The Aztexan

Though we're still eagerly awaiting the 2010 schedule (due out next Tuesday, per the team blog), the Aztex put season tickets on sale this week:

Season tickets are priced at just $190 for adults and $150 for youth. The new open-ended season ticket allows fans the flexibility of using one ticket at each of the 15 regular season games or using multiple tickets for several games. Game day tickets are priced at $15 for adults 16 years of age and older and $12 for youth 15 years of age and younger, children 5 and under are free. Purchasing a season ticket saves fans 15% off the price of game-day tickets. 2010 Season Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting www.austinaztex.com or by calling 512-335-8881. Fans who purchase season tickets by February 12 will receive a complimentary Aztex scarf. [Ed. note: the website's splash page says to use promotional code "GoAztex2010" at checkout to get the scarf; not sure if that's required.]

I like the "open-ended" (aka "flex") ticket; that really adds to the value. People who might hesitate to get a regular, one-per-game ticket — suppose they know they're going to be out of town for 2 weeks in June — will be more likely to get this flex ticket. Because now those June tickets won't be wasted; they can bring some friends with them to other games.

And I like the prices, which are a good bit lower than last season. I do wish, however, that season tickets would include a couple of the "extra", non-regular-season games the Aztex will play, such as exhibitions and Open Cup matches.

In addition to the season tickets, the team announced the Aztex Alliance. This membership-based fan group replaces the Founders Club we've seen the last two years. In addition to t-shirts and other swag, the new group is a step toward giving fans more of an official voice in how the club is run.

There are two levels of Alliance membership: basic and premium. A $25 basic membership will get you a t-shirt and window cling, plus access to the Aztex Alliance website. This site will include forums, input on club decisions via polls (merchandise designs, exhibition opponents, etc.) and early access to team news.

The $105 premium membership gets you the basic benefits, plus: a lapel pin, a membership card and lanyard, invitations to pre- and post-season team events, a chance to win a trip to an away game, and discounts on camps and merchandise. Premium members will also have a voice with the team, via an elected commissioner who will be able to address the Aztex board. And when the ranks of premium members exceed 1,500, an Alliance representative will be given a full seat on the board.

The Alliance memberships are separate from season ticket purchases, but you can buy both a season ticket and a premium Alliance membership for $285, a savings of $10.

And there's one last way you can save a few bucks: members of the Chantico's Army supporters group get 10% off the season ticket price (saving $19). Membership in that group — which is free, by the way — is a lot of fun and has its own benefits (discounts, online forum, etc.).

Labels: supporters

Allow me to introduce, if you don't know it already, the very worthy Free Beer Movement. The goals and tactics of this movement are simple, but profound:

The success of soccer in the United States depends on a larger and more supportive network of fans that attend games, watch them on TV, and spread their love and knowledge of the game to others.

Most everyone that likes beer likes free beer even more. Combine that love of free beer with an open mind towards the beautiful game of soccer and maybe, just maybe, win over a few converts.

Invite your friends to see a soccer match and buy them a beer.

The movement's slogan, Imbibo Patefacio Ianua, translates from the Latin as "Drinks Open Doors".

Get started with FBM's handy beer conversion chart, which will help you determine the right number of beers for the given level of play you're sharing with your potential converts. The scale varies from just one beer for a World Cup match, all the way up to "7, or more" for youth and high school matches.

Taking a friend to a USL-1 match, such as our own Austin Aztex, would be a 5-beer event, for example. In fact, the movement's leader is Austin's own Dan Wiersema, who was seen personally free-beering(™) many fresh-faced fans-to-be at this year's Aztex home games.

In addition to his own personal evangelical work, Dan is working hard to advance the Movement. He's printed tons of FBM stickers (yours free for simply sharing your free beer outreach story) and he's working to get Columbus Crew/USMNT defender Frankie Hejduk as the Movement's spokesperson. Last, and certainly not least, the FBM website is becoming a pretty darn good blog in its own right.

So how do you join? You can follow FBM on Facebook or Twitter, or fill out the form. But it really just boils down to committing to give it a shot. "Want to get some beer and go to/watch the game this weekend? I'm buying!", and you're in.

You could try it this weekend, in fact, with the MLS Cup. It's on ESPN this Sunday, 7:30 PM CT.

Labels: supporters

Remember: the Aztex USL-1 tryouts are being held this weekend at St. Edward's University (map). Fans are welcome, so come get a preview of some of the talent that will make up the Aztex's first season squad.

There are morning sessions Saturday & Sunday, 9:30 to noon, and an afternoon session on Saturday , 1:30 to 4:00.

Following Saturday's afternoon session, the Chantico's Army supporters group will be meeting at Opal Divine's Penn Field location (right by St. Edward's on Congress Ave.) at 4:30. This will be the first "official" organizational meeting:

Things to chat about are officer elections, by laws, formation of crews, etc. So come down after the February 7 USL1 Tryouts, have a pint, and be a "Founding Father" of Chantico's Army!!

