The Aztex Blog

End of the season?

2010-09-23T20:03:00.006-05:00

How did it get to be almost October and the end of the season already? Glad we have the playoffs to look forward to although it will be a little while longer before we discover our first opponent. It would be great to have a large crowd this Saturday for our final regular season game, even better if we get our revenge on St Louis.

I was surprised to see the Rowdies part company with Head Coach Paul Dalglish with two games still to play. No-one knows better than us how difficult that first season can be - it takes time to adjust to a new stadium, players, front office management, fans etc. not to mention the travel schedule. Not to boast, however, the wait-and-see/give-him-a-chance policy paid dividends for us. We've had a fantastic season, being in the top spots every week, scoring some amazing goals and seeing some wonderful football. Thank you Adrian.

Sorry for the gap in blogs by the way, I've been in Borneo with my kids, James and Nikki on an adventure holiday as a 21st birthday gift. We stayed with an Iban tribe in the middle of the jungle - they catch most of their food, gather fruits from the forest, keep chickens and pigs and generally lead a simple life. However, one subject we had no difficulty communicating with them about was.....football! They had been able to go to the nearest small town by boat and watch some of the World Cup so they knew all the big names - Messi, Ronaldo, Kaka. They had a trophy they had won playing against the team from the small town. Quite glad to see that instead of the other trophies their tribe used to collect - heads!

See you all on Saturday!

Kay

On the road

2010-08-27T20:36:00.006-05:00

I am writing this from beautiful Portland - we had a relaxing day after the tension and excitement of last night's game. The Timbers fans create a great atmosphere, very recognizable to us Brits with singing and chanting. There were 12 of us, including Aztex director Mike Shultz and his wife Karen, director Gary Mellor and his son George over from the UK, friends and fans Tim and Lori Moran, Buck & 'T' Craig and Alliance/Chantico's Army members Chase Hoffman and Matthew Gray, resplendent in kilt and Aztex jersey. It was an action packed and, towards the end, tense game - apologies that the stream was so difficult to watch.
I won't do a match report, it's already been done but I was interested to see the match stats. Apparently, Portland had 13 shots on goal, seemed a bit of an exaggeration to me. I looked online at their overall total so far - 320 shots on goal with just 24 converted. The Aztex have had 281 with 41 converted, pretty much double their percentage. Maybe statisticians need a short lesson on what counts as a shot on goal - just a thought.

Today, we are in Seattle to watch the Sounders v Fire. We're really looking forward to taking in the atmosphere and learning from them how they have made it so successful. Phil, Mike and Gary have a meeting with the Sounders guys so should be interesting.

Then tomorrow, we take the train to Vancouver to join up with the Aztex again - a depleted squad but not depleted spirit. Lawrence Olum made the trip back to Austin along with Yordany, who still has some travel restrictions.

Excuse some of the tense changes in this blog report, didn't have time to finish one bit before we were moving on again!

Go Aztex!
Kay

Apologies!

2010-08-09T19:29:00.004-05:00

Well, it seems we have been sadly neglecting the Aztex blog, apologies! It's been over a month but I know everyone keeps up with most of the news via the website, Facebook or Twitter.

It's great to be STILL top of the league with 2/3 of the season gone. I know the 'magic' playoff points total is 40 and it would be crazy to think we won't make it. Wish there was a bigger prize than bragging rights for if we finish as League Champions but heyho!

We have added to our player roster but lost some of our interns. Cody Poteat has returned to Nebraska - he's been training with Miguel and Sean so look out for Hastings College results this season. We will also lose our camp interns, Anna, Taylor, Mason, Ben and Amanii, at the end of this week - they have done a stellar job working alongside Brian Pederson and the players. We have had so many wonderful emails and phone calls praising the way the camps were run, how much the kids learned and how much fun they all had. I can't leave this section without mentioning Joe Levy - he has been running our merchandise store for us and doing an excellent job.

It's no secret that Phil has been at the USSF meeting today in New York - he's on his way home right now so I'm not exactly sure of all the facts yet and what he is allowed to divulge. There are always other sources to check out anyway ;-)

We'll be at Mr Tramps tomorrow for the game along with the Free Beer Movement and American Outlaws - should be fun.

Kay

Nervous? Heck yes!

2010-06-22T16:35:00.006-05:00

There are a couple of BIG games going on tomorrow and without going into all the possible permutations, let's just say both teams HAVE to win. It's no good relying on others to do the job for you so good luck to both teams - I'll be crossing everything. The office and Soccerettes will again be at Cuatros so hope to see you there!

Sorry to see the hosts South Africa bow out but not sorry to see the back of France - just my personal opinion by the way! Phil has Uruguay in the office sweep so he's pretty happy right now.

Good to see Jamie Watson make News 8 Athlete of the week and also to see a great article in the Daily Texan today - http://tinyurl.com/3axhpo5 We had a reporter in the office today from the same newspaper to interview Max Griffin, he of the 'perfect' hat trick (one with his head and one with each foot) The players all signed the match ball for him and Coach Heath presented it to him. It's an impressive feat for someone in his rookie year - I'm sure there's more to come!

Good luck to the guys tonight as they take on Arizona Sahuaros in the second round of the US Open Cup.

Kay

Soccer Fest!

2010-06-13T20:49:00.013-05:00

So, the big match up finally arrived and ended in the result that keeps the Rawlins house happy! It was great to see so many people at Cuatros, must have been 800/900 crammed in. What a contrast from even four years ago plus so much TV coverage. Times magazine had a World Cup special with some really interesting, in-depth articles including one entitled "Yes, Soccer Is America's Game" It begins:

"Please stop lecturing us. We know that it's called football everywhere else and that it's the global game, the beautiful game. Americans call it soccer because there's a perfectly great sport here already called football, one that is not inclined to surrender its moniker anytime soon. So don't get your football knickers in a twist about it." Read more here - http://tinyurl.com/3xeg2ky

After the craziness of Cuatros, it was on to House Park - a disappointing result which I guess shows how far we have come as I felt they were probably the best team we have played so far. We have the Cup game this Tuesday which will see Adrian return to the bench. It seems to be a particularly harsh rule that the coach is not even allowed in the stadium. We have all seen Sir Alex sitting up in the stands now and again due to a 'misdemeanor' but he at least is allowed to be that close.

I have drawn Denmark in the Aztex World Cup draw - the first game is the Netherlands who have always been one of my favorites. There have been tales of Dutch dressing room bust-ups so John Nelms (ticket sales), prepare to be taken down! I hope a familiar face, Stoke City's very own Tommy Sorensen gets his opportunity to shine.

See you on Tuesday for the Open Cup game, 7.30 pm as usual.

Kay

Top of the League, who will be Top of the World?

2010-06-10T19:37:00.006-05:00

Writing this the morning after our game against the Timbers, the Aztex sit top of the League and six points clear! I have been asked in several interviews over the past week what accounts for such a dramatic turnaround in fortunes from last year? I’ll do my best to answer the question.

Well, truth is we weren’t as bad last year as our record suggested. We were the dominant team on many games only to lose in the last few minutes or concede a late goal to give up a tie. We played good football and paid a high price for inexperience. This year, Adrian has rectified that, bringing in experienced players like Kevin Sakuda, Leonard Griffin, Jay Needham, Lawrence Olum and Lance Watson to add to our young talent. The combination, so far, has proved to be a winning one!
Winning also helps and right now the boys are playing with confidence and flying in training, long may that continue.

This week will test us. We have three of the best teams in the League at House Park, Puerto Rico, Portland and Vancouver coming to town. Last night’s game against Portland wasn’t pretty but sometimes during a 30 games season you have to dig-in and win a point when you aren’t playing at your best. We will have to be better to beat Vancouver but the boys will be ready.

Friday sees the beginning of the World Cup in South Africa and the fight for the World’s biggest prize. Who will be champions come July 11th? My personal bet is Spain; I think they have the talent and mental toughness to win it. Of course I would love to see England win it and I do believe that under Capello’s leadership they have really begun to believe in themselves, something I never thought they did under either McClaren or Eriksson. They should at least make the semi-finals.

More important though for me than who wins the Jules Rimet Trophy is how well the US team can do in South Africa? It is important for the further development of the game in this country that the US boys do well. If they can progress to the knockout stages and even to the final 8 then interest and excitement about the game here will mount. That can only be good for the game that we all love. So for that reason I am going to have dual loyalties over the next few weeks, shouting hard for both England and the USA.

Come out and watch the tournament with me, Kay, Coach Heath and the boys at one of our many watch parties. http://tinyurl.com/36v4ahy

First days in Austin

2010-05-21T16:19:00.003-05:00

My name is Cody Poteat and I am originally from the great state of Nebraska. However recently I have joined the Aztex team as a Marketing and Communications intern. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to learn from some very gifted people about the things it takes to have a prosperous and successful career in this field. This is exactly what I want to do with my life down the road so the chance to work with this great group of people was one that I felt I absolutely had to take.

It was exciting for me to get here after a long 14 hour trip. My dad was able to schedule a couple of meetings with clients in the area so I was fortunate o have him be able to travel with me. At first it seemed like we were making good time but then my dad decided it was necessary to stop every couple of hours so it really strung out the drive more than it had to be. Even with the long drive I was still able to use my excitement to get down to Austin as a jolt of energy for me to get me through the drive.

We hit the road Monday morning and arrived late Monday night. Thus, Tuesday was the first day I was actually able to waste a little time and just hang out in my new city. I also spent much of Tuesday getting myself moved into my new apartment and gathering the necessities for everyday living. The new apartment is a pretty nice little place. The backyard essentially consists of a pool, basketball court, and golf course so I certainly cannot complain!

Wednesday soon came and it was time for me to get focused and get to work. The morning was quite hectic. I couldn’t seem to find the office to save my life and I think I was lost in the city of Austin for about an hour and a half. That wasn’t even the worst of it! I was attempting to ramp onto a crowded street when some gentlemen was kind enough to let me in. I waved my hand out the window to signal “thank you” when suddenly my favorite watch began to dangle off the end of my hand. Sadly, the watch fell off my wrist and out onto the middle of the busy road. Seconds later it was crushed by a school bus traveling the same way as me.

I was pretty heartbroken over the ordeal and it really did not begin my first day of work very nicely. Through all the turmoil I was still excited to make it into the office that day. Finally I found it and it was a huge sigh of relief. Only about 45 minutes late, not a bad impression at all! My boss, Andrew Tanker, was extremely generous and understood the reason why I was late so he didn’t hold it against me too much. Throughout the day I was able to meet everyone associated with the club and was greeted by a friendly face from each of them.

That night was game night and everyone was buzzing with excitement over the big game. I arrived a few hours early to try and help set up in any way I could. The set up went rather smoothly with no major hiccups and I was anxious for the start of the game. People started pouring into the stands and that flood didn’t cease until almost 25 minutes into the game! It was awesome to see this many people be as excited about the sport that I love.

The game was very entertaining and a whole lot of fun to watch but right after is when the real grunt work began. Stats, stats, and more stats seemed to be my mindset for the night and that is pretty much what my main responsibility was. I was also given the liberty to write the game recap and update the website in order to make sure the fans were informed of the events that occurred within the game. After I accomplished my tasks, Andrew took me to the gathering place at Cuatros to meet the players and Aztex staff on more of a social level. This experience was exciting for me and I really cannot wait until the next home game against the Puerto Rico Islanders on June 5!

