Here's what coach Heath has to say about their focus:

"We need to add more bite and experience to the squad and more productive in front of goal. Phil and I have talked at length and we know we will need to add a few experienced pros into the mix for next year."

Austin will be scouting soccer talent in Colombia next week, and in Mexico after Thanksgiving. Rawlins, along with director Gary Mellor, has already taken a scouting trip to Senegal:

Accompanied by two national youth coaches from Senegal, in one of the few stadiums in Dakar designed for 15,000 people, they watched five scrimmages between kids ages 15-16 from Dakar, St. Louis and Kedegou.

"The standard of play was very impressive and there were some really talented kids there," Rawlins said after the first day.

And coach Heath made a scouting trip to Haiti:

There is certainly a talent base there. For a country of 10 million and with the athleticism on display, there certainly should be lots of players around the world but I think there are only about 35 at the moment, of which about 20 are in Europe. I can see that changing now because the players who have gone to the U.S. and to Europe have done really well and I’m sure there will be other coaches and scouts going to Haiti just like I did.

Stay tuned for more news from what is sure to be a busy, rebuilding off-season.

Labels: internacional, players, USL-1

The Aztex have returned from their tour of England, victorious in all 3 of their exhibitions there. They also trained at top-flight facilities, attended a couple of Premier League matches, and even left a player behind for a trial in the big league.

• Game 1, Oct. 14 — Austin Aztex 1-0 Stoke City FC Academy
  
  This game was a bit of disappointment to some fans, as we had assumed that Stoke would field their first team, or at least some level of it, rather than the U18 academy squad. But given that they played the day after their transatlantic flight, a 1-0 win isn't bad, even against teenagers.
  
  Stoke's match report gives lots of love to Eddie Johnson:
  

  The inexperienced Potters side had to defend for long periods of the match as former Manchester United apprentice Eddie Johnson caused them particular problems throughout an encounter watched by City boss Tony Pulis.
  
  And it was indeed livewire Johnson who set up the 85th minute winner for the Aztecs [sic] by flicking the ball across goal for central defender [Gareth] Evans to plant a close range header past City goalkeeper Dave Parton.
  
  After a fairly uneventful first half hour to the friendly match, the arrival of Pulis seemed to spark a lively end to the first half in which Johnson went close to scoring on three occasions for the USL-1 team.
  
  He had a goal disallowed in the 35th minute for a foul in the area, forced Alexander Hedley into a last-ditch clearance at the far post and brought the best out of Parton with a curling shot just before the break.



• Game 2, Oct. 15 — Austin Aztex 2-1 Accrington Stanley
  
  
  • Heath leads Aztex on their longest trip yet — The Independent
    

    Around 5,000 miles, not to mention a chasm in history, separates Accrington Stanley and Austin Aztex. To the relief of the American club's coach, Adrian Heath, tonight's journey up to Lancashire from their Staffordshire base is almost like nipping out to the shopping mall in Texas.

  • FULL-TIME: Accrington Stanley 1 Austin Aztex 2 — Lancashire Telegraph
    

    Stanley fielded a number of trialists, including former loan striker Craig Lindfield, but went behind when Nicky Patterson found the net just after the half-hour mark.
    
    Substitute Viniel Sirin volleyed home a second for the touring Aztex, who are managed by former Burnley boss Adrian Heath, on the hour before Gary King pulled a goal back by finding the empty net after Lindfield had beaten the visiting keeper to a loose ball.

  • Another day, another win — The Aztex Blog
    

    We put on a great show, looking more confident and clearly enjoying the playing surface. The fans showed some great British humour when our first goal went in, chanting "USA, USA" and then 'touchdown'!!!

  • Match Photo Gallery — Accrington Stanley
  
  


• Game 3, Oct. 20 — Austin Aztex 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday FC
  
  Other than text messages from the team back to stateside Aztex fans, and subsequent posts to BigSoccer, I could find no record of this game anywhere on the Intarwebs.
  

  Goals by Michael Callahan (1st half) and Jarius Holmes (2nd half) were enough to put the match away. Last I heard was that the guys are in the locker room, trying to warm up by having some pies.