Hope to see you there!

Labels: players, supporters, 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 name for the first independent Austin Aztex supporters' group has been decided on. The name was suggested, discussed and rallied around predominantly in that den of soccer fandom: the BigSoccer.com discussion forums.

The name: Chantico’s Army.
The website: http://chanticosarmy.com.

Not to be confused with the short-lived little "gourmet drinking chocolate beverage" marketed by Starbucks a few years ago, Chantico comes to us from the ancient mists of Aztec mythology. According to Wikipedia, Chantico was the goddess of fires in the family hearth, volcanoes and precious things.

She is said to rule over the 13-day period of wind in the Aztec calendar; perfect for the Aztex's windy home advantage this year at Dragon Stadium. And perhaps being She Who Dwells In The House will help align the stars to get the Aztex USL-1 team playing in fan-favorite House Park next season.

Besides, as you can see from the picture above, she's quite a looker. (Especially if you happen to have a thing for the Mario Brothers.)

As you may have guessed if you've read this blog for long, the official pub of this unofficial group of fans is Mother Egan's Irish Pub, 715 W. 6th St. (Google map). The next get-together is to see the PDL final this Saturday, Aug. 9 at 6:30 PM. Will the Thunder Bay Chill melt under the Laredo Heat? Or will the 2007 champs be put on ice? My prediction: Chill 2-1 Heat, possibly after OT.

Update: Admit it, I was pretty close on that PDL final prediction, wasn't I? If only Thunder Bay had scored in OT, instead of going through to win, finally, on penalties.

Labels: supporters, U-23

Congratulations to the boys for the win last night over the Bradenton Academics. While it totally sucks to lose Beto to 2 yellow cards, the win was obviously the important thing.

Next up: beating Laredo tonight. This will be the 3rd time the Aztex play the Heat, and we've had good results so far: two wins, zero losses.

If we win this one, the Southern Conference Championship is ours, and it's on to the finals! The only thing better than going to the finals would be if the finals came to us. That is, if the Aztex make a successful bid to host. Er, wait, maybe winning the final would also be better than going to the finals, so I guess that's not the only thing better. You know what I mean.

The game should once again be broadcast at http://ftslive.rbm.tv. Bless those folks; I'd never have thought I'd enjoy amateur camera-work so much. Chantico's Army, the recently (and finally) christened Aztex supporter's group, will be gathering as usual at Mother Egan's. I will unfortunately not be able to make it tonight, but the hookup from laptop to TV works amazingly well, and the atmosphere with all the fans is great. Highly recommended, and they're always happy to see new faces, so don't be shy.

Best of luck, guys, against our southern Texan rivals tonight in Orlando!

UPDATE, 7/26 3:30 PM Much to the dismay of Aztex fans the world over (and with the Stoke City partnership that isn't just a figure of speech), the video has been canned. Apparently there was some kind of pissing match between the Fasttrack Scouting people and the USL people over whether the video page had to stay branded with the Central Florida Kraze banner. I can see both sides, I guess, but what really sucks is that it ended up with no video, and everyone's a loser.

If you want to track the game live, you can wade through the BigSoccer thread, follow the game tracker on the new Chantico's Army site, or follow my Twitter page.

Labels: gameday, supporters, U-23

This just in: the Aztex playoff sweep will be viewable online! Here's the place to point your browser tomorrow at 4:00 (Austin time): http://ftslive.rbm.tv/.

There are also once again plans for supporters to gather and watch at Mother Egan's on 6th Street. I won't be able to sneak out of work at that time, unfortunately, but I'll be there in spirit.

Come on Aztex! Start the playoffs like you started the season! (Not counting that very first game, of course...)

UPDATE, 7/25 7:00 AM The Aztex Revolution will not be televised, after all. The video stream has been cancelled, according to a message seen on the ftslive site by a BigSoccer member. "PLEASE NOTE: we were notified late this afternoon that we will not be able to broadcast the games this weekend as planned due to unforeseeen circumstances beyond our control." Bastards.

Updates will be available on BigSoccer's Aztex forum for sure, and possibly on the Aztexan Twitter page. Stay tuned for further news.

UPDATE 2, 7/25 12:00 PM The video stream is BACK ON! Apparently the league gods were appeased by making the folks at Fasttrack Scouting change the banner on the top of their page for the day, to a Kraze banner. Anyway, all that matters is, we're back in business! Same Aztex time, same Aztex channel: 4:00 PM (Central Time) at http://ftslive.rbm.tv/.

Labels: gameday, supporters, U-23

My son is going to a week-long Boy Scout camp near Balmorhea in West Texas starting on Saturday.