That was a basic recap of my first few days in Austin. I can only hope that there is more of where that came from. This experience is going to be a great one for me and I am absolutely stoked for the rest of the season. I hope that everyone who was able to make it to the last game is able to return June 5 when the Aztex take on the Islanders. The huge crowd supporting both the Aztex and the game of soccer in general is always a joy to see!

Go Aztex!

Cody

Soccer, football, futebol, футбол, フットボール

2010-05-09T20:35:00.009-05:00

Phil, John and I went to Tampa for the game yesterday - great to see how much support they drew but the field - urgh! We sat level with the half way line but because of having to avoid the mound, the right half of the the field was much further away and the touch line was blocked by the advertising boards. I hate to think what will happen if it rains - the ball bounced very differently on the two surfaces. I know we moan about the lines at House but they suddenly didn't seem so bad.
We were joined by many of the USL front office plus a group of coast guards that Phil and Adrian had met in a restaurant the night before. Turns out one of them was from Austin so he brought 5 of the other coast guards with him to the game to cheer on our lads. We were very disappointed with the draw - the last penalty decision was a joke - but we are unbeaten so far on the road and joint second in the table.

The English Premier League is over and Stoke City finished in a respectable 11th place. Seems to have some last minute drama in the dressing room and in the tabloids and now, the supporters are unhappy with the new Adidas kit. It DOES appear to be a bog-standard red Adidas shirt with added logos.

On a happier note, the World Cup starts soon so all will be forgotten as the whole country comes to a standstill to watch the games. It is quite eerie to drive around any town or city when England are playing and to not see a soul! England play the US on June 12th - it's an afternoon kick off then the Aztex take on the Whitecaps that same evening. Should be a great day all round.

I'm looking forward to our next game on Sunday - I'm hoping that many of the folks who came out for the Haiti game will return, a big crowd cheering on the lads would be awesome.

Go Aztex!
Kay

Wednesday night

2010-04-30T23:07:00.005-05:00

Wow, what a night! I'm still on a high after witnessing the outpouring of not just cash and soccer equipment but love for our neighbors from Haiti. To raise $11,500 in one night was amazing enough and the huge pile of jerseys, cleats, soccer balls was also heart warming but it was the folks with welcome banners, the cheers for both teams and just the warm and friendly atmosphere that bowled me over. We've lived here just over 5 years and have loved Austin since we moved here but Wednesday made me fall in love all over again. The community is my focus for the Aztex - obviously, I love to win and I want the club to succeed but the game against Haiti showed me once again what can be achieved through sport. So, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generosity of spirit and for making a difference.

The team are in Minnesota for the second road trip of the season. We didn't win away from home until September last season so we have already put one unfavorable record to bed! We will be in Cuatros cheering the guys on so do come and join us.

Meanwhile, life in the office seems as hectic as ever. One real sign that our name is out there is the number of appearance requests we get - one of my challenges is fulfilling those requests while still keeping the coaches happy by not interrupting training! I have Yoanna doing a sterling job helping me - we are also getting requests for Sgt Pepper and , surprise surprise, our lovely Soccerettes!

Seems ages till the next home game but it's really only 2 weeks - just need Stoke City to let fewer than 7 goals in this week - ugghh! Couldn't bear to watch!

See you all on the 16th!

Kay

From Intern to Sales!

2010-04-27T14:16:00.003-05:00

Hello to all!

I used to be known as “Kristin the Intern,” but now you will probably just know me as “That Blonde Girl in Sales.” I began an internship with the Austin Aztex in January to finish up my degree from Texas A&M University, starting out in Operations but recently making the move to Tickets. We certainly have a special thing here in Austin with the Aztex, and I’m just proud to have the chance to be a part of it. The Rawlins family has been incredibly gracious to me, and I suppose the guys and gals in the front office aren’t too bad either .

The army of interns includes myself, Joe Levy from the University of Texas, Jordenne Parker from the University of Texas, and Phil Legault (or Little Phil as he was once dubbed) from Texas State University. Phil Rawlins’ son John also deserves some credit; he’s been a huge help while he stays here on “holiday.” Each of us has our own set of responsibilities here in the office, and I appreciate that no one is afraid to give us a project to make our own. And you know, I haven’t had to staple nearly as many stacks of papers as I thought I would!

So what have I learned in this internship? Well let’s see. I learned not to wear my Manchester United scarf around the office. I learned that the office shares a deep love of Krispy Kreme donuts. I learned that Coach Heath’s accent doesn’t sound like any English I’ve ever heard. I learned that a few pranks around the office never hurt anyone. I have learned that Chick-Fil-A has the best lemonade I’ve ever tasted. I’ve learned that transferring a call to someone’s voicemail is trickier than you might think. I’ve learned that bad words just sound funny when said with an English accent. I learned that a genuine smile and a nice word make a difference. I’ve learned that a small polo shirt in Soccer World is really an extra extra small in the Real World. I’ve learned that a little patience can go a long way in the hot sun or the freezing rain. I’ve learned that an Aztex Game Day is not just 90 minutes. And I’ve learned that playing baseball with a mini soccer ball is a nice way to break up a stressful Friday.

All in all, I think I’ve learned what I needed to.

As a last note, I’d like to remind everyone to come out on Wednesday for the game against the Haitian National Team. I cannot even tell you how proud I am to be a part of an event that gives the donations directly into the hands of the people that need it most. I want House Park to be full of proud Texans that can show these young men that America hasn’t forgotten what they have been through. These young men have played both in Dallas and in San Antonio, and I want to blow them away with the generosity they find here in Austin!

See you Wednesday!

Cheers,

Kristin

Coach's Corner

2010-04-21T12:36:00.003-05:00

Two weeks into the season and thankfully two wins out of two, so we have to be pleased with the start, but that’s all it is, a start. I have been involved with this great game too long to get carried away at this early stage. The players have worked extremely hard since we reported back, so they deserve a great deal of credit for the effort they have put in, and the results they have achieved.

We have changed the squad quite considerably from last season and after two games I am more convinced than ever we have made some shrewd signings that over the next few seasons will be a great asset to this football club. I’m sure those of you who attended the first game in our new home “House Park”, were as excited as the players, I honestly believe this move will help the club move forward both on and off the field. We entertain Rochester this Sunday, and having watched their first two games, I know if we fall below the standards we have set ourselves we will be in for a very difficult afternoon. Their performances have deserved more than one point, from two very difficult away games.

Finally I would like to draw everybody’s attention to a Charity game on Wednesday April 28th, 7.30 pm. The opponents will be the Haiti National team who are in Texas to prepare for their upcoming friendly with Argentina. All proceeds from the game will go to the Haiti relief fund. Having visited shortly before the disaster, they certainly need all the help they can get. The Haiti Football Association was decimated in the disaster and whatever we can do to help will be a start in the right direction. It will also be an opportunity for all the Aztex staff to meet up again with a couple of players who went to England with us at the end of last season. Ednerson and Vaniel who have both travelled with the Haiti party were an absolute joy to work with and a credit to Haiti football. Whatever words I use at this moment seem inadequate, but I know I speak for everybody connected with the Aztex, in wishing the people of Haiti our best for the future. I look forward to seeing you all at the House.
See you soon, take care
Adrian.

Two more days to go!!!

2010-04-09T10:01:00.005-05:00

This will be a very short post - lots to do before the home opener on Sunday. It's been a lot of fun doing the new ads - there are more to come in the 'ball in the face' series. Also, planning the whole game day experience has been something the whole office and many of the Alliance members have been involved in. For me, it feels very familiar - the trip to the pub first to discuss the game, the walk to the stadium and then back to the pub after to celebrate. Cuatros have been great - it will be cool for the players to be there mingling with the fans.

Another piece of equipment arrived at the office for the Kidz Zone, made by Haley, niece of one of our staff. I couldn't resist taking a photo!

So, see you all on Sunday - don't forget to wear red or red and white!

Kay

Minnesota to Austin!

2010-03-31T11:56:00.003-05:00

Well, it’s been nearly five months since I rolled into town. Can’t believe how quick that went. When I left Minnesota, a season had just ended. Now we are literally on the brink of the 2010 campaign beginning. I couldn’t be more excited.

Texas has treated me really well so far. I had been to Austin before as my mother lived here for about 20 months when I was in high school, so I spent about four weeks one summer here. I vaguely remember the heat, but from what people are telling me, it gets hot. I think I can take that. I’m ready for the heat after struggling through the Minnesota winters. I remember one of my first days in Minnesota in 2004. The weather man that day, with a smirk on his face, said “Today will be one of the coldest days of the year.” He said it would be something like -34 outside and a wind chill of -60. I thought to myself “what have I done!” But I will say I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Minnesota. I loved my job and met some of the greatest people I will ever know.

But when this opportunity arose in October, there wasn’t really any question if I would take it or not. It was the time to make a change, and this was the perfect place. It all happened pretty quickly. I got the offer when I was on vacation in Colorado, an annual vacation to Grand Lake that I take with some of my closest friends. It was there that I also accepted the job. I remember the excitement, and my friends were so pumped for me. But I was obviously nervous to uproot myself from a place I had been for six years. I remembered that I had done this two times before, and loved the chance to come to a new city, meet new people, and experience something different.

I had just a few weeks to finish up in Minnesota and get the house that I had bought in 2007 ready to sell. Needless to say………it’s still on the market. So if anybody wants a summer home in Minnesota, let me know.

I called one of my best buddies, Casey, who is in golf school in Phoenix (yes, there is such a thing), and asked if I could fly him up to help me move. He was happy to. I picked him up at the airport on November 5. The two of us headed out for a bit so I could say goodbye to some people and then headed to the house to get ready for the journey. The plan was to leave around 9 a.m. on November 6th. At about 2:30 p.m. the next day, we finally had the truck loaded and headed out. We put the Highlander on a trailer behind the U-Haul and made our way out of Minnesota.
I think we made it to Wichita around 11:30 p.m. that night. We got a hotel, and departed for the remainder of the trip around 11 a.m. on November 7. We were making great time and were headed into the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. We decided that the Ft. Worth route would probably have less traffic. Just 10 minutes later after making that decision we discovered that the Texas NASCAR event was just ending. So, after two hours in traffic, we finally made it through Ft. Worth.

I’ll never forget driving into Austin. It was dusk and it was the most amazing sunset I have ever seen. I actually have a picture of it on my Facebook for any of you that are my friends. It was truly unbelievable and I don’t think the blackberry camera did it justice.

We got to my apartment complex about 7:30 p.m. I believe. One of my friends from kindergarten, Matt, who now resides in Austin, came to meet us to unload the truck. We basically just threw everything in the apartment because we had to get somewhere to watch the remainder of the Nebraska/Oklahoma football game. We made it and watched the Huskers beat the Sooners 10-3.

The next afternoon I dropped Casey off at the airport and that’s when it sunk in. It was the same feeling I had when I dropped my parents off at the Indianapolis airport when I moved there, pure excitement. I was invited that evening to head to Phil and Kay’s house for dinner. Coach Heath and his wife Jane joined. It was a great evening and I left their house knowing I had made the right decision.

Monday was my first day of work and I got thrown right in by having a meeting with AMD that afternoon to discuss our presenting sponsorship. From that moment, it’s been nonstop. But that’s what I thrive on. It’s pressure packed, but so much fun. The biggest thing I want to do here was bring in several years of working in soccer to an organization that is in year three. I must say that I was completely impressed with what has been accomplished in three short years. Phil and the staff have done an amazing job establishing the team in the community. Now we just need to fill the stands.

