In an exciting match Thursday night at Dragon Stadium, the Aztex further solidified their hold on first place with a 3-1 win over the Laredo Heat.
Further details to follow soon.

The Austin Aztex U23s (8-2-1) welcome 2007 PDL champions Laredo Heat to their first match at Dragon Stadium. The 3rd-place visitors, who have a 5-3-4 record so far this year, will be looking to pick up some points on the road as the season heads down the home stretch. Get your holiday weekend started early and come cheer on your Austin Aztex on Thursday, July 3 at 7:30 PM.

This game sponsored by Bush’s Chicken.
Don’t forget to bring some old soccer gear to donate to the Passback Program!

United Soccer Leagues announced today the USL Premier Development League Team of the Week for the 11th week of the 2008 season, naming Austin Aztex’s midfielder Austin da Luz for his 2 goals and 1 assist. da Luz is the 4th player to be honored in this way so far this season. He joins defender Beto Papandrea, forward Andres Cuero and goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo, who has been named twice. See the full story on USLSoccer.com.

7/2/08

Monterrey’s UANL Tigres came to Austin Sunday night for a friendly with the Aztex U23s. The huge crowd — at 4,743 the largest Aztex home attendance yet — was filled with gold-and-blue Tigres colors alongside the usual red-and-white of the home team. Cooler and less windy than the previous two nights’ games, the action on the field was no less intense. The two teams pressed each other hard all game; as of halftime, both sides were still scoreless.

That didn’t last long into the second half, however, as Tigres’ Blas Perez scored in the 49th minute. Another Tigres goal was added to that one a short time later, when Francisco Acuna was in the right place at the right time to slam a header into the back of the net.

Seconds before the final whistle, just as the Aztex fans were afraid the home team might be shut out, Austin’s Robin Martinez was able to get around Tigres goalkeeper Alfredo Talavera to make a perfect shot on the wide-open goal, finishing the game with a 2-1 scoreline.

See also: Austin American-Statesman match report

Another windy night at Dragon Stadium saw the Aztex U23s return to their winning, clean-sheet form. A crowd of 925 was on hand to see the Aztex handily put down the Baton Rouge Capitals 3-0 in their first meeting of the season.

See also:

• official match information
• fan photos from the weekend

The Club Deportivo UANL Tigres team has arrived in Austin! They’ll be fielding their first-string players in what’s bound to be an exciting match Sunday night against the Aztex U23s.

(Note: online sales will be suspended after Sturday nights game but tickets can still be purchased at the box office before the game on Sunday starting at 5:00 PM.)

And don’t forget to dig out some of that old soccer gear from the back of your garage. Bring it to any of the remaining home games this season and help the Aztex with the Passback Program!

Facing three home games in three nights, the last of which is an international exhibition against UANL Tigres of Monterrey, the Austin Aztex (7-2-1) dropped a tough contest to the El Paso Patriots (6-4-3), 2-1. The win puts the Patriots one point behind the division-leading Austin as the Aztex prepare to play the Baton Rouge Capitals on Saturday night with the hope of extending their lead.

See also:

• full match report — continue this article
• official match information

The division-leading Austin Aztex U23s (7-1-1) resume play after having last weekend off, with a full slate of games at Dragon Stadium this weekend: the El Paso Patriots at 7:30 PM Friday, the Baton Rouge Capitals Saturday night at 7:30, and an exhibition game against Mexico’s UANL Tigres Sunday night at 7:00.

Friday’s game sponsored by Yellow Cab; Saturday’s sponsored by 104.3 La Que Buena & 107.7 Recuerdo.

The Austin Aztex will be collecting new and gently used soccer equipment as a part of the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s “Passback Program” at our home games through Sunday, July 6th. All equipment collected will be donated to soccer organizations in the greater Austin area in need of additional gear for their players.

Club Deportivo UANL Tigres, one of the top clubs in Mexico’s Primera División, is coming to Austin to take on the Aztex U23s in an exhibition match! Don’t miss this exciting game on June 29th, 7:00 PM at the Aztex’s Dragon Stadium. Ticket costs are: $35 for reserved seats, $30 for general admission adults & $20 for children.