In addition to playing, our American team also attended 2 Premier League matches. They saw Stoke City beat West Ham 2-1 at Stoke's Britannia Stadium on Saturday, the 17th, and Wigan draw 1-1 with Manchester City at Wigan's DW Stadium the next day.

And of course, this wasn't all just for the fun of the experience. These guys weren't just playing; they were auditioning.

In general Heath said the scouts from throughout England and those based in England representing clubs abroad were impressed with the quality of the Aztex. “They were quite surprised at how competitive we were,” he said about the scouts’ reactions. “We enjoyed the trip, and it gave the players a very good idea of the professional game at that level.”

And according to that article, this trip might even pay off for some of our boys:

• Keiron Bernard — "In addition to having an extended visit with the English Premier League side Stoke City, an affiliate club of the Aztex, the defender has sparked interest from unidentified La Liga, Serie A and top Dutch sides as well as Spanish second division club Real Murcia."


• Miguel Gallardo — "also garnered some attention from Real Murcia"


• Eddie Johnson — "may be seeing a move back home with interest coming from a pair of League One clubs and a third from League Two", and is "staying back in England at home there since our season is done and weighing the different opportunities."


• another, unidentified player — "has garnered significant interest from a team in Mexico, something that could see movement over the next few weeks"

So concludes the 2009 post-season; done & dusted. Stay tuned in the off-season for news of how Austin is ramping up for a stronger 2010 showing (and in what league).

Labels: exhibition, gameday, internacional, Stoke City, USL-1

Just a quick reminder: the Aztex are in England for the next week or so.

"This is a fantastic opportunity for the Aztex players and for many of them this is the trip of a lifetime," said Rawlins. "Many of them have never even been to England, let alone been exposed to the English game which they have seen and heard so much about. They will be able to experience football in a different environment, play against some top Premier League players and also have the opportunity to benefit from their training methods."

He added: "We hope in the long run that this will be the first of regular visits to England which will certainly boost the development of the squad and raise the profile of the Aztex. It will also be good from Stoke City's point of view to take a look at how things are developing with Aztex as we look to develop that relationship for the long term future."

This marks the first time a USL-1 team has toured England. They'll be training at sister club Stoke City FC's facilities, attending the Stoke vs. West Ham match at the weekend and have three friendlies lined up:

• Wednesday, 10/14 — Stoke City (at Nantwich Town's Weaver Stadium)


• Thursday, 10/15 — League Two's Accrington Stanley (at Crown Ground; benefits Save Our Stanley)


• Tuesday, 10/20 — The Championship's Sheffield Wednesday (at Hillsborough Stadium)

The 18-player roster for the trip includes mostly familiar faces, plus a few new ones: Miguel Gallardo, Nick Noble, Kevin Sakuda, Kieron Bernard, Salif Diao-Jimenez, Ednerson Raymond and Vaniel Sirin (Haitian internationals), Sullivan Silva, Mike Callahan, Ryan McMahen, Tynan Diaz (Victoria Highlanders), Jarius Holmes, Nicholas Patterson (Harrisburg City Islanders), Michael Dello-Russo, Jamie Watson, Jean Alexandre, Eddie Johnson and Gareth Evans.

Kickoff for Wednesday's Aztex - Stoke City match is 1:00 PM CT; you can listen to live match audio, courtesy of StokeCityFC.com. The best way to follow the rest of the team's trip will be via the official Aztex blog, which Kay Rawlins plans to keep updated.

Labels: exhibition, internacional, players, Stoke City, USL-1

Though the 2009 regular season is finished for them, the Aztex are still going strong. A number of players and other individuals were honored at a recent post-season awards banquet, and the team is still looking forward to a few bigger-than-usual exhibition games.

First, the awards:

• Yordany Alvarez — Fans' Player of Year


• Miguel Gallardo — Chantico's Army's Player of Year (more info)


• Eddie Johnson — Players' Player of Year


• Michael Callahan — Clubman of Year


• Ignacio "Nacho" Araujo (Univision Radio) — President's Award

Additionally, Eddie Johnson was just named to the All-League Second Team. (Presumably the First Team won't be selected until after the league final.)

