The Austin Aztex split a pair of exhibition games on the road in their final preseason tune-ups: a 2-1 comeback win over the Premier Development League Laredo Heat Friday night and a 4-1 loss at Major League Soccer’s FC Dallas on Wednesday. The goals came from Jamie Watson (an extra-time winner in Laredo), and trialists Dane Saintus out of SMU and Jam-aican Wolry Wolfe. In other news, the Aztex look to have filled one of their biggest roster holes in style this week, signing right back Lance Watson – a popular starter last year for the MLS Kansas City Wizards – to a two-year contract. Watson, 26, grew up in Nederland and played youth soccer for the Houston Texans club team. The Aztex start the regular season at House Park next Sunday, April 11, 6pm, hosting the defending champion Montreal Impact. See www.austinaztex.com for info and season tickets.
The UIL high school championships are next weekend in Georgetown (April 8-10; see Sports Listings for details). A few local teams are still in the hunt as we head into this weekend’s regional semifinals: the Westlake boys and girls, Round Rock Westwood boys and girls, Bowie girls, and Dripping Springs boys.
Heavy blows for Manchester United and possibly England as well, Tuesday – as Man U fell to Bayern Munich, 2-1, in the first leg of the European Champions League quarterfinal and also lost star striker Wayne Rooney for at least two weeks to an ankle injury suffered just before Munich hit their extra-time winner. Ouch. Rooney’s been having his best season ever, and he’s crucial both to Man U and to England’s World Cup hopes. Brutal timing for Man U: Before the return leg against Munich on Wednesday, the Devils host Chelsea this Saturday (6:30am, ESPN2) in a game that could well decide the Premier League title. In other Champs League action, Arsenal were thoroughly dominated in their home park by Barcelona but somehow salvaged a late 2-2 draw; Lyon beat Bordeaux, 3-1, and Inter Milan beat CSKA Moscow, 1-0. The return legs are next Tuesday-Wednesday, April 6-7, 1:45pm, on Fox Soccer Channel.
Argentina coach Diego Maradona, under considerable fire for his team’s poor play in World Cup qualifying, was bitten by his own dog on Tuesday, hospitalized, and had reconstructive surgery on his lip. The dog, a shar-pei, is fine and feels it made its point… Amid rising fan violence around the Greek Super League, the Greek government has dropped its sponsorship, saying it “has no reason to advertise itself through a violent and utterly vile product,” and describing soccer as dominated by “the law of the jungle, violence, and fanaticism.”
This article appears in The End of UT Football.