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UPDATE, 10.9.2009 :: There is a clarification and some additional information on the trial players that were part of the squad on Wednesday night. Attendance :: 1930 GOALS :: AZTEX (Jean Alexandre, 8') | | Austin Aztex | Monterrey Rayados
| Cautions
| Ryan McMahen (25')
| Jesus Zavala (32') Jose Maria Basanta (65') | | Ejections | | |
The Austin Aztex pulled off a stunning defeat at the Round Rock ISD Athletic Center (aka "The Palace on Parmer") by beating Club de Futbol Monterrey 1-0 Wednesday evening. In front of a crowd that was 95% in support of the blue and white, the Aztex really impressed all (well, okay, maybe not all) in attendance. The Aztex' Jean Alexandre (on a loan from Real Salt Lake which has been extended through the trip to the UK) took advantage of an early Monterrey defensive failure to punch the ball into the goal in the 8'. However, Alexandre's goal was not the only bright spot. There were a number of new players in the match that we'd not seen before. I discovered at half time that 2 of them were some new players from Haiti, who the Aztex were previewing for a possible signing. Thanks to Adrian Heath and Kay Rawlins for the names and numbers of the two Haitians (it was rumored that there were three, but apparently only two made the trip)... #3, Ednerson Raymond #12, Vaniel Sirin Another trial is #6, Nicki Paterson. Nicki played with the Harrisburg City Islanders of the USL2, and before that, with the PDL side Des Moines Menace. The Gaffer likes Nicki already, as he hails from Lanarkshire, Scotland, having played with Motherwell FC as well as Hamilton Academical FC, both of the Scottish Premier League. 
The image above shows some of the new players. From the left to the right... - Update :: I believe this is Nicki Paterson, #6.
- Jamie Watson
- Salif Diao Jiminez
- Jean Alexandre
- Another new player
- Kyle Brown
- #12, Vaniel Sirin, who is one of the Haitin's on trial
One of the Haitians in particular, #3, Ednerson Raymond, really impressed me. He started the match, and immediately started proving his worth. He was incredibly quick, being able to outrun the Monterrey players, who were very quick in their own right. So as the match went on, the physicality really came out. As you can see in the stats that I reported above from the Tweets, the Aztex' Ryan McMahen was the first cautioned player. The Aztex though continued to press the issue, getting a number of opportunities to increase their lead. However, Monterrey had their own. The most nerve racking came in the 41' when Monterrey was able to get in behind Miguel Gallardo and get a shot off. It almost seemed like the goal was all but scored, when Aztex Kevin Sakuda streaked it to head the ball over the bar at the very last minute. As the second half started, there was a growing confidence in the Aztex supporters section that we could pull off the upset. In the 50', we saw the substitutions start, with Nick Noble coming in to relieve Miguel Gallardo in goal. This was followed in the 73' when Salif Diao came into the match to give us the first glimpse in Austin at his play. By the 83', we noticed that a number of Monterrey fans were starting to leave the stadium. However, we knew that this was the most critical time of the match, as we'd seen the Aztex lose in the waning minutes of a match before. The surprises continued this evening though, as the red and white were able to hold on to the lead, and give us a sweet victory. 
The Aztex now prepare to head to England, where they will 3 matches against English teams. I've confirmed with David Markley, who will be in England for the matches, that he'll be able to provide us updates during the matches. Below are links to some of the match reports that are available for last nights match.
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