There's a distinct international flavor to the slate of post-season exhibitions the Aztex booked this year. They've already played the first, a 2-0 loss to the Victoria Highlanders in British Columbia the week before last. So much for the Canadians.

Next up, our neighbors across the other border. The Aztex will host CF Monterrey, their partners from Mexico's Primera División, next week. Aztex president Rawlins:

“We’re delighted to bring in Rayados for the exhibition match on October 7. It will be a great challenge for our players to compete against one of the top Mexican teams. It’s also an opportunity for our fans to come out and enjoy top-level professional soccer in Austin one more time this year at a state-of-the-art facility that will provide fans with a great soccer viewing experience.”

Rayados ("the striped ones"), as Monterrey is popularly known, are indeed one of the top Mexican teams this year. They are 2nd overall in the current Apertura, with 23 points from 10 games (7-2-1).

The match will be held at the Round Rock ISD Athletic Complex (aka The Palace) at 10211 Parmer Lane (map). Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for kids, and are available online as well as from the Aztex office, both Soccer USA locations and all 3 La Moreliana markets.

Then, having pretty much played out this continent, the Austin squad will head overseas, to England. There they'll play exhibitions against 2 Premier League teams: sister club Stoke City FC (naturally)and newly-promoted Burnley FC as well.

The first match, against Stoke, will be on Wed., Oct. 14 at Nantwich Town’s Weaver Stadium. I don't know why they're not playing at Stoke's fabled Britannia Stadium. Though while nobody here has ever heard of Nantwich Town, at least it won't be frickin' astroturf covered with frickin' bright white throwball lines.

After almost a week of training at Stoke City's facilities and driving on the wrong side of the road, they'll face Burnley FC on Tues., Oct. 20. That match will take place at Burnley's home ground of Turf Moor, where they've played since 1883. (Eights, people; those are eights. Not nines. 1883. As in, shortly after electric lights started to catch on. As in, 30 - 40 years before Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, Yankee Stadium, etc.) [Schedule change; see update below.]

Coach Heath on the trip:

“For our players it’s a fantastic opportunity to pit themselves against players who play in the Premier League week in, week out,” said Heath. “The thing I’m looking forward to is for them to see the intensity that the game is played over there and to give them an understanding about some of the things I’ve been talking about this year, they’ll see it first hand.”

Rawlins also called the trip something that the players will remember for the rest of their lives. He didn't say, but I expect a lot of people are thinking, that if any of them are able to impress someone in England, that it might be even more than that.

Rumors that the Aztex will continue playing exhibitions indefinitely after they leave England, traveling to Timbuktu, Siberia and Jupiter's moon Ganymede, have not been confirmed at this time.

Update, 10/2: the England schedule has changed. The game against Burnley has been cancelled (no reason given), and 2 more matches against lower-level clubs have been added. The first will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 15, the day after the Stoke match, against League Two side Accrington Stanley at that club's Crown Ground. All proceeds from that match will go to help keep that struggling club afloat, via the Save Our Stanley (S.O.S.) campaign. The following Tuesday, Oct. 20, Austin will take on Championship side Sheffield Wednesday at that club's training grounds. Wednesday are currently in the middle of the table, with 13 points from 10 games (3-4-3).

Labels: exhibition, internacional, Rayados, Stoke City, USL-1

The Aztex finish their trip to the northwest still winless against all Canadian opponents. The Victoria Highlanders PDL side is either tougher than one would expect, or the Aztex were showing the effects of 4 games in 8 days and a less-than-stellar conclusion to the 2009 season. Both Highlander goals were off penalties.

Here's a rundown of post-match coverage:

• match timeline — Chantico's Army


• Highlanders ground Aztex — Victoria Times Colonist
  

  “We just got off playing six games in 12 days, from Miami to Vancouver, and we were tired tonight,” said Aztex owner Phil Rawlins, also an owner and director of Stoke City of the English Premiership.
  
  “But Victoria thoroughly deserved the victory. The set-up and crowd here is excellent. I don’t see any reason why Victoria shouldn’t step up to the USL pro division, if it wanted to.”

  ["Nudge nudge, wink wink," he kept himself from adding. - ed.]