I’m excited about the move to House Park. The game against Houston at Nelson Field was my first match with the Aztex, and my first and last match at Nelson. I think it was a decent venue for the team last year, but I know the intimate confines of House Park will make all the difference. At Minnesota we played at the National Sports Center. Originally, the field was about 100 feet from the stands with a track around the stadium. The atmosphere was non-existent to say the least. We decided to make the decision to remove the track and bring the field 90 feet closet to the fans. It turned out to make all the difference in the world. I think moving to House will have the safe effect.
I think I’ve rambled long enough. I’ll try to do this again sometime as we get into the season.

Just a quick note, for those of you that I have met and have welcomed me, I appreciate it a great deal. I’ll see you all on April 11. Looking forward to taking down the defending champs!

Djorn

Travelling Aztex

2010-03-29T22:03:00.010-05:00

The last few weeks have been full of travel for the Aztex, both players and staff. The team earned a victory in Laredo, running out the winners by 2 goals to 1. The text from assistant coach Bobby Murphy read "Won 2-1, missed a PK, hit the post 3 times, had 2 kicked off the line"

Meanwhile, Phil and I traveled to our home town, partly business and partly pleasure, to see Stoke lose 2 -1 to Spurs and then win against West Ham. I feel sorry for Zola, I think he's probably just a bit too nice. Ricardo Fuller's goal was a bit special - the only clip I could find was on footytube.com but it's highlights of the whole game so I'll let you have a look yourselves! Whilst the game was going on, our dear friends Gary and Sarah Mellor were bringing into the world the latest Aztex/Stoke fan - should have named him Ricardo but they decided on Harry! Congratulations from all the Aztex staff and fans, many of whom have met Gary, our Overseas Development Director.

Still on the subject of Stoke City, their manager Tony Pulis and comedian Nick Hancock are climbing Kilimanjaro to raise money for a local hospice - can't see Ferguson or Wenger doing something like that! Read all about it here - www.kili4kids.org

Adrian has also been on his travels to join other Everton legends as they celebrated their most successful ever season - 1984/85. 'Inchy' and other stars such as Howard Kendall, Peter Reid, Pat Van Den Hauwe and Kevin Sheedy joined 800 fans for an evening of entertainment and story telling (I'm sure our coach had one or two to add to proceedings!)

We are hoping to bring you news about the broadcasting of the games very shortly - watch the website!

See you soon!!

Kay
PS I bought my new England jersey whilst I was in the UK!

Football, soccer y mas futbol......

2010-03-04T22:30:00.004-06:00

Hola everyone!! This week has been all about soccer; the Aztex officially began their training camp this past Monday- luckily I was there when the coaches, office staff and the president were introduced and let me say that it feels pretty nice to be part of the only professional team in Austin. We are all extremely positive about the upcoming season and firmly believe our 2^nd season as a professional team is going to have the Aztex accomplish many great things on and off the field.

And then Tuesday came and so did the “friendly” soccer matches all over the world began. Brazil, England, Argentina, Mexico, Spain- I would say every team participating in this summer’s World Cup- saw action either Tuesday or Wednesday. Brazil and Spain continued their dominance and performed at a great level against Ireland and France respectively. But to be honest I only watched the Mexico vs New Zealand game… I know, I know, watching New Zealand is nothing like watching a Mexico vs Spain game but at least we were able to play a game against a team not part of CONCACAF and the end result left the fans happy, even I was happy. Not only for the result but because of the way Mexico played in the first 20 minutes of the second half. Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez scored once again for Mexico; if his level of play continues to be the same, I’m sure his name is going to appear in the final roster for the world cup.

The player that left me with some doubts over his possible participation in a 3^rd World Cup is Cuauhtemoc Blanco. Blanco is by far my favorite Mexican player of the last decade; he is smart, has temper, good touch on the ball, and is definitely a good motivator. The level shown by Blanco is not the best I’ve seen from him- at times he seemed lost, slow and, yeah, old… “Cuauh” was our rescuer when we were in fourth place in the qualifying for the World Cup last year; he had even retired from the National team because of his lack of playing time with the previous coach. Then he came back from retirement and with his character, passion and talent gave Mexico hope and thank goodness, we’re now getting ready for the inaugural game against the host nation.

I was watching the game with some friends and after “Chicharito’s” goal she said: “Blanco needs to retire from playing. He is getting old and slow….” At that time I got a little upset and said something like “Blanco is smart, creative and we need him in ‘El Tri’… Deep down I know she is somehow right; the speed that young players like Gio Dos Santos, Carlos Vela, Andres Guardado and now “Chicharito” Hernandez give Mexico make seem Blanco slow and even lost in the pitch….

With a little under 100 days for the inauguration of the World Cup I just hope “my favorite” Mexican player gets a chance to participate in his third world cup; we know he has talent, but would that be enough to be part of the final roster??

Yoanna

And so it starts again!

2010-02-28T21:41:00.005-06:00

Tomorrow is the first day of pre-season. The guys have been arriving back in town all week, ready for Monday. We are delighted to welcome back Eddie, Sully, Cally, Kevin and the rest of the guys who are returning for their 2nd season. They are joined by lots of new faces, Lawrence Olum, Jay Needham, Leonard Griffin, Ben Dragavon and several more to come. I have to say that all the guys who have come by the office look in good shape, so hopefully Adrian won't have to work them too hard!

I know Adrian and Bobby have been looking forward to Monday, they have been itching to get started again and put the boys through their paces. Adrian is a big believer in using the ball and small sided games to get the team fit, so the guys can expect to see lots of the ball in the next few weeks!

The guys will have just a few days to get ready for the Dynamo on Sunday. That will be a stiff test given that the Dynamo have been in pre-season for almost a month already and have played several competitive games. The Dynamo come to Austin on March 14th for our annual friendly with the Houston club. The friendly will be our very last game at Nelson Field, as we will play ALL our regular season games at our new home, House Park.

Season tickets are on sale and we have had great feedback from fans about the "flexible" nature of the tickets. It would be great to see House Park full every week, so if you have a friend or colleague who is a soccer fan tell them about the GREAT DEAL on season tickets, 30% cheaper than last year and flexible tickets you can use anytime during the season.

Everyone has been talking about the Stoke/Arsenal game and the unfortunate injury to Aaron Ramsey - the newspapers and pundits seem to be in agreement that it was an accident, not malicious or intentional. Knowing Ryan personally, I know that he is not the kind of player to purposefully go out to injure another player. I hope he can put this behind him and impress during his call up to the national team.

Phil

Another week races by..

2010-02-21T17:34:00.003-06:00

Another week, another signing - we welcome Ben Dragovan to our Aztex family. He already knows some of the guys so I'm sure he'll settle in well. Meanwhile, Miguel is in Monterrey for two weeks of training with the 'striped ones' - a great opportunity for him.

We went to Cuatros on Saturday to watch Stoke City take on Portsmouth. It was great to catch up with members of Chantico's Army and also share some banter with some Chelsea and Arsenal fans. It's great to see Stoke doing so well - as someone posted on Facebook, this time last season we were on 26 points, 19th place and with a -19 goal difference. This season, we are on 34 points, 11th place with a -3 GD - progress indeed. It was also great to see Everton put 3 past Man Utd! The only sorry part of all this is poor Portsmouth - bottom of the league with bankruptcy looming. On a selfish note, it would also mean Stoke losing some well-earned points.

Everyone is keeping a very close eye on House Park (thanks Chris for the updated photo each week!) - on the quiet, we are hoping we will be able to move there for our first regular season game after all. Cross everything!

We have a small army of interns at the moment doing all kinds of tasks - working on creating a better match day experience, looking for potential new sponsors, making the players move into their apartments easier, etc. - we are very glad to have them!

Don't forget to cheer for Stoke again on Wednesday!

kay

Excitement mounts...!

2010-02-11T11:43:00.008-06:00

I love this time of the year - the season is just around the corner, tryouts are this weekend, the schedule is out, season ticket sales are going well and player signings are being made. It's great to have new players added to the roster but also great to welcome back some familiar faces, some of them from our very first season as the Aztex U23's. We ask them to do a lot of community work behind the scenes and they have always responded so well - I get to hear all the great feedback and feel like a proud mum (mom). Kids don't always want to listen to parents or authority figures about healthy eating or the importance of exercise but will happily take advice from recognizable athletes.

Tuesday evening saw a soccer milestone - Amy Fearn became the first woman to referee an English Football League match. She first made headlines in November 2006 when Mike Newell, then the manager of Luton, took exception to her performance on the line in his club's defeat by Queen's Park Rangers.

"She shouldn't be here," Newell fumed after the match. "I know that sounds sexist but I am sexist. This is not park football so what are women doing here?" He went on to claim, "it is tokenism - for the politically-correct idiots. When do we reach a stage when all officials are women? Because then we are in trouble."

Newell subsequently apologized but was fined 6,500 pounds for his trouble by the Football Association. It's hard to imagine that kind of incident here in the US where women's soccer is well-established and respected although the ratio of men to women referees is still unbalanced. I'm interested now to find out what prevents women from becoming a referee - more later!

The banter has already started about the World Cup clash on June 12th between England and the US - could be the biggest watch party ever followed our game that evening against Vancouver. I'm not one to get involved in baiting and jeering at other people's teams .......but I'm willing to make an exception in this case! You're going down!!!!

Kay

Schedule apologies

2010-02-05T11:16:00.014-06:00

Apologies once again for the lack of a schedule - it is done but the USSF won't release it until all the teams have met certain terms and conditions. I'm also still hoping against hope that House Park will be ready in time - I am the eternal optimist - but reality tells me that we will probably play our first few games back at Nelson.

The coaches and office staff are preparing for the tryouts next weekend - there is always a sense of anticipation and excitement that a 'diamond in the rough' will be found. Come out to Stassney Fields next weekend and see for yourselves.

Tomorrow marks Tony Pulis's 300th game in charge of Stoke City.
He was first appointed manager in November 2002 and, after having prevented the Potters from slipping into the football league's third tier, he was sacked after falling out with the club's Icelandic owners. Pulis had refused to play two Icelandic players on the roster who had been brought in by the owners, stating that they just were not good enough. His stance ended in a parting of the ways but just a year later, after the Icelandic owners were bought out by Stoke City chairman, Peter Coates, he was back. It's been a success story ever since, promotion to the top flight in 2007/2008, an impressive 12th place last season and a mid table spot so far this season. Well done Tony and thank you!

The players, staff and I have had lots of fun lately going out to school career fairs. I love the thank you letters we receive:
" I think being a soccer player is an awesome job. You are getting paid while playing soccer. That's amazing. Hearing you explain your job that you travel around the globe to compete makes me want to be a pro player. I remember you saying that you had 30-40 games in a year. I for one think that's a lot. Thank you for taking time to come to our school, it shows our community is willing to get involved with our campus"

Tomorrow, players and staff will be at Feria Para Aprender 2010 (the Learning Fair) at the Travis County Expo Center. This is an event run in conjunction with Austin Partners in Education. One of the aims is to help families learn about the transition from high school to college or career. They are expecting more than 10,000 parents and kids with more than 100 exhibits - should be fun!

Kay

Aztex Alliance

2010-01-29T14:58:00.004-06:00

This week saw the launch of the Aztex Alliance and it seems to have been well received. We did a lot of research and listening to fans - having a say in the decision making of the club is something fairly common in Europe but I think only the Seattle Sounders have undertaken it here in America. (I'm prepared to be corrected!)

