The UEFA Champions League draw was held Thursday, with the group stages set to start Sept. 14-15. The two toughest groups: Group G pits multiple winners AC Milan, Real Madrid, and Ajax Amsterdam with France's Auxerre. Group A has Inter Milan, Werder Bremen, Tottenham, and Dutch champs Twente Enschede. The full draw below: Read More | Comment »

Here’s one from Halldor Orri and his teammates on Icelandic club Stjarnan. Read More | Comment »

If you've still got soccer fever and happen to be in San Antonio this weekend, be sure to catch the Red Bull Battle Del Toro featuring the finest under-16 soccer stars from Texas and Mexico. Read More | Comment »

From the Headline Wire:
• "French president Sarkozy apologizes to Ireland" for the Thierry Henry hand-ball that knocked Ireland out of next year's World Cup. ("I told Brian Cowen how sorry I was for them," said Sarkozy.)
• "Economic fallout in Ireland over elimination" ("It would have lifted the gloom and got people spending.") Read More | Comment »

The UT Longhorns open their season this Friday, hosting TCU at 7pm, Aug. 21. UT has never lost to TCU, and has a 26-game home unbeaten streak, dating back to 2006. The very young Horns will start four or five freshmen; two to watch: Brazilian-born and Chicago-raised Leah Fortune, who had UT's lone goal, and over half of the team's shots, in a 2-1 exhibition loss last Friday at LSU, and midfielder Sophie Campise, out of Dallas' Ursuline Academy. There's a special $3 Opening Night Bundle: one ticket, one popcorn, and a discount coupon to Longhorns, Ltd.; advance sale only; call 232-3865.

The Austin Aztex are on the road this week, but you can catch them on TV; the nationally televised game at the Montreal Impact is on Fox Soccer Channel, 2:30pm Sunday, Aug. 23. The Aztex played well last Sunday against Minnesota, taking the lead twice before giving up a very disappointing equalizer in the 89th minute and settling for a 2-2 draw.

Below: more on the Aztex, plus Women's Pro Soccer and Champions League results. Read More | Comment »

The Austin Aztex dropped a pair of games in the Carolinas last week: 1-0 to Charleston and 3-0 to Carolina. No disgrace there – those are two of the top teams in the USL First Division – but their playoff chances are rapidly slipping away. Realistically, the Aztex need at least six wins in their last nine games to be in the hunt. The team plays at Rochester this Saturday, then returns home next weekend... In other USL news, the Puerto Rico Islanders advanced into the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League for a second straight year, ousting the MLS' Toronto FC Tuesday night. The group stage will run Aug. 18-Oct. 22. Below: WC qualifying, WPS finale, and more
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The Austin Aztex lost a golden chance to make up ground in the playoff chase Satur­day, giving up two goals to the Montreal Impact in the last 13 minutes and settling for a 2-2 draw that felt more like a loss by the end. The Aztex dominated early in the second half, and got a goal and an assist each from Gifton Noel-Williams and A.J. Godbolt, before the meltdown. Montreal actually put the ball in the net five times in a 12-minute span, but three strikes were ruled out for offsides. Then after all that, the Aztex appeared to have snatched back a win in extra time, but Ryan Caugherty was judged to have fouled the Montreal keeper before scoring. So begins a tough three-game road swing, starting with Charleston and Carolina this Thursday and Saturday. The good news: the Aztex will have striker Jean Alexandre back on loan from Real Salt Lake; he nailed the probable goal of the year last month in Puerto Rico. The Aztex U-23s bowed out of the PDL playoffs last Wednesday with a 2-1 loss to West Texas United. Throughout the Gold Cup tournament, folks were talking about how young and green the U.S. was. In Sunday's final, they showed just what can happen to such a team, as a troubled Mexico roared to life, and totally dismantled the Americans in front of 80,000 fans in Giants Stadium, with five second-half goals, and their first win on U.S. soil in over 10 years. Next: a key World Cup qualifier Aug. 12 at the Azteca in Mexico City, where no American team has never won. It'll be a whole different U.S. squad, but a stronger Mexico as well, and 5-0 is a powerful motivator, both ways. Read More | Comment »