The Aztex will play their last regular-season game Saturday night in El Paso, just a hop, skip and a jump west of there (that is, if the hop takes an hour, the skip takes another hour, and the jump takes half an hour).

What else could a Scout-dad Aztex fan do, but go to the game? (Especially since we didn't get to host the playoffs here...) Anyway, this gives me an excuse to stay at a Hyatt Saturday night, instead of in a tent in the West Texas desert in July. Sorry, son.

So I'm going to try something new for game updates: an online service called Twitter. It's kind of hard to explain, but basically it's just a way to post extremely short (140 characters max) updates, and it's easy to post to via cellphone text messages. My Twitter account is aztexan.

If you already have a Twitter account, you can "follow" me, and you'll get my updates on your home page (or via your Twitter client, or your cellphone, or however you have it set up). If you don't have a Twitter account, you don't need one. Just refresh that link periodically to see updates.

I thought I'd try this out, just to see how it goes. I realize this isn't really necessary, as the Patriots should have live streaming video of the game on their website. And a bunch of Aztex fans are gathering once again at Mother Egan's (715 West 6th Street) for the game. That's the place to be on Saturday night, if you're in Austin.

Labels: gameday, supporters, U-23

Way to go, Aztex! The boys went to Laredo last night, and beat the Heat in the heat. (With a kickoff temperature of 106 degrees, that's not just a figure of speech.) Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make the roadtrip myself, but a couple of other dedicated ultras did. Following is the fan report from Matt, aka 'mgrayscale' on the BigSoccer Aztex forum. Note that he wrote this up and posted it at 2:25 AM, after getting home from the game. Thanks, Matt!

• Jamie Watson was the goal scorer with a beautiful second half drive into the box that culminated in a turn of the defender from left to right in front of the goal and a right foot ding.


• Miguel Gallardo continues to keep a very clean sheet, and had some very good saves. He was challenged several times with some great shots, but he was more than up to the challenge.


• Beto was well adept at defending an evenly matched (size wise) striking line. He was able to kill a majority of the attacks that came his way, dishing out to the wings.


• The Heat are GOOD. This is a team that have a very good set of forwards, who are able to collect, turn and sprint down field before you even know the ball is coming.


• There were two reds against the Heat, but both came after the Aztex score.


• The Heat have the WORST announcer. All night he played bits and pieces of songs and sounds DURING PLAY!! Everything from Vanilla Ice to Homer Simpson. Yes, it was that bad.

In addition to the excellent game notes above, Matt also kept stats. Although they differ somewhat from the official USL match information, most notably in the fact that the official stats only show one red card, they're provided here as well.

Starting Lineups
Austin Aztex U23s	Laredo Heat
13 – Josh Alcala	4 – Leone Cruz
15 – Westley Allen	22 – Daniel Glavan-Barbosa
4 – Kieron Bernard	9 – Felix Garcia
11 – Andres Cuero	10 – Juan Ibarra
1 – Miguel Gallardo	21 – Dioniso “Nicho” Infante
6 – Ezual Lewis	11 – Gregory Mulamba
5 – Beto Papandrea	27 – Oliver Mulamba
8 – Marcelino Uriarte	7 – Carlos Ordaz
7 – Jorge Vega	23 – Stiven Ospina
14 – Juan Carlow Vicens	6 – Raul Quinones
23 – Jamie Watson	1 – Ryan Cooper
First Half
Austin Aztex U23s	Laredo Heat
Fouls
5	6
Shots
3	2
Corner Kicks
3	0
Offsides
1	4
Substitutions
0	0
Goals
0	0
Yellow Cards
	23 – Stiven Ospina (43:50) Illegal tackle
	22 – Daniel Glavan-Barbosa (44:50) Illegal tackle
Second Half
Austin Aztex U23s	Laredo Heat
Fouls
10	8
Shots
1	0
Corner Kicks
0	1
Offsides
0	1
Substitutions
22 – Robin Martinez for 7 – Vega @ 60:27	5 – Silas Blackwell for 23 – Ospina @ 50:14
9 – Edgar Alvarez for 13 – Alcala @ 64:27	13 – Adan Villavicencio for 21 – Infante @ 69:10
20 – Kevin Klaus for 23 – Watson @ 71:19	19 – Isaac Morales for 5 – Blackwell @ 76:00
2 – Andrew Taylor for 8 – Uriarte @ 86:37	20 – Charles Browne for 4 – Cruz @ 79:36
Goals
23 – Jamie Watson (66:47)
Yellow Cards
5 – Beto Papandrea (79:01) Illegal Tackle	22 – Daniel Glavan-Barbosa (61:50) Illegal tackle
22 – Robin Martinez (83:29) Unsportsman
Red Cards
	22 – 2nd Yellow @ 61:50
	6 – Raul Quinones (83:29) Unsportsman

Labels: gameday, supporters, U-23

I saw this recently on the excellent FC Dallas fan site, 3rd Degree, in a write-up of the recent FCD vs. LA Galaxy game. It's probably preaching to the choir for most of the readers of this site. But maybe it's worth remembering, as we prepare to start dragging friends & family to live Aztex matches, some of who may try to say 'no, thanks -- I've seen soccer on TV.'

