As previously stated, the Heat will face the Reading Rage in one PDL Semifinal. A few hours ago, the Vancouver Whitecaps defeated the Tacoma Tide 4-1 to earn a meeting with the Thunder Bay Chill in the other semifinal, which will a Canadian affair.
Both games will be played on Saturday, Aug. 2, and the winners will meet in the PDL Finals on Saturday, Aug. 9. The Heat will be looking for its third straight trip to the title game.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Heat PDL Semifinal
It was announced today that the Heat will face the Reading Rage in the PDL Semifinals at the Texas A&M International Soccer Complex on Saturday, Aug. 2, at 8 p.m.
The other semifinal has yet to be determined, as the Vancouver Whitecaps and Tacoma Tide are still battling it out for the Western Conference title.
The other semifinal has yet to be determined, as the Vancouver Whitecaps and Tacoma Tide are still battling it out for the Western Conference title.
Conference Finals photos
Randy Van Cleave was kind enough to send us some photos from the Heat's conference final win over the Aztex. One of these pictures is in today's paper, but here it is again, along with another:
Thanks again to Randy; we also have one more photo from the game that we will be using this week.
Thanks again to Randy; we also have one more photo from the game that we will be using this week.
Heat defends Southern Conference Title
The Heat did what they hadn't been able to do all season on Saturday, July 26, defeating the Austin Aztex 3-1 to win the Southern Conference for the second straight year.
Felix Garcia scored twice and Gregory Mulamba once for the Heat, with all three goals coming in the second half. Jamie Watson scored for the Aztex in the first half.
Match statistics can be found here, and the game story is here.
The Heat will now host a PDL Semifinal game this Saturday at the TAMIU Soccer Complex. Time and opponent have yet to be announced, but check back here for that information.
Other PDL conference finals games are being played today, July 27, with the Brooklyn Knights and Reading Rage facing off in the East, the Kalamazoo Outrage and Thunder Bay Chill in the Central Conference and the Vancouver Whitecaps and Tacoma Tide in the West.
Felix Garcia scored twice and Gregory Mulamba once for the Heat, with all three goals coming in the second half. Jamie Watson scored for the Aztex in the first half.
Match statistics can be found here, and the game story is here.
The Heat will now host a PDL Semifinal game this Saturday at the TAMIU Soccer Complex. Time and opponent have yet to be announced, but check back here for that information.
Other PDL conference finals games are being played today, July 27, with the Brooklyn Knights and Reading Rage facing off in the East, the Kalamazoo Outrage and Thunder Bay Chill in the Central Conference and the Vancouver Whitecaps and Tacoma Tide in the West.
Pictures From Semifinal Game
Thanks to Central Florida photographer Randy Van Cleave, we were able to get a few pictures from the Heat's win over the Kraze in the Southern Conference Semis. However, the pictures did not get to us until after deadline, so they did not make into the paper. Here are the shots we received:
Thanks again to Randy Van Cleave for the photos.
Thanks again to Randy Van Cleave for the photos.
Heat defeats Kraze
The Heat defeated the Central Florida Kraze 2-1 on Friday, July 25, to advance to the Southern Conference Finals for the third straight year.
Felix Garcia and Gregory Mulamba were the goal scorers for Laredo, while Tanner Wolfe had the lone goal for Central Florida. Garcia scored in the 52nd minute, Wolfe scored in the 54th and Mulamba netted the game-winner in the 63rd.
Full stats for the match can be found here, while the game story from the Times is here.
Felix Garcia and Gregory Mulamba were the goal scorers for Laredo, while Tanner Wolfe had the lone goal for Central Florida. Garcia scored in the 52nd minute, Wolfe scored in the 54th and Mulamba netted the game-winner in the 63rd.
Full stats for the match can be found here, while the game story from the Times is here.
Heat-Kraze Preview
The Heat faced the Central Florida Kraze in the Southern Conference semifinals. Here is a preview for that game.
Heading into the game, Laredo was 8-4-4, while Southeast Division champ was 11-3-2.
In the teams' only previous meeting, the Heat defeated the Kraze 4-0 in Laredo in the 2007 Southern Conference Semifinals.
Heading into the game, Laredo was 8-4-4, while Southeast Division champ was 11-3-2.
In the teams' only previous meeting, the Heat defeated the Kraze 4-0 in Laredo in the 2007 Southern Conference Semifinals.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Heat ready for postseason trek as underdog
By JOY LINDSAY
LAREDO MORNING TIMES
The Laredo Heat Soccer Club takes its United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League title defense into the postseason on Friday when it takes on the Central Florida Kraze at 7:30 p.m.
Laredo (8-3-4, 28 points) captured the second seed for the Mid South Division with a 4-0 win over the New Orleans Shell Shockers on Saturday, while Central Florida (11-3-2, 35 pts.) clinched a playoff birth on July 11 and the Southeast Division title on July 13.
As the top-seeded team in the Southern Conference playoffs, the Kraze will enjoy home-field advantage this weekend as it hosts the three games that will determine the Southern Conference champion.
These games will be played at Seminole Soccer Complex in Sanford, Flor., just outside of Orlando.
In the other Southern Conference semifinal game, the Mid South Division champion Austin Aztex (10-5-1, 31 pts.) will take on the Bradenton Academics (10-2-4, 34 pts.). That game is slated for a 5 p.m. start.
The winners of Friday’s games will face off in the Southern Conference final on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Last year, the Heat faced the Kraze in the same round but a very different situation. As the top seed, Laredo hosted the semifinal match and won 4-0.
Though the club hopes for similar results this season, everyone knows things won’t be exactly the same.
“I think it will be a lot different,” goalkeeper Ryan Cooper said. “No. 1, they’re on they’re home turf and No. 2, they’re out for revenge, out to get us back for last year. We’re definitely ready for that, and we expect a fight.”
Heat Head Coach Israel believes the field itself and crowd support will be the two biggest advantages for Central Florida this weekend.
“It’s very important for a team to know a field,” he said. “Here, we know the good parts and the bad parts, where the ball will roll. They know their field; they know where the ball will bounce more. And here at home, with your fans, the motivation is different. That is big.”
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Collazo is making sure his players get as much practice time as possible before leaving for Florida at 6 a.m. on Thursday.
The team stayed at the United Day School soccer fields long after the sun had set Monday, and more of the same was planned for Tuesday and today.
“We’re trying to work hard all week so we can win the big games,” Collazo explained.
Something that could thwart the team’s efforts is Hurricane Dolly, which could reach Laredo before the team’s final home practice.
Collazo still expects his team to take the field no matter what the weather is like, and he has the same attitude toward the impending storm as he does toward the humidity and chance for rain in Florida.
“This is something we can’t control,” he said. “We’d prefer to play on a good field, but if it’s raining, we’re prepared for that. I told my keepers and I told my players about that.
“If the weather conditions are good, we need to be 100 percent focused. If it’s not good, we need 150 percent focus.”
The idea of focus is something defender Leone Cruz elaborated on, as he feels the time off between the Heat’s last game and Friday’s contest gives the players the opportunity to work on that.
