The Austin Aztex U23s opened their first season of play by earning a point on the road, fighting for a 0-0 draw with the El Paso Patriots in El Paso Saturday night. A crowd of 789 was on hand to see the match, which also served as the first of four qualifying games in the 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

El Paso had a slight edge in possession, but like Austin, was rarely able to put a good ball on net. The Patriots also played the final nine minutes a man down, as forward Trevor Eastman was shown a straight red card in the 81st minute for a reckless challenge on Austin’s Westley Allen. Three yellow cards were issued to the Aztex: Ezual Lewis, Beto Papandrea & Marcel Uriarte.

Back Row: Chris Spendlove, Westley Allen, Beto Papandrea, Miguel Gallardo, Marcel Uriarte, Kevin Klaus
Front Row: Josh Alcala, Ezuel Lewis, Willy Guadarrama, Zack Pope, Jorge Vega
Substitutes (not shown): BJ Olonilua (45), Andy Taylor (58), Cameron Turney (77), Beau Fraser (87)