Goalkeeper Cody Laurendi earned USL Team of the Week honors

The Austin Aztex started off a four-game home­ stand Saturday with an early goal by Kris Tyrpak, and made it stand up for a 1-0 win over Colorado Springs. This Friday the Aztex kick off what should be a good new rivalry: their first of three matches this season against the Oklahoma City Energy, with both teams currently jostling around the middle of the 12-team USL West standings. For early arrivals: The first 100 fans will receive this game’s collectible poster, and there will be a $3 Shiner Happy Hour 5-8pm in the biergarten. Juke Box Heroes are the opening band. Friday, May 1, 8pm at House Park, 13th & Lamar. Next up: a Military Appreciation Night exhibition game against an All-Air Force team on Wed­nes­day, May 6, and then a return to league play against Real Monarchs SLC next Sat., May 9. And on the horizon is the U.S. Open Cup: The Aztex will play in that venerable national tournament starting in the second round, on May 20, facing either the NTX Rayados or Laredo Heat… Aztex goalkeeper Cody Laurendi‘s five-save shutout in his home debut Saturday earned him USL Team of the Week honors, the Aztex’s first this season. Tyrpak was named to the honorable mention squad.

The European Champions League semifinals are next week, May 5-6 – Juventus vs. Real Madrid on Tuesday, Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich on Wednesday (both at 1:30pm, live on Fox Sports 1). The return legs are the next week, May 12-13; by then, each of those four teams will have played 10 games in about 30 days, with games every weekend and mid-week in that time… Meanwhile the Europa League – the NIT of European sports – has more on the line than usual: The champion gets an automatic berth in next year’s Champions League, and thus an extra qualifying slot for their country. The semifinals (Napoli vs. Dnipropetrovsk, Sevilla vs. Fiorentina) are Thursdays, May 7 & 14, also on Fox Sports 1… As we go to press, the Montreal Impact are hosting Club América, trying to become the first MLS team ever to win the Concacaf Champions League.

This article appears in May 1 • 2015.

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