“I think resting up, because we have a week of rest, traveling and just preparing mentally and tactically (are the biggest things we have left to do),” he said
FINAL ROSTER
The Heat made some changes to its roster before it was frozen last week, and 25 players will be a part of the team’s playoff lineup.
Of those 25, only 18 will travel to the Seminole Soccer Complex to participate in this weekend’s playoff action.
The remaining seven players are still eligible to compete should Laredo advance past the Southern Conference playoffs.
Silas Blackwell and Garcia are the two forwards making the trip; Charles “Theo” Browne, Daniel Galvan Barbosa, Robin Humphrey, Juan Ibarra Treviño, Francisco Lara, Isaac Morales Dominguez, Gregory Mulamba, Averil Ringheim and Steve Su are the midfielders.
The Heat’s defense in Florida will be comprised of Cruz, Dionisio “Nicho” Infante Aragon III, Carlos Ordaz, Raul Quinones, Pedro Alberto Ramos Del Llano and goalkeepers Cooper and Jorge Muñiz.
The seven players not traveling to Florida but still eligible for postseason play are forwards Stiven Ospina Atheortua and Arnoldo Presas-Delgado, midfielders Alexander Hergert, Christian Alexis Salazar, Julio Cesar Vasquez and Adan Villavicencio and goalkeeper Jorge Zamora.
LAREDO MORNING TIMES
The Laredo Heat Soccer Club takes its United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League title defense into the postseason on Friday when it takes on the Central Florida Kraze at 7:30 p.m.
Laredo (8-3-4, 28 points) captured the second seed for the Mid South Division with a 4-0 win over the New Orleans Shell Shockers on Saturday, while Central Florida (11-3-2, 35 pts.) clinched a playoff birth on July 11 and the Southeast Division title on July 13.
As the top-seeded team in the Southern Conference playoffs, the Kraze will enjoy home-field advantage this weekend as it hosts the three games that will determine the Southern Conference champion.
These games will be played at Seminole Soccer Complex in Sanford, Flor., just outside of Orlando.
In the other Southern Conference semifinal game, the Mid South Division champion Austin Aztex (10-5-1, 31 pts.) will take on the Bradenton Academics (10-2-4, 34 pts.). That game is slated for a 5 p.m. start.
The winners of Friday’s games will face off in the Southern Conference final on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Last year, the Heat faced the Kraze in the same round but a very different situation. As the top seed, Laredo hosted the semifinal match and won 4-0.
Though the club hopes for similar results this season, everyone knows things won’t be exactly the same.
“I think it will be a lot different,” goalkeeper Ryan Cooper said. “No. 1, they’re on they’re home turf and No. 2, they’re out for revenge, out to get us back for last year. We’re definitely ready for that, and we expect a fight.”
Heat Head Coach Israel believes the field itself and crowd support will be the two biggest advantages for Central Florida this weekend.
“It’s very important for a team to know a field,” he said. “Here, we know the good parts and the bad parts, where the ball will roll. They know their field; they know where the ball will bounce more. And here at home, with your fans, the motivation is different. That is big.”
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Collazo is making sure his players get as much practice time as possible before leaving for Florida at 6 a.m. on Thursday.
The team stayed at the United Day School soccer fields long after the sun had set Monday, and more of the same was planned for Tuesday and today.
“We’re trying to work hard all week so we can win the big games,” Collazo explained.
Something that could thwart the team’s efforts is Hurricane Dolly, which could reach Laredo before the team’s final home practice.
Collazo still expects his team to take the field no matter what the weather is like, and he has the same attitude toward the impending storm as he does toward the humidity and chance for rain in Florida.
“This is something we can’t control,” he said. “We’d prefer to play on a good field, but if it’s raining, we’re prepared for that. I told my keepers and I told my players about that.
“If the weather conditions are good, we need to be 100 percent focused. If it’s not good, we need 150 percent focus.”
The idea of focus is something defender Leone Cruz elaborated on, as he feels the time off between the Heat’s last game and Friday’s contest gives the players the opportunity to work on that.
“I think resting up, because we have a week of rest, traveling and just preparing mentally and tactically (are the biggest things we have left to do),” he said
FINAL ROSTER
The Heat made some changes to its roster before it was frozen last week, and 25 players will be a part of the team’s playoff lineup.
Of those 25, only 18 will travel to the Seminole Soccer Complex to participate in this weekend’s playoff action.
The remaining seven players are still eligible to compete should Laredo advance past the Southern Conference playoffs.
Silas Blackwell and Garcia are the two forwards making the trip; Charles “Theo” Browne, Daniel Galvan Barbosa, Robin Humphrey, Juan Ibarra Treviño, Francisco Lara, Isaac Morales Dominguez, Gregory Mulamba, Averil Ringheim and Steve Su are the midfielders.
The Heat’s defense in Florida will be comprised of Cruz, Dionisio “Nicho” Infante Aragon III, Carlos Ordaz, Raul Quinones, Pedro Alberto Ramos Del Llano and goalkeepers Cooper and Jorge Muñiz.
The seven players not traveling to Florida but still eligible for postseason play are forwards Stiven Ospina Atheortua and Arnoldo Presas-Delgado, midfielders Alexander Hergert, Christian Alexis Salazar, Julio Cesar Vasquez and Adan Villavicencio and goalkeeper Jorge Zamora.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Heat rout Shockers to earn playoff berth
By JOY LINDSAY
LAREDO MORNING TIMES
After weeks of worrying that its season would end before the playoffs began, the Laredo Heat Soccer Club assured itself a postseason slot with a dominant 4-0 win over the New Orleans Shell Shockers on Saturday.
“I think the players are ecstatic, the coaching staff is ecstatic,” Heat Owner Shashi Vaswani said after the game. “It was a big sigh of relief to get into the playoffs, and I like the way we did it with two very strong wins against two very good teams.
“You always want to go into the postseason playing your best, and I think we’re peaking at the right time.”
Felix Garcia scored three goals for the Heat to help lead the club to the biggest win of its season, pushing Laredo into the playoffs once again.
The Heat will now defend its United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League title against the Central Florida Kraze, who host this year’s Southern Conference playoffs.
Laredo headed into Saturday night’s contest neck-and-neck with the El Paso Patriots in a fight for the Mid-South Division’s second and final playoff spot.
The Patriots also earned a win on Saturday in a 3-1 game against the Mid-South champion Austin Aztex but finished the regular season one crucial point behind the Heat thanks to Laredo’s 3-1 win over El Paso earlier this week.
Saturday night’s win improved the Heat’s regular season record to 8-3-4 (28 points), and Laredo ended the regular season with a division-best 33 goals scored.
Central Florida, the Southeast Division champion, finished its season at 11-3-2 (35 points) with 38 goals scored.
On Saturday, the Heat and Shell Shockers held each other scoreless in the first half in spite of Vaswani called “dangerous chances” for both teams.
Laredo was at a disadvantage getting acclimated to the field in New Orleans, which is only 56 feet wide.
Garcia got a big scoring chance as the first half expired, running in one-on-one against the New Orleans goalkeeper, but he was tripped up in a play that earned the goalie a red card.