Last night, the Aztex staff, players and coaches were guests of the Austin Toros who are on a winning streak at the moment. They won again last night but the highlight of the evening was our very own Kieron Bernard taking part in a dance competition! Despite our very enthusiastic cheers, he was beaten into second place, hopefully not a sign of things to come! The players dutifully went straight home whilst the staff went and let off a little steam at Pete's Duelling Pianos.

Lastly, Phil was at a team owners meeting this morning and finally the schedule has had it's last nips and tucks and will be published on Tuesday to fanfares all round.

Kay

Hopes for Haiti

2010-01-16T17:32:00.004-06:00

The end of the week and the images from Haiti continue to dominate the news. We have heard that Vaniel Sirin and Ednerson Rayman, who were part of the group that travelled to England with us last October, are safe but we are still waiting to hear if Jean Alexandre's father has been found. It's hard to imagine what the families there are going through - if you are able, donate to any of the worthy non-profits who are directing their relief efforts to Haiti. One of the easiest ways is to text 'HAITI" to 90999 - $10 will be donated and added to your cell phone bill or log on to www.redcross.org

On a lighter note, we have received the first draft of the 2010 schedule so we hope to be publishing it next week - let's hope some of the more notorious 'leakers' from other teams can keep it to themselves until it is written in stone. I know you are dying to know and we are dying to tell you but it's just not quite ready yet! We will also be releasing details of a new signing - I LOVE this time of the year!!

Congratulations to Austin da Luz on being drafted by the New York Red Bulls in the first round and also to another Aztex PDL player Euan Holden who got picked up by his brother's team, Houston Dynamo.

Lastly, we watched the Stoke v Liverpool game this morning - the fans were in great voice as usual but I'm afraid Sorenson didn't do his transfer chances a lot of good. Flapping at the ball to allow them to score and some pretty dodgy clearances too - he's definitely OUT of my fantasy team now!

Kay

Return to 'normal'!

2010-01-13T12:41:00.003-06:00

Finally, the office is returning to something akin to normal. It's been hard to focus on the upcoming season with all the shenanigans but common sense finally prevailed. The good news (and I know I am biased) is that Phil is one of the team owners selected to be on the Executive Committee for the new league along with Merritt Paulson of Portland Timbers, Jeff Cooper of St Louis, Pete Medd of Baltimore and Dan Flynn of US Soccer who will serve as Chairman. I obviously know first hand the role that Phil has played in this whole process and I am inordinately proud of him.

The office today has been a little deserted - we have signed up to the Partners in Reading scheme and are mentoring in various elementary schools around the city. We have also been invited to participate in Career Days at both elementary and middle schools - always so much fun. The kids come up with some great questions and love being able to talk to 'real life' soccer players. We are also once again involved with the AISD middle schools, helping them to raise their levels of cardio-vascular fitness through soccer.

The MLS draft takes place tomorrow and one of our 2008 PDL players is in it:

Austin da Luz

Comments: Toronto needs help on the wings in a bad way and da Luz is a far better player than this draft position indicates. He drops because he isn't very versatile and other teams have solid players on the left wing.

We wish him every success!

Kay

2010 League

2010-01-10T16:04:00.006-06:00

At times over the past few months it has felt like I may never get to post this blog but with the agreement reached last week between the USL & NASL teams we look like we can finally start to plan for the 2010 season! It has been pretty wearing, at times infuriating, over the past 12 months watching team owners arguing and disagreeing with each other over pretty fundamental issues. Especially frustrating as this is a time when soccer in the US is more popular than ever and in a World Cup year when the sport will get tremendous recognition and coverage.

I genuinely hope that the opportunity to play in 2010 will give all-parties a breathing space, a time to reflect and agree priorities and direction. There is still much to agree for 2010, schedule, season length, play-off format but hopefully we can get through that process relatively quickly and publish the schedule that I know you are all waiting for.

For the Aztex staff we now have to get down to the serious business of completing sponsorship deals, signing players to new contracts and selling season tickets. The delays over the past few months have been costly to our organization and I have to say had the dispute gone on much longer it may have proved fatal to several teams, including the Aztex. But we are in good shape and have an incredibly dedicated and talented team in the front office, led by new CEO Djorn Buchholz. They are eager to get going and I know you will support them over the next couple of months as we prepare for the new season.

Thanks again for sticking with us through what has been a difficult period. Let's all pull together in the next few weeks to make 2010 at House Park a huge success for Austin pro soccer.

Phil

Winter Wonderland!

2010-01-06T06:50:00.005-06:00

Phil and I flew to the UK on Monday for a mostly business trip that happily coincided with 2 Stoke City games! We knew the UK had been taking a bit of a battering as far as the weather goes and packed accordingly. The first setback was having to land at Gatwick instead of Manchester but we made it up to Stoke in time for the game - and what a game it was! Stoke went in 3 up at half time and looked to be having the better of the challenging conditions. Under soil heating meant the pitch itself was in good shape but the snow was swirling for most of the game. Fulham brough Dempsey on in the second half and he proved to be the catalyst they needed, scoring a contender for goal of the season. One of our summer interns, Scott Burleson, was at the game with his mates and spoke with Dempsey after the game. They have been having a grand old time in the UK and have seen lots of games including Chelsea/Fulham, Millwall/Derby, Arsenal/West Ham and Hayes &Yeading/AFC Wimbledon (look it up!!)

Hopefully, the end of this week will see a solution to the USL/TOA situation and we can all move on with our lives. Phil has already been busy working on our pre-season games - more to follow soon!

I'd like to extend a warm welcome to Brian Pederson and his wife Stephanie as they join our Aztex family - he brings a great deal of experience in running successful and exciting camps and clinics.

We will be back in Austin on Sunday after hopefully seeing Stoke win away at Burnley (temporarily managerless) and also weather permitting.

Kay

Aztex mailings

2009-12-16T10:48:00.008-06:00

The office this week resembles a mail depot as the ticket sales team parcel up the scarves and backpacks to get them to their recipients in time for Christmas. There is still one day left if you want to take advantage of the special offer.

We've also received some lovely gifts of the edible variety so it's just as well that the staff have started playing indoor soccer of an evening - it certainly burns a few calories! We just need Miguel and Yordany back in the side so that results can improve!

I was sad to read this week how the blogs and message boards descended into ugliness over the USL/TOA situation. The USSF has asked everyone to not comment until a decision has been reached. As soon as we know something concrete, we will certainly report it.

Thank to our Big Soccer posters for keeping us up to date with developments at House Park -

"Things are moving along very quickly. There's something resembling the beginning of walls now. I got to drive home in daylight last night (being at work at 6:30 am helps make that happen) and I'm getting excited about getting to watch the Aztex at House next season and watching the teams come out of those locker rooms."

While on the subject of Big Soccer, there was a post a while back about Adrian applying for the job of Port Vale manager. Let's be serious for a moment - Port Vale!!!! Never mention those words in front of any self-respecting Stoke City fan. Adrian did not apply for the job, it was a figment of Port Vale's imagination!

I had a quick chat with Adrian this morning - he was up in Carolina for the Final Four. He thought there were some very promising players there and he had a great deal of sympathy for Akron who were 23 games undefeated and then fell to Virginia on penalties in the final in front of 5,679 fans.

Congratulations to Nick Noble for securing a contract at Swedish Superettan club Ljungskile SK - we wish him the very best.

Kay

MLS Cup etc.

2009-11-23T12:53:00.003-06:00

We are back from the USL meetings in Tampa - it was interesting to say the least. It's difficult for me, being on the inside but knowing how much all the fans of the various teams want to know what is going on. I have no intention of adding to the rumours and speculation and will wait until there is something tangible before committing it to print.

It was also an interesting weekend for soccer in general - the MLS Cup was won by the 'underdogs' Real Salt Lake. Despite the presence of Beckham and Donovan (who blasted his penalty kick over the bar) it was Beckerman and his team mates who played with more heart and determination. It was reported that the game was being shown in 123 different countries - great news for the game here in the USA.

Those of you who had Defoe in your Fantasy League team had a stellar weekend - 5 goals in one game in an English Premiership game - quite an achievement. Defoe ties with Andy Cole who scored 5 playing for Manchester United in a 9-0 victory over Luton Town in 1995. That's not the record though - Arsenal's Ted Drake scored all seven goals in a 7-1 win over Aston Villa in 1937. The record for most goals scored in the English FA Cup goes to Ted McDougall - he scored nine goals in an 11-0 win over Margate in 1971.

Alex Tapp and I attended a career fair at Galindo Elementary School this morning. The kids asked some great questions but were most fascinated to hear about the ice baths the players take after training. It was one of those 'don't try this at home kids' moments!

Look out for the Colombia story on the website soon.

Kay

2009-11-16T14:30:00.005-06:00

I don't know if you've been following the MLS Cup but personally, I'm glad to see the so-called 'Cinderella' team, Real Salt Lake making it to the final. Not least because two of their players have pulled on Aztex jerseys this season and done very well for us. On that note, here is THAT goal again! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xpAuGXWIeI We have also supported RSL player Andy Williams in a bone marrow drive - his wife Marcia has a rare form of leukemia. There will no doubt be international interest in the game due to the presence of a certain Galaxy player who was probably glad to miss England's 1-0 defeat to Brazil in Doha. Not digging the haircut by the way.
Catch the game on Sunday November 22nd, 8.30 pm. http://web.mlsnet.com/mls/events/mls_cup/2009/

Phil and Adrian are currently in Colombia - more on that when they return - and they will then travel to Tampa for the USL AGM starting on Thursday. As well as the new owners of the league and USL team delegates, strategic partner Beswicks Sports, a leading European sports management and law firm, is leading a diversified group of foreign organizations who are interested in US soccer. Representatives from Burnley FC, Sheffield Wednesday, Bolton Wanderers and Fulham FC. The diverse group of attendees will also include a Portuguese agent, Tony Araujo and Mexican entrepreneurs Rodrigo Suarez and Eduardo Salamonovitz who are representing a group of Mexican investors who are interested in launching a club with United Soccer Leagues. I'm looking forward to a lively and interesting conference!

Kay

USL news

2009-11-06T09:47:00.005-06:00

The messageboards and blogs have been working overtime in the last week debating and reporting any snippets about the USL and TOA situation. Whilst the meeting in Portland did not address the TOA matter directly, it was a very positive meeting with many new initiatives. Ironically some of them are the very issues the TOA claimed to be at odds with the USL management. I'm not going to speculate on what will happen next - it's too busy here at the office preparing for next season.

We've also been busy decorating the office - we have accumulated quite a few jerseys and scarves over the season and we finally got round to putting them up. We also have an amazing wooden Aztec calendar that has pride of place at the front of the office. Visitors are welcome!

Last night's MLS playoff game between Real Salt Lake and Columbus Crew was full of action and, to be honest, some woeful goalkeeping. It was great to see Jean Alexandre get into the action. He had a great England trip and was indispensable as a translator for Ednerson and Vaniel. Speaking of, Adrian has been on a trip to Haiti (more on the website) and was in a car on the way back from a game when he saw an Aztex sticker in the back of a car - it turned out to be Ednerson!

Phil and Adrian are also taking a side trip to South America on the way to the USL AGM in Tampa on 19th November.

Finally, we welcome Djorn to the office on Monday - he's keen and ready to take up his duties.

