Wow! Great game Tuesday night up in Round Rock, as the Austin Aztex U-23 amateurs held their own against the pros of the United Soccer Leagues First Division Atlanta Silverbacks before succumbing in a penalty-kick shootout, thereby exiting the U.S. Open Cup in the first round. The Aztex twice had the lead, on beautiful goals by Jamie Watson in regulation, and Willy Guadarrama in overtime, before giving up equalizers with just minutes to go in regulation (1-1), and again in overtime, which ended 2-2.
Yes, the Aztex acquitted their young selves well – not a single player looked out of place in a high-level pro game – but my, what a difference in the level of play. The Silverbacks’ speed and strength clearly had the Aztex out of their comfort level, especially at the start. They were used to being the aggressors, and to having a little more time, and a little more margin for error than what Atlanta gave them, and the Silverbacks punished every soft pass or loose first touch. But that’s how you get better, right? And a lot of these Austin players plan to be around next year as well, when the Aztex field their own First Division pro team, and start playing the Silverbacks on their own level. No doubt, this was a great experience for the players and the organization, and a bonus treat for the record crowd of 1,731 fans.
Back to the Premier Development League… Over the weekend, the Aztex solidified their hold on the PDL Mid South division lead, beating El Paso 2-0 at home on Friday, and Dallas 4-0 on the road Sunday, to run their league record to 6-1-1 at the halfway point of the season. They’re on the road in Houston this Saturday, June 15, before a rather strange two-week layoff; the next home games aren’t until June 27 (El Paso) and June 28 (Baton Rouge).
This article appears in June 6 • 2008.