Danny Galvan took the Heat’s penalty shot, but it was saved by the Shell Shockers’ backup goalie to keep the game 0-0 headed into the half.
Going a man up was all Laredo needed to explode offensively, with Garcia netting the Heat’s first goal in the 48th minute on an assist from Isaac Morales.
Garcia scored again in the 65th minute on an assist from Juan de Dios Ibarra, then Raul Quinones made it 3-0 in the 75th minute on another assist from Morales.
In the 77th minute, Garcia scored his third and the Heat’s fourth goal of the game on an assist from Juan de Dios Ibarra.
The Southern Conference playoffs will be held July 25-27 in Sanford, Flor., just outside of Orlando.
First-round action will pit the 2007 PDL champion Heat against the 2004 PDL champion Kraze on Friday for the second time in the teams’ history.
Laredo won the first meeting 4-0 at home in 2007.
The Aztex will face the yet-to-be-determined second seed from the Southeast Division in Friday’s other game. The winners of those games will face each other on Saturday.
LAREDO MORNING TIMES
After weeks of worrying that its season would end before the playoffs began, the Laredo Heat Soccer Club assured itself a postseason slot with a dominant 4-0 win over the New Orleans Shell Shockers on Saturday.
“I think the players are ecstatic, the coaching staff is ecstatic,” Heat Owner Shashi Vaswani said after the game. “It was a big sigh of relief to get into the playoffs, and I like the way we did it with two very strong wins against two very good teams.
“You always want to go into the postseason playing your best, and I think we’re peaking at the right time.”
Felix Garcia scored three goals for the Heat to help lead the club to the biggest win of its season, pushing Laredo into the playoffs once again.
The Heat will now defend its United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League title against the Central Florida Kraze, who host this year’s Southern Conference playoffs.
Laredo headed into Saturday night’s contest neck-and-neck with the El Paso Patriots in a fight for the Mid-South Division’s second and final playoff spot.
The Patriots also earned a win on Saturday in a 3-1 game against the Mid-South champion Austin Aztex but finished the regular season one crucial point behind the Heat thanks to Laredo’s 3-1 win over El Paso earlier this week.
Saturday night’s win improved the Heat’s regular season record to 8-3-4 (28 points), and Laredo ended the regular season with a division-best 33 goals scored.
Central Florida, the Southeast Division champion, finished its season at 11-3-2 (35 points) with 38 goals scored.
On Saturday, the Heat and Shell Shockers held each other scoreless in the first half in spite of Vaswani called “dangerous chances” for both teams.
Laredo was at a disadvantage getting acclimated to the field in New Orleans, which is only 56 feet wide.
Garcia got a big scoring chance as the first half expired, running in one-on-one against the New Orleans goalkeeper, but he was tripped up in a play that earned the goalie a red card.
Danny Galvan took the Heat’s penalty shot, but it was saved by the Shell Shockers’ backup goalie to keep the game 0-0 headed into the half.
Going a man up was all Laredo needed to explode offensively, with Garcia netting the Heat’s first goal in the 48th minute on an assist from Isaac Morales.
Garcia scored again in the 65th minute on an assist from Juan de Dios Ibarra, then Raul Quinones made it 3-0 in the 75th minute on another assist from Morales.
In the 77th minute, Garcia scored his third and the Heat’s fourth goal of the game on an assist from Juan de Dios Ibarra.
The Southern Conference playoffs will be held July 25-27 in Sanford, Flor., just outside of Orlando.
First-round action will pit the 2007 PDL champion Heat against the 2004 PDL champion Kraze on Friday for the second time in the teams’ history.
Laredo won the first meeting 4-0 at home in 2007.
The Aztex will face the yet-to-be-determined second seed from the Southeast Division in Friday’s other game. The winners of those games will face each other on Saturday.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Heat roll Patriots to avoid postseason elimination
By NINO CARDENAS
LAREDO MORNING TIMES
You couldn’t ask for more drama on Wednesday night at the Texas A&M International Soccer complex as the Laredo Heat fought the El Paso Patriots for the right to take the driver’s seat for the 2008 Premier Development League playoffs.
In the end, after falling behind, the Heat stormed back and defeated its rivals 3-1, and as a reward took over second place of the Mid-South Division, before a frenzied crowd of 1,125.
The Heat (7-4-4, 25 points) need a win against New Orleans on Saturday and then it’ll be on its way to defending its championship.
The Patriots (7-5-3, 24) need a Heat tie and a victory over the Aztex in El Paso to claim the second and final berth.
In a classic example of saving the best for last, the Heat’s constant barrage and relentless attack finally broke through the Patriots defense and goal keeper Sebastian Narvaez.
El Paso tok a 1-0 lead in the 57th minute when Michael Giego got in front of Heat goalie Jorge Muniz for a header, despite being outplayed by the hometown club.
Instead of deflating the Heat’s offense, the club kept on adding up the shots on goal before Isaac Morales took center stage when he evened the score in the 72nd minute on a beautifully taken left-footed free kick that he curved from 33 yards out to the far post.
Morales wasn’t done yet, as a tie still gave the Patriots the advantage for a playoff bid.
In the 84th minute, Morales and fellow lefty Felix Garcia broke through down the left side.
Morales fed Garcia who worked his way down the box, baited the goalie and kicked in the go-ahead goal.
“We just never gave up,” Garcia said in spanish. “This team is humble, we knew the time would come and in the end we got the result we wanted.
“I had faith that the team was going to come out on top, and as I’ve said before, if it wasn’t because of the support of my teammates, I would never have gotten the chances to score goals.”
Theo Browne added the cushion in extra time to cap the scoring.
Both clubs knew what was at stake and what needed to be done.
The Heat provided the offense, outshooting the Pats 25-6, while the Patriots flooded the backfield and surprised Laredo with their one goal.
Down 1-0 late in the second half, it looked as if the Heat’s inability to capitalize on goal was still rearing its ugly head.
Not helping much was the handful of great saves by Narvaez.
In the 49th minute, the Patriots had a goal disallowed due to the player being called for hand on ball, allowing the fans to exale in relief.
After Morales scored the equalizer, the team went into overdrive and kept applying pressure on the Pats’ defense and goalie.
Morales again came into the picture with another flashy display of ball control in which he shook off two more defenders before having his top bar shot barely saved by Narvaez for a corner.
Morales got under the Patriots skin and was taken down inside the box in the 79th minute on a no-call by the referee.
Then came an unbelievable series of events in the 80th when Morales sent a corner into the box, where the ball bounced wildly in the area as a scrum formed. With the goalie out of the way ,the Patriots defneders somehow managed to block several shots and clear the ball.
That would’ve been the cherry on the cake if it wasn’t for Morales’ and Garcia’s effort four minutes later.
Garcia made his presence felt early in the contest as he collected five shots in the first half alone.
HEAT NOTES: Goalie Ryan Cooper arrived late Wednesday and Collazo decided to go with Muniz. Also, Captain Daniel Galva was amongst those cut earlier in the week. Galva is nursing a knee injury that didn’t appear to be getting better anytime soon.