Kay

Ups and downs

2009-10-30T12:10:00.009-05:00

The news from cash-strapped Accrington Stanley, whom the Aztex played on their recent visit to the UK, is that they have a stay of execution. They have been given one more week to pay the remainder of their tax debt and avoid being wound up. The problems off the field have coincided with some great results on it - they are currently 14th and on course for their highest league finish since 1968. We met with the fans when we played there, they were friendly and welcoming and passionate and vocal about their team - I hope they make it! http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/4711679.Stanley_goal_getter_is_not_taking_anything_for_granted/

The MLS playoffs got off to an exciting start last night with an action packed game between the Seattle Sounders and the Houston Dynamo ending with a 0-0 scoreline. I know non-soccer fans point to this kind of result and ask 'how can you watch a game with no score'. But the stats at least show part of the story:

Seattle Sounders FC		Houston Dynamo
total shots:	14	(Patrick Ianni 3, Nate Jaqua 3)	9	(Brad Davis 4)
shots on goal:	2	(Nate Jaqua 1, Steve Zakuani 1)	4	(Brad Davis 2)
fouls:	6	(5 tied with 1)	18	(Mike Chabala 4)
offsides:	2	(Nate Jaqua 1, Steve Zakuani 1)	2	(Brian Ching 1, Dominic Oduro 1)
corner kicks:	9	(Freddie Ljungberg 9)	7	(Stuart Holden 4)
saves:	4	(Kasey Keller 4)	2	(Pat Onstad 2)

Misconduct Summary:
SEA -- Fredy Montero (caution; Unsporting Behavior) 16
HOU -- Pat Onstad (caution; Unsporting Behavior) 16
SEA -- Osvaldo Alonso (caution; Reckless Tackle) 64
SEA -- Brad Evans (caution; Tactical Foul) 68
HOU -- Brian Mullan (caution; Unsporting Behavior) 71
HOU -- Mike Chabala (caution; Tactical Foul) 75

The game was played in front of almost 36,000 noisy, passionate fans - full match report here:
http://web.mlsnet.com/mls/events/mls_cup/2009/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091030&content_id=7579462&vkey=mlscup2009&fext=.jsp

Tomorrow, Stoke City take on Wolverhampton Wanderers in a local derby i.e. a distance of around 30 miles, an alien concept here in Austin! Our 'local' rivals this season were Minnesota, a mere 1044 miles away! City's Ricardo Fuller will celebrate his 30th birthday tomorrow - a couple of goals from him would make a great gift!

Have a great weekend!
Kay

Post season blues?

2009-10-27T10:16:00.006-05:00

So the season is finally over - it was great to finish on a high note with the successful UK trip. The guys have been sending me photographs, some of which are on the website and some on our Facebook page. Of course, the work in the office is just beginning all over again - working on what needs to be done at House Park, talking to new and returning sponsors, working on ticket packages, organizing the next soccer camps, dealing with the many requests from non-profits for auction items and replying to the 7 to 10 requests per week from potential players asking about tryouts. I'm always amazed at how many different countries the emails and phone calls come from - Australia, Hong Kong, Spain, UK, France, Chile and lots from the different countries of Africa.

Speaking of Africa, Phil and Gary Mellor (Aztex board member and all round good guy!) traveled to Senegal to see the academy set up in his home town of Kedougou by Stoke City's Salif Diao. He is hoping to help young Senegalese players break into the game without having to go to the extreme lengths he had to - http://www.tribalfootball.com/diao-delighted-stoke-launch-senegal-football-scheme-404041

I spoke briefly with Kieron Bernard yesterday - he is thoroughly enjoying his time training with Stoke City and is staying with City striker Ricardo Fuller. Most of the rest of the players have returned home for some down time with their families except Yordany Alvarez who has made Austin his home.

Quick update on the Heart Walk - despite the fact that it happened whilst most of us were in the UK, we still raised over $1000. Thanks to the folks who made it out there and especially to Sergeant Pepper for completing the whole walk in costume!

Kay

Aztex return to Austin

2009-10-21T09:25:00.003-05:00

The bags are packed, slightly heavier with souvenirs and English candy and the team are on their way home, arriving in Austin around 7 pm this evening. The staff at the Tollgate Hotel are sad to see them go - they have loved having them to stay. Stoke City have requested that Kieron Bernard stays behind to train with them for a week - he has already become friends with fellow Jamaican, Ricky Fuller.

The Aztex finished the tour with a 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday. It was the first taste of wet, chilly weather for the players but they relished the playing surface, including being able to slide tackle! Sheffield fielded a side that included some first team players but the Aztex were on a roll and gave a good account of themselves.

Phil and I return on Thursday - the trip for Phil has involved side trips to both Senegal and Italy, more about that in a future post.

Kay

Aztex see win for sister team, Stoke City

2009-10-17T17:35:00.012-05:00

Well, it's all good news! Firstly, all the guys who went out last night in Manchester all returned home safely. The minibus driver was subjected to songs from all the newbies on the team before deciding to join in with a few numbers of his own, much to the delight of the guys. There were a few other incidents involving transvestites and fake Chicago accents but you don't want to hear about those......!

Today, Saturday, was match day. The players were treated to VIP tickets entitling them to some great seats on the half way line, sandwiches, soup and pies before, during and after the game. They were invited down onto the field just before kick off to be officially introduced and were greeted enthusiastically by the fans. The game ended in a 2-1 victory for Stoke, a great end to the day.

You can see pictures of the game against Accrington Stanley http://matchpics.fotopic.net/c1768644.html

On a side note, I took Alex from Operations and David, U23 General
Manager to a beautiful English town called Shrewsbury for a bit of down time. The town dates from the 5th century and has many beautiful old buildings including a castle, abbey, market place and merchants houses. A river surrounds the town and every shop, business, pub, street corner has hanging baskets of flowers. http://www.shrewsburyguide.info/

A peaceful Sunday awaits before back to training at Stoke City's facilities on Monday, ahead of our final game against Sheffield Wednesday reserves on Tuesday.

Back soon

Kay

Another day, another win!

2009-10-16T04:13:00.003-05:00

The Aztex travelled up the M6 (think I-35, just as painstakingly slow in places!) for their second game in 24 hours. Accrington Stanley are one of the 12 original members of the Football league and therefore have a long history in the game. The stadium is a litte like going back in time but the people are just warm and friendly. We put on a great show, looking more confident and clearly enjoying the playing surface. The fans showed some great British humour when our first goal went in, chanting "USA, USA" and then 'touchdown'!!! They also found it highly amusing that our two Haitian triallists made a kind of scream when they went down from a tackle and proceeded to scream every time they touched the ball afterwards! I spoke with Ednerson and VaVa after the game (in my best school French) and learned that teh coach in Haiti encourages them to do this! Don't think they will be doing it any more in the north of England!

The players have a day off today and then tomorrow, go to the Stoke City v West Ham game, they are very excited, as am I - it's my first live game this season.

Kay

Day 3

2009-10-15T08:27:00.007-05:00

The morning after the night before and a few mixed feelings. It was great to get a win, we had around 600 people come out to watch, the guys loved playing on a grass pitch....but I know a lot of folks were disappointed that it was the Stoke academy who came out to play. On the plus side again, the game was watched by Stoke manager Tony Pulis and his coaching staff plus many talent scouts.

Today, the team were given a tour of the Britannia Stadium and a history lesson too - I plan to test them at the end of the week to see who was listening. Thanks to Jean Alexandre for translating for Ednerson and Vava! The guys learned that Stoke is the second oldest club in the world and one of the original founders of the football league. The trophy cabinet holds a special loving cup that only the 12 founding clubs have in their possession. It is used to toast each new season, filled with champagne of course! The players especially enjoyed going field side and being able to see the beautiful grass up close and sit in the dug outs. The photo is Miguel and Jean practicing for when they get interviewed by Sky Sports News!

Tonight sees the Aztex take on Accrington Stanley, another of the 'Founding Fathers' who find themselves in financial difficulties - let's hope for a good turnout.

Go Aztex!

Kay

Aztex on tour!

2009-10-13T09:56:00.007-05:00

The team and coaches arrived safely in England this morning - blue skies, sun and beautiful autumn colours. After settling in at their hotel, the players reported for practice at 2.30 pm over at Stoke City's training facilities. Tony Pulis and Peter Reid, Stoke City's Head Coach and assistant, were there to watch the Aztex go through their paces There has been quite a bit of media attention from local radio, newspapers, the Stoke City website and also Sky Sports news.

In case you were wondering, the players who made the trip are:
Miguel Gallardo
Nick Noble
Kevin Sakuda
Kieron Bernard
Salif Diao
Sullivan Silva
Mike Callahan
Ryan McMahen
Jarius Holmes
Michael Dello-Russo
Jamie Watson
Jean Alexandre
Ednerson Rayman
Vaniel Sirin
Tynan Diaz
Nicky Paterson
Eddie Johnson
Gareth Evans
All the coaches are here - Adrian, Bobby, David plus Sheila the trainer and Alex Wolf from Operations - a merry band!

You will have seen that Stoke are broadcasting the game tomorrow, 1 pm your time so take your earphones to work and have a sneaky listen! Match report will follow plus I'll try and get some decent photos.

Kay

All quiet on the Aztex front!

2009-10-09T23:15:00.007-05:00

Apologies for the lack of blogging lately, it's the old " Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it." !! Anyway, we are off to the UK on Monday so I will try and be that 'Somebody' and let you know how the trip is going, the players reactions to Stoke, line-ups for games and photos. I can tell you now that the players are very excited to be getting the opportunity to travel to England and play the likes of Stoke City. We play 3 very different teams in very different circumstances - great experience for the guys. The weather today was a good taste of what may be in store - we've told them to pack warm clothes and rain jackets.

Our daughter, Nikki, is at university in Sheffield so she is gathering her troops in support of the Aztex, making banners etc, to welcome them. She has attended 5 or 6 games over here in Austin so she's a true fan! We are looking forward to taking the Aztex team to their first Stoke City game - Can't wait to see their reaction to the spectacle and sound of what has become known as 'the Bear Pit' due to the amazing noise the fans make throughout the game.

So, I promise to blog during the whole of the trip - we will be back in Austin on 22nd October.

Kay

USL-1 in Review: Impact 0-0 Rhinos

2009-07-16T11:30:00.000-05:00

Montreal and Rochester played to a scoreless draw Wednesday night, making the Impact tied with seventh-place Vancouver for points. Montreal is still out of the playoffs due to goal differential.

An off-field altercation took place just before half. Montreal coach Marc Dos Santos and Rochester midfielder Tiger Fitzpatrick got into a dust up during a throw in on the sideline. Both teams described it differently.

rhinosoccer.com:

Four minutes before half-time, Montreal Coach Marc Dos Santos was ejected from the game for an apparent altercation with Rochester midfielder Tiger Fitzpatrick.

montrealimpact.com

Impact head coach Marc Dos Santos was ejected from the game in the 42nd minute, after making a friendly contact with Rhinos midfielder Tiger Fitzpatrick, who was attempting to complete a throw-in.

At least it didn't escalate Mexico-Panama style.

Austin is now three points behind both Montreal and Vancouver for the seventh spot.

Aztex Coach's Show with Adrian Heath

2009-07-16T11:01:00.002-05:00

Austin head coach Adrian Heath sat down with AM 1300 the Zone Wednesday for this week's Aztex Coach's Show.

Good times at the Aztex camp....

2009-06-11T20:52:00.006-05:00

This weekend is our first two game road trip, with the game in Puerto Rico being nationally televised on Fox Soccer Channel so today, our guys headed out to the airport.
Well, almost.....
Due to the awesome weather in Dallas our guys were left stuck at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. What originally started out as a one to two hour wait evolved into a whole day waiting game.