Tickets for the game are already selling quickly. In addition to buying them from the usual Aztex in-person ticket outlets — the Aztex office and Soccer USA locations — you can buy tickets to this special event at several outlets around town:

• Austin Aztex Office (see map)
• Soccer USA (North & South Stores) (see map)
• Taqueria Arandas (5 locations; see map)
• Mi Pueblito Discoteca (4 locations see map)

To ensure correct handling of current pre-orders, online ticket sales for this match have been suspended. The Dragon Stadium box office will be open at 5:00 PM on Sunday, 2 hours before the 7:00 PM kickoff time.

The new Austin Aztex FC offices are now officially open for business. They are located next door to the Soccer USA store in the Anderson Arbor shopping center, at US Hwy 183 North & Anderson Mill Road. The address is 13359 US Hwy 183 North, Suite 401, Austin, TX 78750. The office telephone number is 512-335-8881.

Also, the club will begin recruiting for our commercial & operations in preparation for the 2009 season. Positions include Chief Executive, Ticket Sales, Marketing Executive and Operations Director. Continue reading for more details.

The Austin Aztex today confirmed that they will be playing Mexico’s Club Deportivo U.A.N.L, better known as “Tigres,” of the Primera División in an exhibition match at Dragon Stadium, Round Rock on June 29th, kick-off 7.00 p.m.

"Tigres are one of the top clubs in Mexico and we are delighted that they want to play us, The fact that they have asked us for this game shows just how far this organization has come in a very short period," said Phil Rawlins, Austin Aztex President. "It is a great opportunity for our players to face the Tigres first team, which is full of International-caliber players  and for the soccer fans of Austin to see a highly talented and successful club side from Mexico."

Tickets for the Tigres game will be available online through the Aztex website, at the Aztex office 13359 US Hwy 183 North, Suite 401, Austin 78750 or at either SoccerUSA location in Austin. Tickets go on sale at 10:00 AM on Friday, June 20th.

The Aztex U23s were victorious over the Houston Leones in their second meeting, scoring twice and keeping yet another clean sheet . The two teams played in Houston's Soccer World Center, their first meeting in that venue. Both Aztex goals were scored in the first half: a shot by Jamie Watson in the 21st minute, with an assist by Juan Carlos Vicens, and a penalty kick by Andres Cuero shortly before the end of the first half. Tempers flared in the second half, and a Leones player was ejected in the 59th minute. The Austin team, however, was unable to add further to the scoreline, which finished at 2-0. The Aztex remain solidly at the top of the Mid South Division table with 22 points. They are trailed most closely by the Laredo Heat, who have 18 points after their 3-0 win over Baton Rouge at home last night.

See also: USL match information

6/15/08

The Austin Aztex U23s travel to Richmond this Saturday, June 14, to take on the Houston Leones (3-6-0) at Soccer World Center at 5:00 PM. The Aztex (6-1-1) will be looking to cement their lead at the top of the Mid South Division. This will be their second match with their fellow PDL expansion club, who they beat 2-0 in the season opener at Dragon Stadium on May 10.

The Leones play in their own Soccer World Center, one of the few soccer-specific stadiums in the PDL. Richmond is less than a three-hour drive from Austin, the closest road game the Aztex have. Hop on over and support your Austin Aztex!

6/13/08

Before a record crowd of 1,731, the Austin Aztex U23s made an outstanding home stand tonight at Dragon Stadium, against a tough and determined Atlanta Silverbacks side. The final score was 2-2, with Atlanta progressing to the second round based on penalty kicks.

See also:

• full match report — continue this article
• Club Deportes pictures from the game
• Austin American-Statesman summary
• Silverbacks’ match report
• U.S. Open Cup summary

Stoke City have been promoted back to the top flight of English football to end a 23-year absence following a goalless draw against Leicester City Sunday afternoon. Over 26,600 supporters packed in to the Britannia Stadium, the highest league attendance in ten years, to witness the historic game.