LAREDO MORNING TIMES
You couldn’t ask for more drama on Wednesday night at the Texas A&M International Soccer complex as the Laredo Heat fought the El Paso Patriots for the right to take the driver’s seat for the 2008 Premier Development League playoffs.
In the end, after falling behind, the Heat stormed back and defeated its rivals 3-1, and as a reward took over second place of the Mid-South Division, before a frenzied crowd of 1,125.
The Heat (7-4-4, 25 points) need a win against New Orleans on Saturday and then it’ll be on its way to defending its championship.
The Patriots (7-5-3, 24) need a Heat tie and a victory over the Aztex in El Paso to claim the second and final berth.
In a classic example of saving the best for last, the Heat’s constant barrage and relentless attack finally broke through the Patriots defense and goal keeper Sebastian Narvaez.
El Paso tok a 1-0 lead in the 57th minute when Michael Giego got in front of Heat goalie Jorge Muniz for a header, despite being outplayed by the hometown club.
Instead of deflating the Heat’s offense, the club kept on adding up the shots on goal before Isaac Morales took center stage when he evened the score in the 72nd minute on a beautifully taken left-footed free kick that he curved from 33 yards out to the far post.
Morales wasn’t done yet, as a tie still gave the Patriots the advantage for a playoff bid.
In the 84th minute, Morales and fellow lefty Felix Garcia broke through down the left side.
Morales fed Garcia who worked his way down the box, baited the goalie and kicked in the go-ahead goal.
“We just never gave up,” Garcia said in spanish. “This team is humble, we knew the time would come and in the end we got the result we wanted.
“I had faith that the team was going to come out on top, and as I’ve said before, if it wasn’t because of the support of my teammates, I would never have gotten the chances to score goals.”
Theo Browne added the cushion in extra time to cap the scoring.
Both clubs knew what was at stake and what needed to be done.
The Heat provided the offense, outshooting the Pats 25-6, while the Patriots flooded the backfield and surprised Laredo with their one goal.
Down 1-0 late in the second half, it looked as if the Heat’s inability to capitalize on goal was still rearing its ugly head.
Not helping much was the handful of great saves by Narvaez.
In the 49th minute, the Patriots had a goal disallowed due to the player being called for hand on ball, allowing the fans to exale in relief.
After Morales scored the equalizer, the team went into overdrive and kept applying pressure on the Pats’ defense and goalie.
Morales again came into the picture with another flashy display of ball control in which he shook off two more defenders before having his top bar shot barely saved by Narvaez for a corner.
Morales got under the Patriots skin and was taken down inside the box in the 79th minute on a no-call by the referee.
Then came an unbelievable series of events in the 80th when Morales sent a corner into the box, where the ball bounced wildly in the area as a scrum formed. With the goalie out of the way ,the Patriots defneders somehow managed to block several shots and clear the ball.
That would’ve been the cherry on the cake if it wasn’t for Morales’ and Garcia’s effort four minutes later.
Garcia made his presence felt early in the contest as he collected five shots in the first half alone.
HEAT NOTES: Goalie Ryan Cooper arrived late Wednesday and Collazo decided to go with Muniz. Also, Captain Daniel Galva was amongst those cut earlier in the week. Galva is nursing a knee injury that didn’t appear to be getting better anytime soon.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
It's do-or-die time for Heat
By NINO CARDENAS
LAREDO MORNING TIMES
The Premier Development League’s Mid-South division is coming to an exciting finish this week, with the key contest being played today at the Texas A&M International Soccer Complex.
To defend its Premier Development League title, the Laredo Heat will have to beat the only club that has a winning record against it, the El Paso Patriots.
With that in mind, and to ease the financial burden, the Heat has opened the gates to the general public free of charge, while the VIP section ticket prices are reduced to $10.
Kick-off is set for 8:15 p.m.
The Patriots (7-4-3, 24 points) beat Laredo twice in El Paso this year, improving to 8-4 versus Laredo historically.
The Patriots have scored 26 goals to Laredo’s 13, but at home, the Heat (6-4-4, 22) lead the series 3-2 with a 6-5 goal advantage, including a shutout.
If the Patriots win, they clinch the final playoff berth; if Laredo wins, the team will need to defeat New Orleans on Saturday to make the playoffs.
If the teams tie, El Paso needs only to tie Austin at home on Saturday to move on.
Austin is in cruise control, having already clinched the division.
“El Paso comes in here knowing that a tie pretty much places them in the playoffs,” Heat Coach Israel Collazo said. “They’re an intelligent team with quality soccer. They won’t be looking to give us any freebies. In my opinion, we are the better team, but no matter who’s better it all comes down to who plays better Wednesday.”
If Laredo loses today, it’ll be the team’s first time missing the postseason since its inception in 2005.
The Patriots are sure to take a defensive approach to this game, but at this stage, the Heat has played most of its games versus opponents only looking for counter attack opportunities so it’s nothing the club hasn’t seen before.
Players will just need to tighten their aim and be opportunistic.
The Heat’s starting goalie, Ryan Cooper, is scheduled to arrive today from Honduras, but in case he’s late, the club’s second goalie, former Patriot Jorge Muniz, has been practicing as the starter.
It’s been a frustrating year for the Heat, which hasn’t been in this position before.
Interestingly enough, the Heat’s fortune changed after dropping the two games at El Paso earlier this season.
The Heat went to El Paso with the second-best record in the division at 5-1-3 for 18 points, while the Patriots had recently dismissed Coach Miguel Murillo after opening up the season 2-4-2 for nine points before flourishing under new coach Javier McDonald, winning five of their next six contests, with one tie.
The Heat’s next three games after the El Paso trip resulted in a tie, a loss and finally a win. Laredo tied and defeated the Houston Leones and lost to Austin.
The tie with Houston was following the Patriots game, and the Heat came home frustrated at the missed opportunities in the contest. The game at Austin was no better, as the Heat lost 3-1 and Collazo found himself ejected from the contest.
The following week allowed the Heat to relax and let go of some of those frustrations in its 3-0 loss to the Mexico U-20 national team.
With its back to the wall, and with the pressure mounting, including taking offense at the media’s view of the Mexico game, the team rallied and used the negativity positively by rebounding with a 7-0 beating of the Houston Leones.
The Heat, while wary not to get overconfident, got some of its mojo back with the win and is looking forward to taking control of its destiny against a Patriots team that for the time being has all the momentum.
“They’re very dangerous at the moment, having won five of six, including the two against us and against the division winner Aztex at Austin,” Collazo said. “That’s already in the past, though; yes, we had an advantage back then, and now we are two points behind. We are focused (on) the task at hand, and we know what’s at stake.”
Laredo, on the other hand, has to worry about a New Orleans team that, if it beats Baton Rouge today, will have an outside chance of making the playoffs if Laredo beats El Paso and New Orleans beats Laredo and Dallas.
HEAT NOTES: Also, Collazo has cut his roster to the league-mandated 26 players. He trimmed the list late Tuesday night. “It’s a moment in which you would prefer not to have to make that decision, but it’s my duty and responsibility, and it has to be done. I’m sure some players will be disappointed, but those are the rules,” Collazo said.
