Having secured a coveted berth in the U.S. Open Cup in their inaugural season, the Austin Aztex will be traveling to Longabaugh Field in Clinton, Mississippi for their first contest with the Brilla, Saturday at 6:00 PM EDT.
The Brilla (1-2-1) had an opportunity to deny the Aztex (4-0-1) their qualifying berth in the Cup, had they beaten both Houston and DFW last weekend in back-to-back away games. Unfortunately for the Brilla, they dropped the first game against Houston, thus eliminating themselves from contention, and lost the following day in the Dallas Metroplex.
They look to get back on track in the Midsouth Division and disrupt the Aztex’s early season success with a home game on Saturday. The Aztex remain undefeated and unscored upon through five games, and there is little doubt the Aztex may be looking beyond this contest in anticipation of facing the Atlanta Silverbacks, a USL Division 1 team, on June 10 in their first round game for the Cup.
However, the Aztex need to focus on not only this away game with the Brilla, but a home game with the El Paso Patriots on Friday, June 6, before the matchup with the Silverbacks. The Patriots, of course, drew 0-0 in the Aztex’s first game of their first season, and is the sole opponent to hold them scoreless.
The Aztex defense continues to attract most attention; keeper Miguel Gallardo was recognized again this week by the league, which named him to the PDL Team of the Week for the second time in this young season. While not attracting quite as much attention, the offense, too, continues to improve as A.J. Godbolt picked up his second goal of the season and midfielder Austin da Luz from National Champion Wake Forest makes his official appearance on the roster this week.
Austin has been making noise, not only in the Midsouth Division specifically, but the PDL generally, and excitement is building for the Cup matchup with the professional Silverbacks. First, though, the team must focus on extending its lead in the Division with Saturday night’s contest against Mississippi.
5/30/08