The day went something like this…

What do you mean DFW is shut down? What do mean you’re going to miss your connecting flight? No, everyone needs to hang tight. Let me make some calls. Ok, we can take a bus to Dallas. Then catch a flight to Cleveland. No, No, it’s full. How about we send them to Atlanta? That won’t work since only two can get a seat. Wow! Everyone else is booking flights too. Why not go to Florida and make our way to Puerto Rico? Everyone else already thought of that and everything’s booked. How about we take a bus to Houston (leaves at 8:50 pm); no let’s rent five cars and catch a flight to Newark (Arrives at 1:24am) then take a shuttle to JFK. Once we are at JFK we can catch a little sleep in the terminal before we board our flight to Puerto Rico at 6:55am. No wait you might be able to get a flight in Houston that is direct to Puerto Rico. It leaves at 11:59pm. Ok, let’s hope this works. As a backup we might be able to catch one of two direct flights to Puerto Rico from DFW tomorrow morning (6:00am or 7:00am). Wait, Wait, Wait, Wait, Wait, Wait….. Please give me the Houston Flight at 11:59pm to Puerto Rico.

And the phone rings!!!!

I am sorry Mr. Wolf but we were not able to upgrade the 11:59pm flight to a bigger plane. The two options in Dallas are also a no go. Your only option to make it to Puerto Rico in time to rest a little and play on national television is the 8:50pm flight to Newark. Thinking…. Is a nationally televised game really worth it? Is there another way? We’ll let’s go for it this time and see what happens. The team is really going to love me.

Making the call to coach…
Hey Adrian, Yeah you guys are going to need to rent the cars and book it to Houston. They’ll delay the flight for up to 30 minutes. No I am not kidding. I don’t know why this country is so big. I’m really sorry but it is the only option. Ok, keep me posted.
I think he took that well.

To be continued…

0 - 4 : 4 - 0

2009-05-23T10:23:00.006-05:00

Thank you to the Aztex U23 team for restoring a little balance! We were back at our 'ancestral' home last night to take on the El Paso Patriots at Dragon Stadium. It was great to see our young team, some familiar faces and Coach Suhnholz jumping up from the bench with his usual excitability! Goals from Leone Cruz (2)Andres Cuero and Kendell McFayden gave the fans plenty to cheer about. Thanks to River City Rangers for providing not only the half time entertainment but also some excellent ball managers.

Phil is back after a trip to Stoke City - a board meeting, the final home game and the Player Awards Night. He also delivered some Aztex jerseys to sell in the club shop. There were a couple of Stoke City fans wearing Aztex jerseys to the game against Wigan!

There has been a lot of talk and speculation about the visa situation for some of the players - the work permit process was started as soon as the players signed, it's just very drawn out and incredibly frustrating for us and the players. The good news is all the players now have their work permits approved, we are now waiting on US Embassy appointments for a couple of them to get their passports stamped. Don't you just love bureaucracy!

Tomorrow evening (6.00pm) sees us take on league leaders the Carolina Railhawks - hope to see everyone out there again making lots of noise!

Kay

Our time has come

2009-05-04T21:13:00.008-05:00

One of my favorite sayings is "Nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come". I have used the quote on numerous occasions, including the initial Austin Aztex press conference, but the saying has never been more true than this coming Friday!

As you know on Friday, May 8th the Aztex take on the Puerto Rico Islanders at Nelson Field. The game is going to be important to us for several reasons. It will give us the biggest test of the season so far, as I believe Puerto Rico have the quality to be near the top of the Division come the end of the season in September.

But Friday will be most important because it gives you, the Austin soccer fans, a unique platform. Friday's game will be shown "live" across the nation on Fox Soccer Channel (FSC). Around the country everyone knows that Texas is American Football country, what they don't know is that Austin is a hotbed for that other football.....soccer! They don't know we have over 30,000 kids playing the game, that we have over 9,000 adults playing every week, that we have the beginnings of a great football club in the Aztex and that we have a passionate and vocal fan base. Friday is your chance to show the whole country the passion Austin has for the beautiful game.

Bring a friend with you so the stands are full for the cameras. Come early, wear red and shout loud, because our time has come!!

Phil

Whew!

2009-04-28T09:14:00.002-05:00

As Kay noted in her last blog post, it's been a "little" hectic around Aztex headquarters. If playing four home exhibitions before the season wasn't enough, our first week of the regular season featured three games. What a way to start as an expansion franchise! Trial by fire I guess.

While the pre-season and that first week of the season were a bit taxing, they were incredibly rewarding as well. It was absolutely amazing to see the great turnouts at the games, which really validated what we all believed from the start--Austin loves its soccer.

Many of you have said as much. We've heard from countless fans including many who made it out to their first professional soccer match, what a great experience it is for the entire family.

It's hard to describe how gratifying it is to hear so much positive feedback.

The other thing we've heard from many fans is how impressed they are with the level of play. Personally, I have been preaching for months to whoever would listen -- media, potential sponsors, friends and family -- that the USL, and our team specifically, can hang with any MLS squad. I think the results from the pre-season beared that out.

Adrian has done an outstanding job of assembling both local and international talent that works well as a unit. Behind the scenes we saw and heard how things were going, and now everyone else is in on the secret. With all due respect to the PGA, "These guys are good."

What's even better, this is just the beginning. There's much more where that came from.

It should be an exciting season. Look forward to seeing you guys out at The Nelson.

Go Aztex!

Kyle

Apologies.....

2009-04-15T07:57:00.008-05:00

......for it being so long since our last post. My only excuse is that there has been quite a lot going on both in and out of the office. It's hard to believe the opening game is actually here, but it's so exciting. I hear and see it every day with staff, players, coaches and of course, the fans.

I'll just share a few of the fun experiences we've had in the last few weeks - one of them was at Covington Middle School. We are working with Austin ISD to help improve the cardio vascular fitness of the middle school kids and so our players have been going out and taking PE sessions, showing the kids soccer drills. The coach called me the day before the guys were due to go out and explained that the principal had called a pep rally, was that ok. Needless to say, the opportunity to spread the word about the Aztex to the whole school was too good to miss. Up steps Ron Dennie, our Youth Club Liaison & Camps Director and David Sias, our Californian defender. They had the school hall rocking, shouting for the Aztex, diving for the freebies they were throwing out into the crowd! They came back elated and feeling a bit like rock stars!

We had the pleasure of welcoming the Founder members to a meet the players event, the highlight of which was the chalk talk from Adrian and Bobby - it all makes such perfect sense now :)

The players will be at Cuatro's this evening and we'd love to see you there. Then we have a Youth Club night on Friday before we even get started on the game activities. Can't wait for you to meet the mascot!

Finally, this has all been made even more wonderful for me personally because my daughter Nikki and her boyfriend Rich are visiting from the UK along with our director Gary and his wife plus another 8 'Stokies' here to cheer on the Aztex - what's 5000 miles between friends!

See you on Saturday!

Kay

On reflection....

2009-03-24T14:10:00.003-05:00

With our MLS season finally over with a record of 1-1-2, I think we can look back with a great deal of satisfaction. Considering we have been together 4 weeks and played the reigning champions, the champions of the 2 previous years, and a 3 time finalist I think we did more than hold our own and can look forward to the coming season with a great deal of optimism. I have seen a gradual improvement in the team and know there is a lot more to come as they get to know each other better, and gain more experience of playing at this level.

With the squad nearing completion Bobby (my assistant) and I are looking forward to developing a system of play that will be pleasing on the eye and, more importantly, produce attacking winning football.

I have been really pleased with some of our younger players who have at times excited the crowd and impressed their more experienced colleagues with their potential.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody that has attended our games, in weather that could have been kinder to us, for your terrific support, especially the guys in the bands who have made a great noise, something the players absolutely love.

Finally, I would like to congratulate all of our staff and interns at the Aztex office, and the volunteers in the Aztex Army, who without a great deal of experience at this level have adapted incredibly well in such a short period of time.

See you on Friday April 3rd at 7.30 pm for what should be an exciting game against the Puerto Rico Islanders as they prepare for their CONCACAF Champions League semi-final second leg game against Cruz Azul.

Adrian

Real Salt Lake radio broadcast

2009-03-19T19:42:00.002-05:00

Hello Everyone.

Wow! What a fun and exciting three weeks we've had. It was a rough start against the Revolution, but the boys followed that up with great strides the following two weeks against the Dynamo and last week's 1-0 win over the Columbus Crew. Now it's time to take the show on the road. For those of you who are interested, the game will be available online. You can find it at - http://www.kall700sports.com/. Click on the "Listen Live" link. The folks at Real Salt Lake tell us it will be a traditional play-by-play broadcast, with some live interviews and "infomercial" elements thrown in there as well. It's all part of the pre-season broadcast. Enjoy the game and we hope to see everyone back out at The Nelson next Friday, April 3 against the Puerto Rico Islanders!

Kyle Dalton

Houston Dynamo Preview

2009-03-04T21:42:00.003-06:00

Hi All!

Just wanted to let everyone know that Adrian and Kyle Brown will be on The Zone tomorrow with Jon and Ahmad around 9am in the morning. They'll discuss what's happened in training over the last few weeks, the New England exhibition, and of course, this weekend's exhibition against the Dynamo.

Kyle

It's Finally Here

2009-03-03T13:02:00.003-06:00

Well, here we are at last, pre-season - the time where players who have overindulged over the last few months wake up every morning in a cold sweat. I’ve known players who wake up at 5 in the morning, sit in the sauna for four hours with the hope of losing a few pounds before the morning weigh-in. Fortunately, most of today's players realize the importance of staying in shape, so watching players doubled over sick on the side of the pitch is more a thing of the past.

The players have been arriving from all over the world in the past couple weeks. I hope they all realize how lucky they are to be getting paid to play this incredible game. I was 25 before I realized how fortunate I was.

We have some interesting signings to announce over the coming weeks that we believe will make a big contribution to what we are trying to achieve over the coming seasons. I will talk more about them in the coming months.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our supporters who came out to support us last Saturday on what turned out to be the coldest, windiest day since I arrived here in Austin. My mother, who arrived from England for the game, told me she never realized Austin was a suburb of Siberia. I think she will be thawed out for the game against the Dynamo on Saturday.

To be honest, I thought we started both halves very poorly, but got better as the game went on. To be fair to both teams, a strong wind is the one element that normally gets the better of the game and I think that happened on Saturday.
We played all 22 players that are in camp to give them an opportunity to impress and we will make decisions on their futures over the coming weeks.

We have a new group of players trying out this week, so expect to see a few new faces on Saturday. We are training twice a day at the moment and I have to say the players’ attitude to our difficult training program has been magnificent. The fitness levels are rising and I think you will see a sharper looking team this weekend against the Dynamo.

See you Saturday and don’t forget the sunscreen!

Adrian

New Website

2009-03-03T08:50:00.002-06:00

Hello all!

Just wanted to give everyone a quick update and let you know that the website will be down for most of today, March 3. That's because we're switching our new website to a new server. That's right - new website. Tomorrow you should see a NEW and IMPROVED Austin Aztex website that we believe is much more user-friendly and interactive.

Thanks for your patience!

Kyle

Thanks to Everyone

2009-03-01T15:00:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who came out and braved the VERY cold and windy conditions last night. I was delighted to see so many of you there given the awful weather.