The first-ever Copa Aztex hosted by the Austin Aztex and UT was a smashing success. In attendance were 7,044 futbol devotees (a Mike A. Myers record – which some fans suggest is inaccurately low) from as far away as Mexico who kept their horns blaring throughout. The game ended in a 1-1 tie between Cruz Azul (in blue) and the Tigres (in yellow) with Cruz Azul getting the victory by coin toss due to travel commitments. Here are some highlights from the game. Read More | Comment »

The Austin Aztex and the University of Texas present the first-ever Copa Aztex, featuring two of Mexico’s biggest professional men’s soccer clubs, Cruz Azul and Tigres, at UT’s Mike A. Myers Stadium, 7pm, Saturday, July 18. 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. The Aztex lost a 2-1 heartbreaker to the league-leading Portland Timbers last Saturday, as an injury-time tying goal by Gifton Noel-Williams was negated by a defensive breakdown and a Timbers winner on the last touch of the game. “The Gift,” who’s been nursing a hamstring injury all season, had come on as a second-half sub – just his second appearance since May 8 and his first effective play since April. The Timbers ran their unbeaten streak to 14 games; the Aztex are at Minnesota this Saturday. The Aztex U23s host the El Paso Patriots in their last game of the regular season, this Friday, July 17, 7:30pm, needing a win to have a chance at first place in the PDL Mid South or at least a tie to have a shot at the playoffs as the second- or third-place team. Note the new venue: Round Rock ISD Athletic Complex, 10211 W. Parmer. Read More | Comment »

I have to weigh in on Ken Herman’s aggressively dumb anti-soccer rant on Tuesday’s Statesman editorial page: “Paging Joe McCarthy” to counter Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s support for the U.S. bid for the 2018 or 2022 World Cup. Herman seems determined to prove he can show off his ignorance on the editorial page (proudly disavowing any “actual knowledge of the game”), as he did for so long on the legislative beat, before following good pal G.W. Bush up to the Washington bureau. In touting “real football” (aka throwball) and dismissing soccer as “basically a bunch of happy kids running around happily kicking each other,” and of little interest unless “[m]aybe if you are under nine,” Herman shows he’s as out of touch culturally as he is politically. In the latest figures on national sports participation from the National Sporting Goods Association, American football ranks 26th out of 41 sports, and dropping; since those figures came out, it’s been passed up by canoeing and mountain biking and now ranks just ahead of scooter riding in popularity. The only sports losing participants faster are powerboating, roller skating, paintball, airgun shooting, Nordic skiing, and muzzle loading (?!). Among team sports, throwball ranks next-to-last, ahead of only hockey; soccer ranks second, behind basketball, and is the only sport with double-digit growth. Among adults, of course, the discrepancy is far greater. Austin has two adult flag football leagues, with some 80 teams. Soccer has, literally, too many to count – men, women, co-ed, indoor, outdoor, over-50 – I ran out of time somewhere above 400 teams. And that’s not counting the multiple organized and less-so Hispanic leagues, which largely defy any Internet search. Overall, it’s safe to say that 10 times as many Austin adults play “real football” as play throwball. Your turn, Ken. Read More | 2 Comments »

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Is it Time to Care About Soccer? - Alexi Lalas
www.colbertnation.com

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A shocker in South Africa as we go to press with the print edition Wednesday: The U.S. advances to Sunday's Confederations Cup championship game with a 2-0 win over world No. 1 Spain, who had been sitting on a world-record streak of 15 wins in a row and 35 games unbeaten, dating back to 2006. The Associated Press play-by-play commentary started with: "Hello and welcome to Spain's thrashing of the U.S." But it didn't turn out that way, as the Americans came back from an atrocious opening two games in the prestigious tournament to score on their only two shots on goal in the entire game and pull one of the biggest upsets in the sport's history. The other semifinal, Brazil vs. South Africa, is 1:30pm Thursday, June 25; the final is 1:30pm Sunday, June 28, preceded by the third-place game at 8am. All games are live on ESPN or ESPN2. Read More | Comment »

Games every day this weekend for the Austin Aztex: the senior squad plays Friday and Sunday evenings, with the U-23s in action Saturday. The Aztex host two of the better teams in the USL – the Carolina RailHawks at 7:30pm Friday, and the Rochester Rhinos (no longer Raging Rhinos) at 6pm Sunday, July 21, both games at Nelson Field (Berkman, just north of 290) – with seven regulars currently out with injuries (see below), and needing some results to stay in the playoff picture. These are the last home games for a while; the next two weekends are in Cleveland and Rochester. The good news: The Aztex handled the El Paso Patriots pretty easily Tuesday night in the U.S. Open Cup second round, setting up a juicy final-16 match-up with downstate rival Houston Dynamo on Wednesday, July 1. The Dynamo's in top form right now, with the best record in Major League Soccer. They were here for a preseason exhibition – which the Aztex won on penalty kicks – it'll be fun to see them again with something on the line. More about that game next week. The bad news: read on below. Read More | Comment »

The Confederations Cup, the eighth quadrennial World Cup prelude, starts in South Africa this week – with the U.S. drawn into a very tough group with Brazil, Italy, and Egypt.

