Pre-Season Friendly ::  Nelson Field Austin, TX Sunday, March 14, 2010
	V.
0	FT	1
		Geoff Cameron (83')

Sunday, March 14, 2010 :: The Austin Aztex hosted the Houston Dynamo, in the second match against the MLS side in 7 days.  The home match for the Aztex, in what is beginning to be called "The Roadkill Cup", was also the first home match for the Aztex.  It is also, thankfully, the last match that the Aztex will need to play at Nelson Field.  Beginning with the next home match, a league opener against Montreal, the Aztex will play at House Park.

Sunday though, was a time for the Aztex faithful to see how the squad has done in the 2 weeks since pre-season camp started.  The starting lineups for both teams were a statement of the match goals for each squad.  The Aztex wanted their senior team on the field, while Houston was looking to trial their second string squad.  Brian Ching, the Dynamo front man who will likely make the trip with the USMNT team to South Africa, did not even dress.  Although on the bench, it's common knowledge that Brian doesn't play on artificial turf.

The Aztex came out a completely different team than what the fans last saw.  Not only were the new faces so numerous we had difficulty tracking them, but the style of play was much different.  Ball management had been an issue for many fans last season.  Numerous were the times that we saw the Aztex fight to win the ball, only to turn it over on a sloppy pass to their teammates.  Instead, on Sunday night, we saw clean plays followed by beautiful distribution.  Some real highlights for me were Jay Needham, Eddie Johnson, Jamie Watson, Miguel Gallardo and Lawrence Olum.  There were other real bright spots, unfortunately by players we don't know of.  Trinidad & Tobago International player Seon Power, who I assume was #22 on the right flank, had a really good match and received a number of inquisitve looks.  There were several instances when he was able to move quickly down the right side in the first half, and draw Dynamo defenders to free up Eddie or Jamie for a cross in the box.  Seon's speed and size could make him a real danger on the right side to opposing defenses.  It'll be interesting to watch his development, possibly as an Aztex.

Another bright spot was with Jay Needham.  The former Alta defender was a strong wall in the backline.  I felt that he was able to really coordinate Kieron and Kevin to create a defensive position that allowed very few Dynamo incursions.  In fact, Miguel Gallardo really wasn't tested in the first half while Jay was on the pitch.  I was chatting with Yanks Abroad correspondent and "Futbol en Vivo" host Arch Bell during the match about Jay.  Arch told me of a discussion he'd had with Jay that this match against the Dynamo was likely the warmest the weather had been during a match for him in quite a long time (Alta is in the Norwegian league).  I quickly quipped that it was likely to be the coldest weather he'd play in this season!

In the second half, we saw a number of substitutions.  Amongst them were Jay Needham giving way for Tyler Hughes (46'), as well as Sullivan Silva being subbed for Michael Callahan (46').  Trialist Stephen Campbell also made way for Lance Watson (46'). Lance came in on the right front line as #6.  I'd not seen Lance before, but in the 19' he was on (subbed in the 65' by Wes Allen when Lance went down with a right leg injury), but was impressed by his power and determination.  In fact, I commented to one of the other Army members that he seemed to be built like a "brick shit house" (this is a compliment in the southern US dialect).  The only other substitution that we saw from the Aztex was in the 59' when Jamie Watson, who'd been running his ass off, was subbed for Richard Edgar.  It's really great to know that we'll see Jamie the whole season.  Although shorter than the defensive backs for Houston, he continued to dog them with quick runs into the defense, not giving up anything to the older squad.  This was especially evident in the second half when Dominic Kinnear started subbing in more senior players for the secondary roster he started the match with.

Unfortunately for the Aztex, you could tell that the linchpins of the first half were gone, as the defensive prowess seemed to slip the minute Jay Needham stepped off the pitch.  We saw more frequent strikes deep into Aztex territory by Naranje. Ultimately, these defensive lapses, although few, resulted in Houston's Geoff Cameron being able to get the ball past our boys in the 84' for the sole score of the match.  Unlike in the past though, the Aztex didn't give up.  The red and white were almost able to equalize on the subsequent kick off when the Aztex drove forward quickly and just missed the Dynamo goal.  In fact, we continued to see some powerful movement by the Aztex into the Dynamo defensive third in the second half.  In the 73', Eddie Johnson received a lovely long pass on the right side, in what appeared to all in La Villa Aztex to be a onside position.  Had he not been called (unfairly I believe) offsides by the nearside lineman, I think Eddie would've challenged for a goal.

Additionally, in the 87', another trialist for the Aztex (#24) shot the ball and just missed right of a rushing Tally Hall (Dynamo GK).  In the 89', the referee missed a very apparent Dynamo hand ball in their box, which should've resulted in a penalty kick.  Unfortunately, the referee missed it.

So the Aztex will relinquish "The Roadkill Cup" to the Dynamo on a 2-1 aggregate.  Next year, we look forward to bringing the fictitious cup home to Austin.

MATCH REPORTS

	Houston Dynamo Site @ MLSNet.com			Austin American-Statesman
	Austin Aztex

Attendance ::2047