LAREDO MORNING TIMES
The Premier Development League’s Mid-South division is coming to an exciting finish this week, with the key contest being played today at the Texas A&M International Soccer Complex.
To defend its Premier Development League title, the Laredo Heat will have to beat the only club that has a winning record against it, the El Paso Patriots.
With that in mind, and to ease the financial burden, the Heat has opened the gates to the general public free of charge, while the VIP section ticket prices are reduced to $10.
Kick-off is set for 8:15 p.m.
The Patriots (7-4-3, 24 points) beat Laredo twice in El Paso this year, improving to 8-4 versus Laredo historically.
The Patriots have scored 26 goals to Laredo’s 13, but at home, the Heat (6-4-4, 22) lead the series 3-2 with a 6-5 goal advantage, including a shutout.
If the Patriots win, they clinch the final playoff berth; if Laredo wins, the team will need to defeat New Orleans on Saturday to make the playoffs.
If the teams tie, El Paso needs only to tie Austin at home on Saturday to move on.
Austin is in cruise control, having already clinched the division.
“El Paso comes in here knowing that a tie pretty much places them in the playoffs,” Heat Coach Israel Collazo said. “They’re an intelligent team with quality soccer. They won’t be looking to give us any freebies. In my opinion, we are the better team, but no matter who’s better it all comes down to who plays better Wednesday.”
If Laredo loses today, it’ll be the team’s first time missing the postseason since its inception in 2005.
The Patriots are sure to take a defensive approach to this game, but at this stage, the Heat has played most of its games versus opponents only looking for counter attack opportunities so it’s nothing the club hasn’t seen before.
Players will just need to tighten their aim and be opportunistic.
The Heat’s starting goalie, Ryan Cooper, is scheduled to arrive today from Honduras, but in case he’s late, the club’s second goalie, former Patriot Jorge Muniz, has been practicing as the starter.
It’s been a frustrating year for the Heat, which hasn’t been in this position before.
Interestingly enough, the Heat’s fortune changed after dropping the two games at El Paso earlier this season.
The Heat went to El Paso with the second-best record in the division at 5-1-3 for 18 points, while the Patriots had recently dismissed Coach Miguel Murillo after opening up the season 2-4-2 for nine points before flourishing under new coach Javier McDonald, winning five of their next six contests, with one tie.
The Heat’s next three games after the El Paso trip resulted in a tie, a loss and finally a win. Laredo tied and defeated the Houston Leones and lost to Austin.
The tie with Houston was following the Patriots game, and the Heat came home frustrated at the missed opportunities in the contest. The game at Austin was no better, as the Heat lost 3-1 and Collazo found himself ejected from the contest.
The following week allowed the Heat to relax and let go of some of those frustrations in its 3-0 loss to the Mexico U-20 national team.
With its back to the wall, and with the pressure mounting, including taking offense at the media’s view of the Mexico game, the team rallied and used the negativity positively by rebounding with a 7-0 beating of the Houston Leones.
The Heat, while wary not to get overconfident, got some of its mojo back with the win and is looking forward to taking control of its destiny against a Patriots team that for the time being has all the momentum.
“They’re very dangerous at the moment, having won five of six, including the two against us and against the division winner Aztex at Austin,” Collazo said. “That’s already in the past, though; yes, we had an advantage back then, and now we are two points behind. We are focused (on) the task at hand, and we know what’s at stake.”
Laredo, on the other hand, has to worry about a New Orleans team that, if it beats Baton Rouge today, will have an outside chance of making the playoffs if Laredo beats El Paso and New Orleans beats Laredo and Dallas.
HEAT NOTES: Also, Collazo has cut his roster to the league-mandated 26 players. He trimmed the list late Tuesday night. “It’s a moment in which you would prefer not to have to make that decision, but it’s my duty and responsibility, and it has to be done. I’m sure some players will be disappointed, but those are the rules,” Collazo said.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Heat scorch Leones 7-0
By NINO CARDENAS
LAREDO MORNING TIMES
The Laredo Heat made sure it collected the three vital points versus the Mid-South Division’s last place Houston Leones on Saturday night at the Texas A&M International soccer complex.
The Heat netted a franchise record seven goals, and backup goalie Jorge Muniz recorded his first shutout as a member of the black and red club, as Laredo earned a demonstrative 7-0 win.
It was a 180-degree turn in performance for the club that had tied the Leones 1-1 back in Houston earlier in the summer.
“We were able to finish off our opportunities,” Heat Coach Israel Collazo said. “We had the same options in Houston but we didn’t capitalize.”
Collazo served his suspension after being ejected from last week’s contest in Austin and watched Saturday’s game from the press box.
The Heat take on El Paso at TAMIU on Wednesday in the game that’ll determine who gets to advance to the postseason.
The Heat (6-4-4, 22 points) are chasing the Patriots (7-4-3, 24) for the second and final playoff spot. El Paso handed the Brilla their first franchise loss at home, ever, Saturday with a 3-2 victory.
The Austin Aztex (10-4-1, 31), with the division title already clinched, lost to New Orleans 1-0 on Saturday.
The Aztex get the benefit of trying out players without worry as the roster freeze approaches on Wednesday.
For Laredo, the Houston Leones game offered the opportunity for Collazo to get one final look at the players at his disposal before announcing the final 26.
One such player was Kian Sterling, who in his debut knocked in a goal and set-up another one to make his case.
The goal parade included two by Juan De Dios Ibarra and one by Felix Garcia in the first half.
The second half, with the Heat emptying its bench, scores came via Silas Blackwell, Sterling, and Averil Ringheim.
The Heat controlled the game from the start and moved the ball at will against a Leones team which looked as if it was going through the motions in anticipation of the offseason.
It took the Heat only eight minutes to get on the scoreboard when Isaac Morales hit Ibarra in stride with a perfect pass, which Ibarra capitalized on.
The Heat’s offense was relentless all night, out-shooting the Leones 21-3.
Garcia added to his goal tally after several close calls in the 22nd minute.
His goal came courtesy of a setup centering pass by Ibarra, who found the U.S. national team player for the 2-0 lead.
The third goal was also a team concoction as Leone Cruz set the wheels in motion by passing to Ibarra, who gave it to Garcia on top of the right box area. Garcia returned the ball to Ibarra, and the Monterrey product beat goalie Juan Carlos Hernandez with a far post shot in the 32nd.
With the game in control, the Heat went to try-out mode in the second half but the offensive onslaught didn’t slow down.
Blackwell, who is nicknamed “El Conejito”, sprinted from the left side of the box and picked his angle for the fourth score of the game in the 67th minute.
Blackwell then gift wrapped the fifth goal when he took a pass on the right side, worked his way into the box, baited the goalie out of position and served Sterling in the 74th minute.
The favor was returned in the 81st minute when Sterling set-up Blackwell, who managed to send the pass past the goalie despite having a defender draped over him.
Three minutes later, Ringheim scored his first goal of the season on an assist by Salazar.
LAREDO MORNING TIMES
The Laredo Heat made sure it collected the three vital points versus the Mid-South Division’s last place Houston Leones on Saturday night at the Texas A&M International soccer complex.