For a first outing at our new home I thought the majority of things went very well. Last night was the first time that many of our volunteers had seen the stadium, let alone worked it. There are areas we need to improve but we now where and what they are and we will be sitting down tomorrow morning to conduct a thorough review of all our game day operations from Saturday. That said, I have to pay a special tribute to Alex Wolf and his operations team who worked 18 hour days for the whole of last week getting everything ready.... you guys were amazing, THANK YOU.

We won't be satisfied until everything is running smoothly but I don't think that will take us too long given the lessons learned from Saturday. On that note, I would encourage any of you that have constructive feedback or suggestions about the operations to get in touch with us, either by responding to this blog or emailing me directly. It's only by knowing what worked and didn't work for you that we can improve.

Also spare a thought for the players from both sides who struggled through the conditions. I spoke to several of them right after the final whistle and they were "literally" freezing!!! The gusting wind helped neither team to settle or play good football. Let's hope for more favorable weather this weekend against Houston.

Last but not least, thanks to the boys from East Austin Soccer Club who were our youth club of the night. And to the players and families from Forza FC who tailgated out on the parking lot before kick-off. As I drove up to Nelson Field it was great to see such a large crowd of the Forza folks already there enjoying BBQ and music before the kick-off. I hope we can make this a regular feature of game day as the weather warms-up!!

More air time....

2009-02-19T11:07:00.004-06:00

Just a really quick note to say that Phil will be on the radio with JB and Sandy tomorrow morning (Friday 20th) at 8.30 am on Mix 94.7 FM. We are running a number of promotions with radio stations over the next few weeks including a competition on The Zone (1300 AM) to win a trip to England to see English Premiership action up close and personal.

We've had lots of very positive feedback about the commercial - haven't had chance to catch it myself yet! The billboard is up and the stadium is being 'wrapped' as I write.

We are still looking for National Anthem singers so if you know anyone, please ask them to contact us.

9 days to go.........!!

Kay

Youth clubs

2009-02-17T12:41:00.004-06:00

Does your youth soccer club want to affiliate with Austin Aztex?

That is the question I have recently asked more than 25 youth clubs throughout Austin and Central Texas. As part of our mission to grow the game of soccer throughout the community, the Austin Aztex FC is actively looking to find area youth soccer clubs to join forces with and share soccer resources. The youth clubs that choose to align with the Aztex will gain special access to our players for promotional events and training sessions. Additionally, each affiliate youth club will get to host their own youth club night at an Aztex home game this season. During each club’s night at the game, youth players will get the chance to participate in a variety of pre-game and post-game activities with Aztex players. The club will also be featured during that evening’s halftime activities.

Finally, there is another huge benefit to becoming an Aztex youth club affiliate as all member clubs will enjoy specially discounted ticket packages to Aztex home games. These ticket packages will not be made available to the general public. This is our way of helping young players catch a glimpse of more live professional soccer, which in turn will help the overall soccer developmental process. We want to do our part to help make this happen.

We already have 10 clubs signed up - does your youth soccer club want to join? If so, please contact me before March 13 to reserve your spot in our growing lineup of youth club affiliate members.

Ron

On the Air

2009-02-05T07:03:00.003-06:00

As most of you have noticed, the Aztex brand has become more prominent in recent months. Whether it's our weekly mention by Mr. Barbaro at the Chronicle or stories in the Statesman, our coverage has increased as we've made more and more announcements. Starting today, and really picking up next week, it will increase dramatically. This morning Phil and Adrian will be at The Zone studios for a sit-down interview with the morning guys. Make sure to listen at www.sportsradio1300.com around 9:15. Then, on Monday, our commercial will be aired across a variety of stations on Time Warner. We shot it last week and we're hoping it's eye-catching. Think along the lines of follow the bouncing ball. Oh yeah, almost forgot, we'll have a billboard going up next week as well on I-35 heading south, just south of Parmer Lane.

And remember, this is just the beginning. There will be much more of the Aztex brand to come as we approach our first exhibition game against the Revolution.

Kyle

Players and Tryouts

2009-02-04T23:32:00.002-06:00

It's been my real pleasure this week to sign two of our '08 U23 players to professional contracts. Wes Allen and AJ Godbolt both took the chance to shine in the U23's and to show Adrian what they could do. So, it was really rewarding for me to sit down with each of them this week and agree their pro contracts.

It's particularly pleasing because this is what the Aztex is all about, giving local kids the opportunity to prove themselves and play soccer at the highest level. I hope this is just the first of many such local signings we will make in the coming months and years.

Both players are quite different. Wes is Mr. Dependable, a player who goes about the execution of his job quietly and efficiently, someone that it is easy for the fans to overlook but a player that coaches love!
AJ on the other hand is the play-maker, the kind of talent that can unlock a defense or make a killer pass. AJ has played at the highest level before and wants that chance again, he has something to prove.....watch out USL-1 defenses!!

With the USL-1 tryouts approaching fast I find myself thinking about how many Wes' s and AJ's we might have in Austin this weekend. Let's hope there are a few. At the U23 tryouts last year we recruited no less than six players that we hadn't seen before, including Wes Allen! Let's hope there are more "gems" out there for Adrian and the Coaches to discover. Please come out and join us at St. Eds this weekend and see if you can spot the next AJ Godbolt, it will be great to see y'all out there.

Phil

Happy Birthday to us!

2009-01-23T18:10:00.003-06:00

Hard to believe but a whole year has gone by since we first announced the Austin Aztex at a press conference. I think it's fair to say we have, so far, exceeded people's initial expectations of us and we hope to continue that trend.
Sorry there hasn't been much blogging this past week but it's been a little hectic. So glad to be able to release the schedule, now we can really move forward. I know some people were waiting to buy their season tickets until they saw what the schedule looked like. I also know everyone is dying to hear about new signings - be patient, I have every confidence Adrian will come up with the goods.
We were out at Nelson Field today looking at what needs to be done along with a concessions company and someone who wants to sponsor the Founders Club. There is a patio area where Founders will be treated to food and drink (no alcohol sadly!) before the game and at half time.
We're installing a new phone system over the next week so please be patient if you experience problems getting through to the office.

Kay

News from the ticket front

2009-01-14T13:30:00.001-06:00

By way of introduction, my name is John Hoelscher and I’ve recently joined the Aztex as Ticket Sales Supervisor. One month on the job….and what a month it’s been!

Having been a sports fan all my life, it’s an exciting opportunity to represent a new and dynamic entertainment option in the Austin area. During my short stint with the team, I’ve had the chance to speak with many Aztex fans (both new and returning) and the overall impression I’ve gotten is that supporters of the Aztex are diehard lovers of “the beautiful game”……and needless to say, their enthusiasm is contagious.

Our ticketing efforts are in full swing and we look forward to offering a fun-filled, exciting campaign through 2009 and beyond. We’ve developed ticket packages to meet the needs of fans at any level. If interested in finding out more about the various packages that the Aztex will be offering for 2009, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me for information. I’m here to help!

I look forward to meeting everyone as we begin play at Nelson Field in 2009!

John Hoelscher

Let the signings begin...

2009-01-08T16:53:00.001-06:00

With the waist line finally recovering from my first Christmas and New Year in Texas it was back to work with a bang. The arrival of 20 players from all over the country trying to convince us that they were worth a contract for our first ever season here in Austin. Professional players, college players, some of last season’s PDL squad ensured that we had a really competitive and worthwhile weekend.

I will be leaving for California this weekend for more try outs and then on to Ft Lauderdale for the MLS combine , finishing off in St Louis for the MLS draft. I have to say I am really looking forward to the draft, being an American sports fan living in England this is something that I’ve heard a lot about and now I can see for myself what all the fuss is about. I will have my own list of players that I have watched carefully over the last year, so it will be interesting to see if they go high, or at all in the draft.

Last, but, by no means least, I can’t tell you how pleased I am that we have finally got our man in signing Gifton Noel-Williams. I have watched him grow from a young boy at Watford to an experienced professional player. If you look at the clubs he’s played for in England and Spain he will clearly be a huge asset to us in the upcoming season. I hope by the time next I write for you he will be the first of many.

Cheers

Adrian Heath

Back to work

2009-01-06T10:43:00.006-06:00

After a busy Christmas and New Year, it's back to work in the Aztex office. Phil and I had a quick trip to the UK, saw two Stoke City games, including the bizarre game against West Ham. Let's hope we can get back on track quickly, there's not a huge point difference at our end of the table.

The first ever Aztex camps were a great success - the kids really enjoyed learning from and playing with the Aztex players.The 'goodie pack' included an Aztex stadium scarf which proved an instant hit.

We are still awaiting confirmation from the USL to be able to release this season's schedule - I'm sure you are as frustrated as we are. We even have t-shirts ready to sell but as they have the schedule on the back, we have to wait.

The tryouts in California have attracted over 45 players, including some from Europe and Asia - Adrian and the coaches are looking forward to seeing what's on offer. We also recently invited some players here to Austin that Adrian had either seen play elsewhere or who had been recommended to him. They stayed for the weekend so we were able to have an opportunity to see them train and play together.

We are signing up our Founders members and season tickets are now available for purchase by contacting our office and speaking to John (335 8881 Ext: 7#) They will soon also be available online.
We'll also be starting our search for volunteers for both the Pro and PDL teams - details will be on the website.

Kay Rawlins

Things are picking up...

2008-12-19T14:01:00.000-06:00

Things are picking up in the Aztex office. Right now I am listening to the Red Hot Chilli Peppers/Foo Fighters and working on the player registration process, game day operations, launching our ticketing system and finalizing the details on our USL-1 open tryouts. In case you haven’t heard, our first tryout will be held in Ventura County California on January 10-11th 2009. Our second tryout will be held in Austin Texas on February 7-8th 2009. For further information please go to www.austinaztex.com and click on the USL-1 Tryout Link.

In 2009 I will be working with The University of Texas’s Sport Management Department on several projects. A lot of it will revolve around our future stadium plans and research on the soccer culture in the Austin area. I know this will evolve into a great relationship. We just need to take it slow to make sure we build a strong foundation. I will also be spending some time with the Houston Dynamo’s Director of Operations. This will be a great way for me to compare game day plans, pick his brain on some things and learn from past mistakes. Plus it won’t be bad to be there while they are hosting part of the InterLiga 2009.

The InterLiga 2009 will determine two Mexican club berths for Copa Libertadores known as "Mexico 2" and "Mexico 3". The other spot known as "Mexico 1" has been awarded to San Luis de Potosi due to the club's finish as SuperLider of the Mexican Torneo de Apertura 2008, or the regular season champions of the current Mexican season.

Group A - Toluca, UAG, Morelia, Pachuca
Group B - Tigres UANL, CD Guadalajara, Atlas, América

I hope all of you have a happy holidays and a happy new year!

Alex Wolf

Busy weekend...

2008-12-12T11:36:00.002-06:00

It's quiet here in the office today - Phil and Adrian have gone to join Wolfgang and Bobby in Dallas for the 2008 NCAA Men's College Cup. There should be a good show of talent including Aztex alumni Austin da Luz playing for the defending champions, Wake Forest. The games are being televised on ESPN2. From there, Adrian will travel to Charleston for the USL Men's Player Showcase hosted by the Battery. From the USL website: "This year’s edition of the USL Men’s Player Showcase drew more than 250 applicants from an elite pool of collegiate and international talent. As with previous showcase events, the majority of selected players are drawn from USL’s Premier Development League with 68 of the 90 players having PDL experience.'

Back here in Austin, Ron Dennie and some of the Aztex PDL players will be making an appearance at the 3x3 Live Soccer tournament at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock tomorrow (12/13) See the website for details.