ESPN and ESPN2 are showing most of the games, including U.S.-Italy, 1:30pm Monday, June 15, U.S.-Brazil, 9am Thursday, June 18, and U.S.-Egypt, 1:30pm Sunday, June 21.

In World Cup Qualifying this week, the U.S. men lost 3-1 at Costa Rica, then fell behind early at home against Honduras, before coming back for a 2-1 win, and once again making qualification look relatively safe.
Elsewhere, Mexico stumbled to their third loss in four games, and Australia, Japan, South Korea, and Holland all qualified for the finals in South Africa, as Saturday and Wednesday were the last major game days until September. Read More | Comment »

The shorthanded Austin Aztex took a beating in Montreal on Sunday – their first loss of the season, 4-0 to the Impact. The Aztex were without eight roster players for various reasons, including at least five starters. And things may not get a lot better on that front any time soon: Two key starters who did make the trip, Englishmen Eddie Johnson and Gareth Evans, were reportedly not allowed back in the country and returned to England to get work permits sorted out, leaving the team shorthanded for perhaps up to a month. Tough timing, if it doesn't happen quickly, as the Aztex face a grueling run of up to 11 games in a four-week stretch starting June 5, that will likely determine the success of this inaugural season. This week they take on the first-place Carolina RailHawks – 6pm Sunday, May 17, at Nelson Field (Berkman, just north of US 290 West). Meanwhile, the Aztex U-23 amateurs have their first home game at 7:30pm Friday, May 22, hosting the El Paso Patriots at Dragon Stadium in Round Rock (off Highway 29, just west of I-35), with a possible slot in the U.S. Open Cup on the line. Below: News from Europe Read More | Comment »

After a week off, the Austin Aztex finish their season-opening homestand this Friday, May 8, hosting the Puerto Rico Islanders, probably the best team in the United Soccer Leagues, and recently a semifinalist in the CONCACAF Champions League. The game will be nationally televised on Fox Soccer Channel, so fans are encouraged to come early, be loud, and wear red. Friday, May 8, 7pm. Nelson Field, Berkman Drive north of U.S. 290. $18-22. Tough week for the London clubs, playing at home this week in the European Champions League semifinals: Manchester United absolutely gutted Arsenal on Tuesday, 3-1; it was over early, with two Reds goals in the first 11 minutes. Then on Wednesday, Barcelona, without a single shot on goal all game, and playing a man down for the last half-hour, somehow came up with a winner five minutes deep into extra time to stun host Chelsea. The final is May 27 in Rome; Man U will be heavy favorites to become the first team ever to nab back-to-back Champions League titles. The swine-flu-delayed second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League final – Atlante vs. Cruz Azul (with the hosts holding a 2-0 lead from the first leg) – is Tuesday, May 12, at 9pm, live from Cancun on FSC. Warren St. John, author of Outcasts United, the true tale of the Fugees, a youth soccer team made up of international refugees relocated to Georgia, appears at Bookpeople (603 Lamar) at 7pm Monday, May 11. Read More | Comment »

Eddie Johnson was named USL-1 player of the week after netting two goals and a gorgeous assist in the Austin Aztex's historic first win Satur­day, 3-0, over the Cleveland City Stars. The Aztex conclude their opening home stand next Friday, hosting the top team in the league, the Puerto Rico Islanders. That's also Fox Soccer Channel's USL game of the week, so it's being cablecast live nationwide – let's hope for a good loud crowd to show its support. Friday, May 8, 7pm, Nelson Field, 7400 Berkman. $18-22. In European Champions League semifinals this week, Barcelona had the best of the play hosting Chelsea but had to settle for a goalless draw, and Manchester United completely dominated Arsenal but came away with just a 1-0 first-leg win. Return legs are next week: Tuesday, Barcelona at Chelsea; Wednesday, Man U at Arsenal; both 1:30pm live on ESPN2. Our own continent's Champions League final, meanwhile, has been delayed two weeks by the swine flu outbreak in Mexico. Atlante won the first leg last week, 2-0, at Cruz Azul; the return leg in Cancun is delayed until May 12. This week's Mexican League games are going on as scheduled but behind closed doors, with no one allowed in the stadiums. The U-17 CONCACAF championship has been canceled, and Mexican teams competing internationally in the Copa Libertadores are under scrutiny as well. Read More | Comment »