The Heat netted a franchise record seven goals, and backup goalie Jorge Muniz recorded his first shutout as a member of the black and red club, as Laredo earned a demonstrative 7-0 win.
It was a 180-degree turn in performance for the club that had tied the Leones 1-1 back in Houston earlier in the summer.
“We were able to finish off our opportunities,” Heat Coach Israel Collazo said. “We had the same options in Houston but we didn’t capitalize.”
Collazo served his suspension after being ejected from last week’s contest in Austin and watched Saturday’s game from the press box.
The Heat take on El Paso at TAMIU on Wednesday in the game that’ll determine who gets to advance to the postseason.
The Heat (6-4-4, 22 points) are chasing the Patriots (7-4-3, 24) for the second and final playoff spot. El Paso handed the Brilla their first franchise loss at home, ever, Saturday with a 3-2 victory.
The Austin Aztex (10-4-1, 31), with the division title already clinched, lost to New Orleans 1-0 on Saturday.
The Aztex get the benefit of trying out players without worry as the roster freeze approaches on Wednesday.
For Laredo, the Houston Leones game offered the opportunity for Collazo to get one final look at the players at his disposal before announcing the final 26.
One such player was Kian Sterling, who in his debut knocked in a goal and set-up another one to make his case.
The goal parade included two by Juan De Dios Ibarra and one by Felix Garcia in the first half.
The second half, with the Heat emptying its bench, scores came via Silas Blackwell, Sterling, and Averil Ringheim.
The Heat controlled the game from the start and moved the ball at will against a Leones team which looked as if it was going through the motions in anticipation of the offseason.
It took the Heat only eight minutes to get on the scoreboard when Isaac Morales hit Ibarra in stride with a perfect pass, which Ibarra capitalized on.
The Heat’s offense was relentless all night, out-shooting the Leones 21-3.
Garcia added to his goal tally after several close calls in the 22nd minute.
His goal came courtesy of a setup centering pass by Ibarra, who found the U.S. national team player for the 2-0 lead.
The third goal was also a team concoction as Leone Cruz set the wheels in motion by passing to Ibarra, who gave it to Garcia on top of the right box area. Garcia returned the ball to Ibarra, and the Monterrey product beat goalie Juan Carlos Hernandez with a far post shot in the 32nd.
With the game in control, the Heat went to try-out mode in the second half but the offensive onslaught didn’t slow down.
Blackwell, who is nicknamed “El Conejito”, sprinted from the left side of the box and picked his angle for the fourth score of the game in the 67th minute.
Blackwell then gift wrapped the fifth goal when he took a pass on the right side, worked his way into the box, baited the goalie out of position and served Sterling in the 74th minute.
The favor was returned in the 81st minute when Sterling set-up Blackwell, who managed to send the pass past the goalie despite having a defender draped over him.
Three minutes later, Ringheim scored his first goal of the season on an assist by Salazar.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Heat welcome Leones
The Laredo Heat, El Paso Patriots and Mississippi Brilla are the frontrunners for the second, and final, playoff spot in the Mid-South Division with only three games to play.
The Heat (5-4-4, 19 points) hosts the last-place Houston Leones (3-8-3, 11) today, and the Patriots (6-4-3, 21) travel to take on the Brilla (5-5-3, 18).
The Heat closes the season next week at home with a key contest against El Paso on Wednesday, and finally against the New Orleans Shell Shockers on Saturday in New Orleans.
The Leones managed to tie the Heat 1-1 in their last encounter two weeks ago in a game that featured what has been hounding the team all season.
“It’s not as if we’re panicking,” Heat Coach Israel Collazo said. “The only thing that we have been lacking is finishing off our opportunities, and sooner or later we will.”
On the other hand, the Heat feels that the few opportunities it gives its opponents are maximized.
“We controlled the flow of that game, but we failed to capitalize and on the one time we broke down, they scored,” Collazo said.
The screws are indeed tightening as the Premier Development League season is nearing the end.
“We are going to keep playing our style of game,” Collazo said. “There is no need for any radical changes. We just need to believe in ourselves. I have no doubt that we’ll qualify for the postseason.”
With Under-23 teams like the Heat, opportunity knocks for some of their players, and at times it can come at the wrong time.
“I have to think about the team, but I can’t be egotistical when it comes to some of the players having incredible opportunities elsewhere,” Collazo said.
Those golden opportunities came for starters Felix Garcia, Ryan Cooper and reserve Frank Lara.
Garcia and Lara both participated within the Heat’s friendly against Mexican U-20 team on Wednesday, and played as members of the U.S. U-20 team on Friday.
The good news is that both will be available on Saturday, and they’re at the peak of their conditioning, which is surely to be tested.
As for Cooper, he has been trying out with the Honduras national team all week and is not going to play in today’s game.
Making his second start of the season is goalie Jorge Muniz, whose first start was a 2-1 loss to the El Paso Patriots.
Playing a team like the Leones presents a unique set of problems.
Is Houston going to be playing for pride, and therefore go all out and attack the Heat, or is it going through the motions as the season’s grinding comes to a close.
Collazo is hoping the Leones come looking for a victory at all costs.
The Heat has rarely seen an opponent play them with an offensive mindset. During the season, Laredo has been bogged down by teams relying on counterattacks against them.
It’s the little things that the club is looking to correct, and as for the playoffs, the team knows that all it has to do is win out in order to claim a berth.
“We’re going to surprise the people that have stopped believing in us,” Collazo said.
The Heat (5-4-4, 19 points) hosts the last-place Houston Leones (3-8-3, 11) today, and the Patriots (6-4-3, 21) travel to take on the Brilla (5-5-3, 18).
The Heat closes the season next week at home with a key contest against El Paso on Wednesday, and finally against the New Orleans Shell Shockers on Saturday in New Orleans.
The Leones managed to tie the Heat 1-1 in their last encounter two weeks ago in a game that featured what has been hounding the team all season.
“It’s not as if we’re panicking,” Heat Coach Israel Collazo said. “The only thing that we have been lacking is finishing off our opportunities, and sooner or later we will.”
On the other hand, the Heat feels that the few opportunities it gives its opponents are maximized.
“We controlled the flow of that game, but we failed to capitalize and on the one time we broke down, they scored,” Collazo said.
The screws are indeed tightening as the Premier Development League season is nearing the end.
“We are going to keep playing our style of game,” Collazo said. “There is no need for any radical changes. We just need to believe in ourselves. I have no doubt that we’ll qualify for the postseason.”
With Under-23 teams like the Heat, opportunity knocks for some of their players, and at times it can come at the wrong time.
“I have to think about the team, but I can’t be egotistical when it comes to some of the players having incredible opportunities elsewhere,” Collazo said.
Those golden opportunities came for starters Felix Garcia, Ryan Cooper and reserve Frank Lara.
Garcia and Lara both participated within the Heat’s friendly against Mexican U-20 team on Wednesday, and played as members of the U.S. U-20 team on Friday.
The good news is that both will be available on Saturday, and they’re at the peak of their conditioning, which is surely to be tested.