We are busy putting the final details together for the season ticket packages and we hope to have some t-shirts with the new logo for sale in both Soccer USA stores next week - just in time for Christmas!

Lastly, I just wanted to publicly thank Sarah Hawkins of Concordia University, one of our interns, for all her hard work these past months - we'll miss her!

Kay

Notes from the Coach

2008-12-09T12:09:00.004-06:00

Well… it has been 9 months, 1 week, and 5 days since it was announced that I agreed to become the first-ever head coach of the Austin Aztex. What have I been doing since I arrived in the States, you might ask? Well, I have traveled the length and breadth of your beautiful country—north to south, east to west. “I’ve been everywhere, man.” I have watched youth football, college football, pro football, playoffs, showcases, combines, all in the pursuit of players to try and make our first season in pro football a great success.

As you are probably aware, last week we signed Kieron Bernard, making him our second signing after goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo. Two down, 25 to go! I can assure you all, Phil and I are extremely busy talking and negotiating with agents, college coaches and players to fill our roster with quality and motivated players.

With the USL and MLS seasons now done, it seems quite strange that we are just starting to get down to what I call “proper management,” signing players, organizing tryouts, travel arrangements, hotels, training ground equipment etc. You name it, we’re doing it! As you can see, we are extremely busy here but I could not be happier. This is what I do as a “proper job.” Last week we finally answered the question I have been asked most since I arrived, “Where are you going to play?” The answer is Nelson Field. We tried for House Park but unfortunately the locker rooms are being rebuilt and will not be ready until our 2009 season is well under way.

Adrian Heath

A smooth transition...

2008-12-04T09:55:00.007-06:00

Since joining the Austin Aztex in a full time role as their Camp Director and Youth Club Liaison this past August, my daily routine has changed dramatically.

Before as a local youth club coach, I was in the home office throughout the day and at the fields every night and weekend. These days I'm a bona fide nine t0 fiver battling the Austin traffic! Instead of meeting nightly with the kids teaching them soccer skills, I'm now spending my days meeting with local youth club officials and coaches in an effort to build working relationships within our community.

Honestly, it has been a smooth transition and that is very much down to all the local club officials and coaches that have gone out of their way to set aside time out of their busy schedule to meet with me and the Austin Aztex. Yes, pro soccer has arrived in Austin and it is here for everyone to enjoy. I'm looking forward to continuing to have dialogue with all the youth clubs as we work together to grow the beautiful game in our community.

Finally, Aztex Soccer Camps begin this Holiday season. Our first camp will run December 22, 23, 24 out at the WAYA fields off Cesar Chavez near Town Lake, while the second camp will run December 29, 30, 31 out at The Quarries of Hyde Park Baptist Church off the Mopac turnaround just north of Braker Lane. Both camps will run from 8:30-Noon and all campers will receive first-class instruction from professional Aztex players and camp staff, a soccer ball, camp t-shirt, and stadium scarf.

Ron Dennie

New website, new partnership, and Tony Pulis

2008-12-02T12:33:00.023-06:00

Hello everyone!

Just wanted to give you all a quick update about what's been going on in the Aztex offices. As many of you have noticed, we updated our web site yesterday. We're all very pleased with the new look. This will allow us to keep a much tidier website and hopefully it will be much easier for you to navigate. We're still tweaking it so bear with us and check back often for updates and the latest information on the Aztex!

Speaking of latest information, yesterday, in conjunction with our website relaunch, we announced our new partnership with Rayados from Club de Futbol Monterrey. This partnership will be very similar to our relationship with Stoke City in that we will serve as a feeder club for Monterrey. In addition, both teams will share players, best practices, as well as play exhibition games.

And speaking of Stoke, hope everyone had a chance to see Stoke City Manager Tony Pulis last night on Fox Football Fone-In on Fox Soccer Channel. Pulis, who pulled a latenighter (1 am UK time), was interviewed by the two show hosts and actually answered viewer questions for more than a half hour on the show. It was a great interview. We are currently trying to get a copy of the interview to post on our web site.

Kyle Dalton

2008-11-28T11:28:00.003-06:00

Hope everyone had a happy and peaceful Thanksgiving - we had Head Coach Adrian Heath and his family at our house for lunch. It's a holiday we wholeheartedly embrace - we all have something to give thanks for and it's great to spend time with family and friends.

We also wanted to wish two of our Aztex players from this season, Andy Taylor and Chris Spendlove the very best of luck tomorrow in the NAIA Championships in Fresno, California. Go OCU!! One of the interns at the Aztex office, Jordan Hills, has been updating the website each week with news of this season's players - we love hearing how well they are doing.

We have also been active in the community, making appearances at soccer and golf tournaments, and going out to schools and youth clubs. I'm very proud of the way the players have responded to requests to be available, although the free lunch at County Line for one event didn't hurt!

We are currently seeking entries for our mascot design competition so if you have any youngsters that are interested in participating, let me know.

Look for lots more entries, the whole back office team will be blogging soon!

Kay

USL League Meeting

2008-11-26T09:00:00.003-06:00

The Aztex Front Office team have just returned from a long weekend trip to Tampa for the USL annual meeting. The meeting was very successful and gave us all a chance to connect with fellow USL colleagues and to forge new relationships. I am always pleasantly surprised by the amount of genuine cooperation that goes on between "competing teams" off the field, where people are only too happy to offer advice and tips.

The climax of the weekend is always the compilation of the new season's schedule. It took several hours to complete but I am delighted to say that we have a schedule that I am sure all our fans will be pleased with. We cannot publish the schedule just yet but should have permission from the League to release all the details in the next couple of weeks. What I can tell you is that we kick-off the new season at home and will feature on Fox Soccer Channel a minimum of 4 times during the summer! Full details as soon as we have permission to publish them will be found on our website.

Talking of websites, expect to see a new "all-singing, all-dancing" Aztex website unveiled in the coming weeks. We have taken the time to incorporate our new logo/badge and update a few things. We hope you like it.

Finally, we hope to announce our new home for 2009 after the Thanksgiving holidays and to have Season Tickets on sale before Christmas.....they will make a great Christmas present for someone you love : )

Phil

4 out of 6

2008-05-11T21:16:00.002-05:00

This week has been a great week in so many ways. Just eight days ago I was in Stoke to watch them win the point they needed to move up to the Premier League. It has been 23 years since Stoke last played at the top level of English football. It's been a long wait but on Sunday it was all worth waiting for!!!

The celebrations went on well into the night and I was starting to regret the fact we had booked an early morning flight home the next day. However, we needed to come home, as there was lots to do if we were to be ready for the Aztex home opening game on Saturday. Once back in Austin the week was pretty much a blur, concession vendors came and went, programs needed printing, tickets needed collating and distributing, volunteers needed contacting but somehow it all came together on Saturday evening against the Leones.

It's early but not too early to put ourselves through a self-analytical report card, feedback and reflection are an important part of improvement. I have to say that right now I would give us 4 out of 6 as an organization both on and off the field.

4 out of 6 reflects our current points total, with a win and a tie in our first two games, we are top of the Division and must be pleased with how we have started our first campaign. The players and coaches have done a great job, settling into a new team isn't easy and they have performed well. Yet they know and feel there is more to come. The roster is starting to gel, the teamwork is beginning to flow, the understanding is starting to develop. As the College year wraps up we are still waiting on a couple of players to join us. All of this bodes well for the future.....there is more to come!

We had a successful first home game on Saturday and were delighted to see a crowd of almost 1,500 enjoy the game. Most of our planning and hard work paid off but there is still much more we can do to improve our performance off the field. We have received lots of compliments and we really appreciate them and also some constructive feedback. Behind the scenes we know we have lots more we can improve on. So, off the field, while we don't have a points total to rely on to give us feedback, 4 out of 6 feels about right.

Thanks to all of you who came out to support us, spread the word, tell your friends and bring them out to our game next Saturday. It promises to be another exciting game against local rivals from Dallas. Come out to Dragon Stadium, support your Austin Aztex and make some noise!!!

Coaching Team

2008-02-27T00:09:00.011-06:00

It feels really good this week to have announced both our Head Coach and U 23 Coach. I am delighted we have been able to secure the services of two such experienced and capable guys as Adrian and Wolfgang. My goal from the outset has been to put together a coaching team that complemented each other and give the Aztex diverse expertise and reach. I think we have more than accomplished this with our two recruits.

Adrian has a first-class playing background in Europe and deep experience in coaching in both the English Premiership & Championship. He also has a network of contacts in both the UK and in Europe which will be invaluable to us as we further develop our links with European clubs. He has a great eye for a player and a record of developing young players, both of which will be important to us in the first few years. The one area he will need most help is in building his knowledge of US soccer. But Adrian is an avid student of the game and will have time over the next 12 months to learn the strengths of the US game and develop his own network of contacts.

To assist Adrian in both these areas we now have Wolfgang on the coaching team. He is a Coach that needs no introduction to most soccer people either in Austin or nationally. He has a tremendous track record across all age levels, right up to the National Team. It goes without saying that Wolfgang also brings the ultimate soccer Rolodex with him - his contacts and knowledge of the game will be invaluable to Adrian.

The U 23 tryouts look like being extremely busy! We have players registered from as far afield as Africa and Europe and expect a really high quality turn out.

Along side our coaching appointments I have been working around the clock on securing a stadium for us. I have now reviewed and met with organizations representing more than 16 stadium alternatives. Many of the options are not available in '08 due to scheduling conflicts, field reconstruction or policy issues but I am determined to find us the very best option. That means a stadium we can call home for the whole season, that has a good location and is the right size for us to create a good atmosphere. We have a couple of great options and I am confident that in the next few days/week we will have good news to share. I am sure we won't please everyone but then again who can?

Finally, thanks for all your continuing encouragement and support, our fan club now stands at over 100, the Founders Club is over 25% taken and I continue to get dozens of emails and positive feedback from y'all.

Phil

Busy Times

2008-02-19T07:45:00.000-06:00

Since the launch of the Aztex in late January times have been busy in the Rawlins household!

The response to our announcement bringing professional soccer to Austin has been phenomenal. We have been deluged with emails of support, offers of help, job applications etc, etc. And I am extremely grateful for all the support we have received.

Aside from answering everyones emails the big jobs on the agenda have been to secure a stadium, hire our coaching team and secure a couple of major sponsors. I will share more on the stadium and sponsorship fronts in the next few days, for today I would like to focus on the coaching team.

When we launched I had a view that we could utilize the Head Coach in 2008 as the Coach of the U23 team and said as much. However, after interviewing candidates and listening to experienced people around me I decided we should modify the plan and appoint BOTH a Head Coach and a dedicated U23 coaching team.

So, on Thursday of this week we will announce the first ever Austin Aztex Head Coach. I am over the moon about his appointment, I think it will be obvious that we have attracted a very well qualified and talented guy to lead us on the field. His experience and contacts will be invaluable to us, as will his infectious enthusiasm for the game. He has great eye for spotting talent and for developing young players.

His first and major task in '08 will be to scout and recruit the players we need for our '09 roster. Freeing him up to do that is one of the primary reasons we have also appointed a dedicated U23 coaching team. The U23 Coach has years of experience locally and has had a hand in developing most of the talented young players that have graduated from our City over the past ten years. We expect to announce the U23 Coach and his support team early next week.

I believe both announcements will send a message both nationally and locally that the Aztex have arrived and that we mean business!! I hope you will be as excited as I am about their appointments and join me in welcoming them to the Aztex team.

Phil