The Austin Aztex final preseason game is this Friday night, hosting the Puerto Rico Islanders in their lone preseason test against a team in their own division. April 3, 7:30pm, at Nelson Field. $18-22. The Islanders head from here to Mexico City, where they try to defend a 2-0 first-leg lead over Mexican giants Cruz Azul, in a CONCACAF Champions League semifinal (Tuesday, April 7, 9pm, live on FSC). The title winner goes to the Club World Cup to face the top teams from the other continents. In high school playoff action, three CenTex teams advanced to this weekend's regional finals. In 5A, the Bowie girls upset Westlake, 1-0, on Tuesday – the first goal Westlake had given up in 15 games – to advance to San Antonio. The Pflugerville Connally boys will be there as well; in each case, the competition is S.A. Reagan, and two schools from the Valley. In 4A, the Dripping Springs girls beat Lake Travis, 2-1, then edged Steele in a penalty-kick shootout; they're in Corpus Christi Friday. On the boys side, Lake Travis, Dripping Springs, Elgin, and Del Valle all lost in the fourth round. Below: World Cup Qualifying results Read More | Comment »

State high school playoffs started this week, with a heavy suburban flavor locally. In 5A, the local reps are Bowie, Westlake, and Akins from the Southwest, plus northerners Pflugerville, P'ville Connally, Georgetown, Cedar Park, and four different Round Rock schools. 4A looks like Lake Travis and Dripping Springs again – especially the girls, who've already notched 10-0 and 9-0 wins. Too bad they meet in a regional quarterfinal; either one could go a long way in this tournament. Sectional finals and regional quarters are going on this week; regional finals April 3-4. The state tournament is April 9-11 at the Georgetown ISD Athletic Complex. The Austin Aztex lost to Real Salt Lake, 3-1, on their first-ever road trip. There's lots of roster decisions being made now, with a week to go before the final preseason game, hosting the Puerto Rico Islanders, Friday, April 3, 7:30pm, Nelson Field. The Islanders, remarkably, beat Mexican giants Cruz Azul, 2-0, in a CONCACAF Champions League semifinal last week; the return leg in Mexico City is Tuesday, April 7, 9pm (live on FSC), just four days after the game here. The CONCACAF final is April 21-23 (first leg) and 28-30 (second leg). Aztex affiliate Stoke City beat Middlesbrough on Saturday, to pull three points clear of the EPL drop zone, with eight games to play. No league games this week – it's World Cup qualifying, around the world, Saturday, then again Wednesday. The U.S. is at El Salvador, 8pm Saturday, March 28, then hosts Trinidad & Tobago in Nashville, 6:30pm Wednesday, April 1 (both live on ESPN2). Other big games on every continent. Read More | Comment »

The Austin Aztex got their first win last weekend, beating the 2008 Major League Soccer champions, the Columbus Crew, 1-0. I couldn’t make it to the game, but by all accounts, the home side largely dominated play and deserved the win, which came on English striker Eddie Johnson’s beautiful turn and finish, off a feed from Yordany Alvarez. Notice that’s a different striker pair from last week, which is a great sign. Another good sign: The Aztex continued to field an entirely different team in each half and got a strong performance from both lineups. The competition for playing time is going to be fierce once the regular season begins. The Aztex are on their first road trip this weekend, at Real Salt Lake playing in their snazzy new Rio Tinto Stadium. Then, as announced during the Crew game, the Aztex will host one final exhibition match: Friday, April 3, 7:30pm, against the Puerto Rico Islanders. At press time on Tuesday, the Islanders are hosting Mexican giants Cruz Azul in the CONCACAF Champions League semifinal. The return leg in Mexico City is Tuesday, April 7, 9pm (live on FSC), just four days after the Islanders play their exhibition game here. Read More | Comment »