Which brings me back to why this game is better viewed in situ than it is by sitting at home, at a friend’s house, or in a bar. Watching the FC Dallas vs. L.A. Galaxy match from the stands where the entire field is always in view helps to see what only the very best players see: The whole picture unfold, the runs of team mates, the presence of opponents, and the options available. With one magical pass midway through the second half Beckham confirmed to me his brilliance.

People, especially those who aren't already fans, need to realize that watching soccer is different than watching other sports. Basketball is most similar, I guess, but even there, the court is small enough that the TV cameras capture most of the action. Baseball and American football are also very well-suited to television. If all you see in those sports is where the ball goes, you're not missing much.

But seeing the fluidity of a soccer match in person -- the ebbs and flows of players, the dynamic changes of formation, how subs affect that, and all the rest, is very different. And it's a much richer experience than only seeing what the TV cameras show (i.e., where the ball goes).

Now, when does this season begin, again?!

Labels: supporters

Join the Aztex supporters group, gathering once again at Mother Egan's on 6th Street, this Wednesday, Mar. 19. The “agenda”: watch the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals game between the Houston Dynamo and Guatemalan side CSD Municipal (The Orange vs. The Reds!). Also, if time allows, we'll continue to not decide on a name for the supporters group. ;-)

The game starts at 7:30; some will be there as early as 6:30. And don't forget: in addition to a fine selection of beer, Mother Egan's menu also features fried Milky Way or Snickers. What more could you ask for?

Labels: supporters

I mentioned this in a previous post, but don't forget: Aztex supporters group meeting 6:00 tonight at Mother Egan's Irish Pub, located at 715 W. 6th St.

Come help form the best supporters group the USL's ever seen! You'll be able to tell your great-great-grandkids, "I was there at the beginning."

Labels: supporters

I saw this 2-and-a-half minute video mentioned on the BigSoccer forum some time ago. It's originally about the Irish Football League, but I'm sure it rings true with fans far and wide.

Do you ever wonder sometimes why you bother? I mean, how easy would it be to forsake the local version of the beautiful game for the warm and cosy alternative offered courtesy of your satellite dish?
You've got your numerous camera angles, expert analysis, build-ups, post mortems and all manner of gadgets and gizmos at the other end of a wee red button.

Hard to beat, isn't it? Irish League football doesn't really stand a chance. So why do we bother?

Speaking of bothering, some of us are getting together again this Wednesday, Mar. 5, at 6:00 at Mother Egan's on 6th. We'll be forming an Aztex supporters group, at least the beginnings of one. Hope to see you there!

Labels: supporters

They're keeping busy over in the Aztex front office. Yesterday a fan club email list, today, a Founders Club. If you're one of the first 100, $250 gets you:

• Two season passes for all 8 home games of the U23 Team in 2008


• Two Aztex polo shirts


• An invitation to the end-of-season Player Awards Banquet


• An invitation to two Head Coach’s Briefing events during the season


• 30 Day advance notice of 2009 season tickets for the Professional and U23 teams


• Your name listed on the Founders Club Page in the Match Day Program

Labels: supporters

Seen on the Aztexan site today, the team has established a fan club. It sounds like, from the signup form, it's mainly a mailing list, "for special updates and offers."

According to the team site, the first chap to notice the signup ad was "13 year old Alistair Donaldson of Loggerheads, Shropshire in the United Kingdom." Unfortunately, I don't see a way to link to the main story with the lad's picture. You'll have to just go to the team home page, I suppose (note to Aztex webmaster: provide permalinks to your stories! ;-).

Labels: supporters

To follow up on last week's post about a get-together Wednesday night -- to watch the U.S. vs. Mexico game and start talking about an Aztex supporters group -- the location has been finalized: Mother Egan's Irish Pub, 715 W. 6th St. (Google map).

The game starts at 8:00, but it sounds like some may come a little earlier, for dinner. That's what I'm doing. See you there!

Labels: supporters

Some of the Austin-area folks on the BigSoccer forum are planning to meet next Wednesday, Feb. 6 at 8:00 PM (CT), to watch the U.S. Men's National Team take on Mexico. Another purpose is to discuss plans for an Aztex Supporters Group.

The exact location is yet to be determined; current candidates are Mother Egan's or Fadó. I'll update or post again when that decision is finalized.

Mark your calendars, and I hope to see you there!

Labels: supporters