As for Cooper, he has been trying out with the Honduras national team all week and is not going to play in today’s game.
Making his second start of the season is goalie Jorge Muniz, whose first start was a 2-1 loss to the El Paso Patriots.
Playing a team like the Leones presents a unique set of problems.
Is Houston going to be playing for pride, and therefore go all out and attack the Heat, or is it going through the motions as the season’s grinding comes to a close.
Collazo is hoping the Leones come looking for a victory at all costs.
The Heat has rarely seen an opponent play them with an offensive mindset. During the season, Laredo has been bogged down by teams relying on counterattacks against them.
It’s the little things that the club is looking to correct, and as for the playoffs, the team knows that all it has to do is win out in order to claim a berth.
“We’re going to surprise the people that have stopped believing in us,” Collazo said.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Heat welcome Mexico U-20 National Team
By NINO CARDENAS
LAREDO MORNING TIMES
The Laredo Heat get a day off from Premier Development League competition to welcome the Mexico Under-20 national team tonight at the Texas A&M International soccer complex.
The game is set for an 8:15 p.m. start.
The last time the Heat took on a national squad was in 2005, when it fell 4-1 to the U.S. Under 17 team.
Tickets can be purchased at the gate for $10 for adults, and $5 for children 12-and-under.
VIP seating is $20.
The friendly game offers a chance for the Heat to forget about its PDL worries for at least one day and a chance to measure itself against some of the best young talent its neighboring country has to offer.
The Mexican side arrived early Tuesday and had a light training session that night. Mexico, like the U.S. Under 20 squad, is gearing up for the 2009 World Cup taking place in Egypt.
The two sides play on Friday.
“It’s like the first game is a bonus because people get to see the Mexican National team twice,” Heat owner Shashi Vaswani said.
The Friday tickets are $35 for general admission and $50 for VIP seating. You can buy tickets tomorrow for $10 less by calling (956) 723-4700.
“We worked very hard in trying to bring these two events to Laredo,” Vaswani said. “Also not one, but two local Laredoans are on the USA roster, so when are we going to get a chance to see this again? It’ll be great to have the support of Laredo and have the teams leave with a positive experience.”
The Heat, on the other hand, not only get a chance to play for the love of the game, but a chance to let go of the mounting pressure of the Mid South Division.
The Heat returns to PDL play on Saturday when it hosts the Houston Leones. It’ll have two games remaining after Saturday.
All are must win contests.
The Heat (5-4-4, 19 points) trails El Paso (6-4-3, 21) and has a slim edge over the Mississippi Brilla (5-5-3, 18) for the second and final postseason spot.
Also on the radar is New Orleans (4-5-3, 15) and Baton Rouge (5-7-1, 16). The Austin Aztex (10-2-1, 31) clinched the championship last weekend with a win over Mississippi.
Mexican national youth coach Jesus “Chucho” Ramirez, whose tenure as interim coach for the Mexican national team recently came to an end, is going to be on the sidelines, but was not with the team on Tuesday evening during their light practice at TAMIU.
Ramirez returns to Mexico after coaching the team Wednesday and is scheduled to return for Friday’s game versus the U.S.
On Thursday, new Mexican national coach Sven-Goran Eriksson’s returns to Mexico to name his fellow staff members.
Ramirez turned down Eriksson’s proposal to stay on as an assistant in order to concentrate with his nation’s youth team and program.
On the sidelines are assistants Rafael Jardon and Cesar Vega Perrone.
The coaches are preparing to find the squad that’ll travel to Trinidad & Tobago for the CONCACAF Championships which are tentailvey set for January and February.
The top four finishers in the tourney earn a berth to the World Cup in Egypt.
The team flew in 22 youngsters, including goalies Alejandro Vela Gonzalez (Coatzacoalcos), Hugo Alfonso Gonzalez (America); defensemen Marco Antonio de Leon Almanza (Guadalajara), Daniel Carlos Montes Rodriguez (Guadalajar), Oswaldo Alanis Pantoja (U.A.G.), Kristian Omar Alvarez Nuno (Guadalajara), Ivan Islas Rodriguez (Monterrey), Juan Antonio Ocampo Silva (Guadalajara); midfielders Cesar Martinez Montalvo (Monterrey), Israel Sabdi Jimenez Nanez (Tigres), Homero Guajardo Parra (Monterrey), Alberto Soto Pacheco (Santos), Eduardo Arce Pena (Toluca), Francisco Javier Dorame Sasturain (Morelia); Forwards Americo Jonas Rodriguez Ramos (Tigres), Arnold Rivas Martinez (U.A.G.), Axel Velazquez Caballero (Atlas), Jose Guadalupe Garza Avila (Morelia), Ulises Alejandro Davila Plascencia (Guadalajara) and Moises Adrian Velasco Herrera (Toluca).
The Heat has its own national team member in Felix Garcia, who as a member of the U.S. Under 20 squad gets the privilege of facing the Mexican team twice.
Fellow Heat and high school (LBJ) teammate Frank Lara was invited to take part with the U.S. Under 20 team.
The only question for Laredo remains how Coach Israel Collazo is going to use Garcia, and potentially Lara, being that both play Friday and again on Saturday.
A chance to represent your country though, is an opportunity that could make that situation moot.
LAREDO MORNING TIMES
The Laredo Heat get a day off from Premier Development League competition to welcome the Mexico Under-20 national team tonight at the Texas A&M International soccer complex.
The game is set for an 8:15 p.m. start.
The last time the Heat took on a national squad was in 2005, when it fell 4-1 to the U.S. Under 17 team.
Tickets can be purchased at the gate for $10 for adults, and $5 for children 12-and-under.
VIP seating is $20.
The friendly game offers a chance for the Heat to forget about its PDL worries for at least one day and a chance to measure itself against some of the best young talent its neighboring country has to offer.
The Mexican side arrived early Tuesday and had a light training session that night. Mexico, like the U.S. Under 20 squad, is gearing up for the 2009 World Cup taking place in Egypt.
The two sides play on Friday.
“It’s like the first game is a bonus because people get to see the Mexican National team twice,” Heat owner Shashi Vaswani said.
The Friday tickets are $35 for general admission and $50 for VIP seating. You can buy tickets tomorrow for $10 less by calling (956) 723-4700.
“We worked very hard in trying to bring these two events to Laredo,” Vaswani said. “Also not one, but two local Laredoans are on the USA roster, so when are we going to get a chance to see this again? It’ll be great to have the support of Laredo and have the teams leave with a positive experience.”
The Heat, on the other hand, not only get a chance to play for the love of the game, but a chance to let go of the mounting pressure of the Mid South Division.
The Heat returns to PDL play on Saturday when it hosts the Houston Leones. It’ll have two games remaining after Saturday.
All are must win contests.
The Heat (5-4-4, 19 points) trails El Paso (6-4-3, 21) and has a slim edge over the Mississippi Brilla (5-5-3, 18) for the second and final postseason spot.
Also on the radar is New Orleans (4-5-3, 15) and Baton Rouge (5-7-1, 16). The Austin Aztex (10-2-1, 31) clinched the championship last weekend with a win over Mississippi.