• Aztex give up two penalties, lose 2-0 to Victoria — AustinAztex.com
  

  Both offenses started slowly and didn’t manage any real scoring opportunities in the first 20 minutes. In the 21st minute, Austin’s Lyle Adams tripped up Victoria’s Matt Pele. On the ensuing penalty, Pele sent his shot past Aztex goalkeeper Nick Noble for the 1-0 lead. The Aztex countered minutes later with an opportunity on the Highlanders half of the field, but after a scramble in the goal box, the Aztex couldn’t find the back of the net and the ball was cleared away.

The Aztex have a 3 week break before their next post-season exhibition game. They'll host the Rayados of Monterrey here in Austin on Oct. 7. Tickets are on sale now: $25 for adults, $15 for children.

Labels: exhibition, internacional, postgame, USL-1

And so it ends.

Still feeling the energy from their 2-1 win over the Portland Timbers, our Aztex made a valiant effort in their final match of the 2009 campaign. But it was not to be. Their last game was reminiscent of many this year, as they surrendered their lead late in the game.

The loss means the club has yet to net a single point north of the border.

But despite the loss, the Red & White ended the season on a strong, positive note. The result may have been disappointingly familiar, but the game they took to the Whitecaps was a solid one. I'm sure Vancouver didn't mind having a man advantage for those last 15 minutes.

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

• box score — USLSoccer.com
  

  Weather: Sunny; Attendance: 5288

• Aztex finish first season with loss to Vancouver — Austin American-Statesman
  

  Austin's goal, a strike by Jarius Holmes in the 51st minute, broke a scoreless tie, but was one of only five Aztex shots on goal in the match.
  
  Vancouver had 23 shots, but Aztex goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo-Aparicio kept the Whitecaps at bay until Haber's equalizer.

• Aztex fall in Vancouver 2-1 to conclude USL-1 season — AustinAztex.com
  

  The game dynamics changed when Noel-Williams received a straight red card for a challenge that took down Whitecaps midfielder Kenold Versailles.
  
  With the man advantage, Vancouver capitalized in the 80th minute following a poor clearance by the Aztex on a Whitecaps corner. Vancouver’s Gordon Chin volleyed the ball toward the far post, where Marcus Haber redirected his header over Gallardo to even up the match.
  
  Six minutes later Vancouver took its first lead of the game when Chin received a pass from Lyle Martin heading into the Aztex box. Clear of Aztex defenders Chin sent a blast that struck the underside of the crossbar and bounced into the net for a 2-1 Whitecaps lead.

• Video Highlights (5:29) — VancouverWhitecapsFC on YouTube
  
  

Before returning home, the Aztex are spending a couple of days in the area. As part of a partnership with the club, they'll play an exhibition match against the PDL's Victoria Highlanders on Tuesday night in the nearby capital on Vancouver Island.

Earlier this summer Highlander’s General Manager Drew Finerty and Aztex owner Phil Rawlins agreed to an affiliation partnership to foster development of young soccer players through their respective PDL and USL1 clubs. The focus of the agreement is to create opportunities for developing players through the Highlander’s system and provide the Aztex “first rights” to young footballers with a chance to play at the higher USL level.

And there's more partner exhibition action coming up soon here in Austin, as well. Tickets are on sale now for the Oct. 7 match against Mexico's CF Monterrey at the RRISD Athletics Complex.

Labels: internacional, postgame, U-23, USL-1

Hailed as the biggest professional soccer game in Austin history, the State Farm Copa Aztex is this Saturday, July 18. The match will be an exhibition game between two storied Mexican teams gearing up to start their season: Cruz Azul and UANL Tigres.

The Chronicle has more on the game and why it's a big deal:

It’s the final preseason tune-up for the clubs, who open the 2009 Apertura season next week. Tickets are $30 and $50. Doors open at 4pm, with a pregame concert by Espinoza Paz.

This could be a huge deal for soccer in Austin, not just because of the game itself but because it’s the first time UT has teamed with an outside entity to use its gorgeous Myers Stadium. (Another first for both the Aztex and Myers: “adult beverages” at the pregame beer garden!) This event is the beginning of a three-year agreement between UT and the Aztex.

