The Austin Aztex hosted the Houston Dynamo on Sunday in the back end of a home-and-home exhibition series – this year’s only official preseason games. The score doesn’t much matter, though a 1-0 loss (Corey Ashe to Geoff Cameron in the 84th minute) against a top-level Major League Soccer team that’s more than a month ahead of the Aztex in preseason preparations is pretty good, and by most accounts, the Aztex were on the attack a good bit of the time. (Mea culpa: South by Southwest duties kept me from being there.) But what really matters is that the Aztex seem to be edging closer to a starting lineup: Trinidadian defender Seon Power (last seen with Champions League qualifier Joe Public) got his second straight start in a back four with Kieron Bernard, Jay Needham, and Kevin Sakuda, and there’s a solid nucleus of talented and entertaining players in the midfield and front line who will only improve as they play together more. Coach Adrian Heath’s favored short-passing game can be a joy to watch, but it puts a premium on knowing where your teammates are going to be, and what they’re going to do. The Dynamo game was likely the last for the Aztex at Nelson Field, their home for last year’s inaugural season; the far cozier, more convenient House Park is due to be ready by the regular season opener April 11 against Montreal. Info and season tickets at www.austinaztex.com.
At press time, six of the eight quarterfinal slots in the European Champions League are filled. In the marquee matchup, Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan knocked off his former club Chelsea; but the other English clubs, Manchester United and Arsenal, romped to four- and five-goal wins, respectively. Bayern Munich, Lyon, and CSKA Moscow round out the field so far, as Spaniards Real Madrid and Sevilla crashed out as well.
This article appears in March 19 • 2010.