The high-flying Austin Aztex have the best record in the league so far this year at 7-1-2; tomorrow night they host the team that had the best record last year, the Portland Timbers (Wednesday, 7:30pm, House Park).
Portland (3-3-3) lost only four games all last season, but enter this match having won just one of its last five. Austin, on the other hand, is on a three-game win streak, and seven games unbeaten.
Timbers forward Ryan Pore has eight of the Timbers’ 10 goals this season, plus assists on the other two; the Aztex, on the other hand, have had eight different players score goals, and their 21 goals in 10 games leads the league easily.
The Aztex are coming off a hard-fought 2-1 win against the Puerto Rico Islanders Saturday, and will get a boost with the return of leading scorer Eddie Johnson, who was held out of that game. Johnson and Jamie Watson had been the Aztex’s main scoring threats; add Maxwell Griffin to the list, with a goal in each of the last two games… The Aztex are now one-third of the way through the season… It’s world jersey night Wednesday; $2 off admission for anyone wearing a soccer jersey from any country.… This will be your one-and-only chance to see the Timbers in Austin; they’re moving up to Major League Soccer next year.
The Aztex marathon homestand continues through June, with three more home games in the next week, hosting:
Vancouver Whitecaps: Saturday, June 12, 7:30pm
Dallas-Fort Worth Tornados: Tuesday, June 15, 7:30pm
Miami FC Blues: Saturday, June 19, 7:30pm
The Dallas game is the first round of the U.S. Open Cup; if the Aztex beat the PDL Tornados, they’ll play a second-round game the next Tuesday, with the winner probably hosting the Houston Dynamo in the third round, June 29.
This article appears in June 4 • 2010.