If you're not into Espinoza Paz, a group of Aztex supporters will also be gathering at Scholtz's Beer Garden on San Jacinto before the game, at about 6:00.

One interesting aspect of this game for fans of the U.S. men's national team is the presence of Edgar Castillo, currently on loan from Club América to Tigres. U.S.-born Castillo has previously been called up to the Mexican national team, but has no international caps. Though previously stating he didn't want to play for the U.S., he has been singing a different tune more recently. Whether you're a fan of the Nats or El Tri, you have a chance to scout him for yourself Saturday night.

Tickets for this huge soccer event are available at Texas Box Office.

Labels: exhibition, internacional, UT

The news came out this week that Austin Aztex FC and the University of Texas will jointly host an exhibition match featuring 2 premier Mexican pro soccer teams, dubbed the "State Farm Copa Aztex". The deal is to last for several years, making this an annual event. The teams announced for this first year's matchup on July 18 are Cruz Azul and Tigres UANL.

News 8 Austin has a short video clip from the press conference.

The games will be played at the home of UT's womens' soccer program, Mike A. Myers stadium. Seating 20,000, and marred by a big track around the pitch, the facility features a beautiful natural grass field. Many believe grass fields cannot exist in Texas, but apparently UT has the know-how and/or big bucks to keep it up.

Tickets are priced at $30 or $50, and go on sale Monday, June 8. I haven't seen exactly what the $20 difference gets you, presumably closer to the middle of the field. The event will also feature "Univision Radio presenta El Golazo Musical", a pre-game festival featuring food, giveaways, a beer garden and live music. That starts at 4:00; the game kicks off at 7:00.

As the Aztex and UT say in their press releases, this will be a big event that will boost soccer's profile in Austin, especially among Mexican fans. (Hopefully Cruz Azul and Tigres fans are loyal enough to turn out for this, even though both teams fared poorly in the just-finished Primera División Clausura.) But for myself, as a fan primarily of American soccer, this match isn't for me.

If nothing else, I wish some actual Aztex would play in Copa Aztex. Even a pre-game scrimmage between the Aztex U23s and the reserves of one of the Mexican teams (the USL-1 team will be in Minnesota playing the Thunder that night) would tie it more to the hometown team. Without anything like that, it seems at first glance that the team has little more to do with the event than the other title sponsor, State Farm Insurance. Of course, I know they had much more to do with it than that, using and building their soccer relationships with first division Mexican clubs to put the whole thing together. I hope the event is a big success, and gets lots of publicity. I also hope that future Copa Aztexes include more of the Aztex FC than the name and the front office.

Labels: exhibition, internacional, UT

Via Inside Minnesota Soccer (home of the USL Week In Review I recommended in the last post) comes word of this really excellent-looking documentary: Footplay by The Soccer Project.

Footplay is the story of Luke and Gwendolyn, two former college soccer stars who couldn’t quite make it to the pros. Now in their mid-twenties and working 9-5 jobs, the two soccer has-beens decide they aren’t ready to quit the game. They take off around the globe, exploring the other, less glorified side of soccer: pick-up games, impromptu contests that happen anywhere and between anyone. From prisoners in Bolivia to moonshine brewers in Kenya, from the futevolie tricksters of Brazil to Chinese monks who play in their traditional robes, Footplay follows Luke and Gwendolyn’s adventures around the world and the people they meet through the game.

This is great stuff. This gets right to the core of why soccer is truly the world's game: because any group of men, women or children can kick around a ball and try to score between two posts. This film shows that in exotic locations the world over: from the highest plateaus of Bolivia to the lowest desert of Africa, from prisons to ghettos, from kids in Argentina to construction workers at South Africa's 2010 World Cup venues.

The problem is, it's not actually a documentary quite yet. It's still a work in progress, waiting for post-production and finishing. See The Soccer Project website for more info on how you can help bring this story to the big screen. The project is a finalist for MelroseMAC's $10,000 contest, so you can help for free by voting early & often (it's the last one, on the bottom right). At the very least, spam all your friends with a link to the trailer.

Labels: internacional, media

This is fantastic.

Pablo Martinez Pascual, a fan from the Spanish 2nd division team Elche CF, has gotten in contact with Aztex fans here in Austin. Elche is where recent Aztex signing Gifton Noel-Williams played in 2007-08, and apparently he had some loyal fans there.

Following is Pascual's message to us about Noel-Williams. First, in English, excerpted from the email he sent to Chantico's Army (available on the Noel-Williams' player page):

Dear friends at Austin Aztecs:

We’re a group of supporters from Elche Soccer Club, the last team when played Gifton Noel Williams, one of the last players arrived to your team.

Elche is an industrial city in the south east of Spain, at southern Europe, near the beaches of the Mediterranean sea. Our local team plays in the spanish second league, in a country that holds the probably hardest soccer league in Europe, together with italian and english teams.

Here, Noel Williams quickly won a place in the heart of a part of Elche’s supporters because of his permanent fight and great responsability in the field, because of his loyalty and, speciallly, because he scored the most important goal in al the regular season and, probably, in the last ten years of the history of our team: the one that let us win our worst rivals, the heatful Hercules de Alicant, at their own home.

Because of all these reasons, some of Elche’s most faithful fans created a way of love and admiration through the player, than even turned into a kind of local new religion: the noelism. He was soon wellknown as the Mesias, and we made t-shirts showing the historical moment of the goal, where you could read I believe in Noel Williams. One of these t-shirts were given to the own Noel Williams as a present, as your can see in the photograph [at top of post]

So, we would like to be in contact with the fans of his new team, as we did also do with the ones from Yeolvil Town, his last team in England, in order to talk about soccer and, specially, be informed about his sure progression in your team. We think it would be nice to show in Spain the soccer in USA through you and Noel. And, if it’s possible, we would also like to have a photograph of Noel Williams with his new team shirt’s, to show it at our internet’s forum, specially dedicated to him. We’ll be looking forward.

We would also like you to show these letter to Noel Williams, as he can know than, even the club responsibles at Elche have been horrible to him, a great part of the fans have a great memory from him and we even miss him.

A great hi’ from Spain.

The Noelist Church.

And in Spanish, as posted to the Aztex forum on BigSoccer.

'Estimados Señores:

Somos un grupo de fieles seguidores del Elche C.F. El último club de España donde jugó uno de los últimos fichajes realizados por su club, los Austin Azteks: Gifton Noel Williams.

Elche es una próspera ciudad industrial, situada en el Sureste de España (Unión Europea), a orillas del Mar Mediterráneo, y cuyo equipo juega en la 2ª división de la liga española, una de las ligas más potentes de Europa, junto a la Premier League inglesa y el Calcio italiano.

http://www.elchecf.es/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elche_CF

Noel Williams se ganó rápidamente el corazón de un numeroso grupo de aficionados por su gran entrega y profesionalidad, por su lucha y lealtad a nuestros colores, y sobre todo, por haber besado nuestro escudo después de marcar un gol que nos dio la victoria en el estadio de nuestro máximo rival, el Hércules de Alicante.

Como consecuencia de estos acontecimientos, se creó en Elche una corriente de afecto y cariño hacia el jugador,que desembocó en la creación de una nueva religión: El Noelismo. A Noel se le bautizó como 'El Mesías' y 'El Profeta', y se hicieron camisetas conmemorativas donde se podía leer 'Yo creo en Noel Williams'. Una de esas camisetas fue entregada al mismo Noel Williams como regalo. (Véase la entrega de la camiseta en la foto que adjuntamos en nuestro foro)

[photo above]

Por ello nos gustaría entablar lazos de amistad con su club, estar en contacto con ustedes, cambiar impresiones, hablar de fútbol. Sería bonito dar a conocer en España el fútbol de los Estados Unidos de América a través de ustedes y de Noel. Y, si fuera posible, que nos enviaran alguna foto dedicada de Noel con vuestra camiseta para ponerla en nuestro foro. Nos haría mucha ilusión.

Nos haria también mucha ilusion, que de algun modo, le hagan llegar a Gifton Noel Williams, este e-mail, para que conozca que en españa, sigue teniendo a muchos seguidores.

Un saludo desde España.'

fdo: Iglesia Noeliana.

Now that's something cool that you won't see in the NFL.

Labels: internacional, players, USL-1