Mexican national youth coach Jesus “Chucho” Ramirez, whose tenure as interim coach for the Mexican national team recently came to an end, is going to be on the sidelines, but was not with the team on Tuesday evening during their light practice at TAMIU.
Ramirez returns to Mexico after coaching the team Wednesday and is scheduled to return for Friday’s game versus the U.S.
On Thursday, new Mexican national coach Sven-Goran Eriksson’s returns to Mexico to name his fellow staff members.
Ramirez turned down Eriksson’s proposal to stay on as an assistant in order to concentrate with his nation’s youth team and program.
On the sidelines are assistants Rafael Jardon and Cesar Vega Perrone.
The coaches are preparing to find the squad that’ll travel to Trinidad & Tobago for the CONCACAF Championships which are tentailvey set for January and February.
The top four finishers in the tourney earn a berth to the World Cup in Egypt.
The team flew in 22 youngsters, including goalies Alejandro Vela Gonzalez (Coatzacoalcos), Hugo Alfonso Gonzalez (America); defensemen Marco Antonio de Leon Almanza (Guadalajara), Daniel Carlos Montes Rodriguez (Guadalajar), Oswaldo Alanis Pantoja (U.A.G.), Kristian Omar Alvarez Nuno (Guadalajara), Ivan Islas Rodriguez (Monterrey), Juan Antonio Ocampo Silva (Guadalajara); midfielders Cesar Martinez Montalvo (Monterrey), Israel Sabdi Jimenez Nanez (Tigres), Homero Guajardo Parra (Monterrey), Alberto Soto Pacheco (Santos), Eduardo Arce Pena (Toluca), Francisco Javier Dorame Sasturain (Morelia); Forwards Americo Jonas Rodriguez Ramos (Tigres), Arnold Rivas Martinez (U.A.G.), Axel Velazquez Caballero (Atlas), Jose Guadalupe Garza Avila (Morelia), Ulises Alejandro Davila Plascencia (Guadalajara) and Moises Adrian Velasco Herrera (Toluca).
The Heat has its own national team member in Felix Garcia, who as a member of the U.S. Under 20 squad gets the privilege of facing the Mexican team twice.
Fellow Heat and high school (LBJ) teammate Frank Lara was invited to take part with the U.S. Under 20 team.
The only question for Laredo remains how Coach Israel Collazo is going to use Garcia, and potentially Lara, being that both play Friday and again on Saturday.
A chance to represent your country though, is an opportunity that could make that situation moot.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Heat optimistic heading into closing stretch of season
By NINO CARDENAS
LAREDO MORNING TIMES
With the playoffs rapidly approaching, it’s clear that the Laredo Heat can ill afford to stumble down the stretch.
The Heat (5-3-4, 19 points) is likely to be in a three or even four-way battle for the second and final playoff spot, as the Austin Aztex (8-2-1, 25) have what appears to be an insurmountable lead in the Mid South Division race.
Things don’t get any easier for Laredo as three of its final four games, including tonight’s match against division leader Austin, are against playoff contenders in the El Paso Patriots (6-4-3, 21 points) and the New Orleans Shell Shockers (4-5-3, 15).
The Heat plays Austin at 7:30 p.m. tonight in Round Rock.
“We’re not stressing out,” Heat head coach Israel Collazo said. “We’re working toward getting better. At the moment we are focused on Austin, a team that we are as good if not better then, things just haven’t gone our way lately.
“We are going to go and try to play our game, fundamentally sound and professionally and hopefully, God willing, we come out with a win.”
El Paso takes the weekend off at perhaps the wrong time. The Patriots were on a four-game winning streak in which they knocked off Austin and Laredo. They resume play against another surging team in the Mississippi Brilla (5-4-2, 17 points) next weekend.
The Brilla are playing two key games over the weekend at Houston (3-7-1, 10 points) and at Austin (8-2-1, 25).
New Orleans still has its name in the mix and plays its last four games in the comforts at home, starting Saturday versus Dallas-Fort Worth (4-7-3, 15).
The Tornados have only two games left in the season and are all but eliminated from playoff contention.
The Aztex have five games remaining with only two at home in which they can look to clinch the division by winning three of the last five games.
All signs point to Austin wrapping up the division in the upcoming weeks as El Paso and Laredo need to win out to have a chance.
The race is on for second place as the Patriots have three games remaining and all are against the top teams left in the Brilla, Laredo and Austin.
El Paso’s only chance to catch Austin is if the Patriots win out and the Aztex only manage one win in their final five games.
Laredo, on the other hand, needs to win out and have Austin win only twice more for the decision to go to goal differential between the two clubs if Laredo beats the Aztex at their house tonight.
Simply put, play your game and control your own destiny, Collazo said.
“The pressure is always going to be there, the thing is how one handles the pressure,” Collazo said. “Some people handle it well and others don’t. We know that we just have to continue playing our game and stay focused on us and what we can do, not what other’s need to do in order to help us.”
Helping the Heat’s chances of getting the always welcomed three points for a victory is the return of striker Felix Garcia, who leads the team with six goals, and defender Oliver Mulamba. Both players served a one-game suspension last week due to card infractions.
Sitting this one out, though, is the author of last week’s lone goal against Houston, Raul Quinones, who was red carded in the 90th minute.
In last week’s game, three new players dressed up for Laredo. Filling in from the practice squad were Pedro Ramos Del Llano, Raul Perreira and Kamah Duwana.
“We had to use their services and they played well,” Collazo said. “Everybody has to be at 100 percent because at any given moment you might be needed. If you show me that you’re better prepared than the next guy, then you’re playing. There is no seniority or guaranteed spots.”
The Heat is winless in its last three games, while the Aztex have won two of their last three. They lost for just the second time this season against El Paso 2-1 last week.
Finding ways to score against Austin isn’t an easy task, they have, by far, the best defense in the division and in the entire Premier Development League.
Their offense isn’t too shabby, either, with a division-leading 19 goals. At home in Dragon Stadium in Round Rock, the Aztex are 5-1-0 and have 12 of their 19 goals and allowed two of the four.
Laredo’s defense has been flimsy of late, allowing five goals in its last three games after allowing only six in nine previous contests. Offensively, the Heat has knocked in 18 goals total this season and three in the last three games.
“It is a 100 percent change from last year where at this stage we were thinking about who we would play in the playoffs,” Collazo said. “Now we are just thinking about qualifying and getting a chance, God willing, to defend our championship.
“We are going to go out there and play with our heart and soul. It’s not over yet; there are four games left.”
LAREDO MORNING TIMES
With the playoffs rapidly approaching, it’s clear that the Laredo Heat can ill afford to stumble down the stretch.
The Heat (5-3-4, 19 points) is likely to be in a three or even four-way battle for the second and final playoff spot, as the Austin Aztex (8-2-1, 25) have what appears to be an insurmountable lead in the Mid South Division race.
Things don’t get any easier for Laredo as three of its final four games, including tonight’s match against division leader Austin, are against playoff contenders in the El Paso Patriots (6-4-3, 21 points) and the New Orleans Shell Shockers (4-5-3, 15).
The Heat plays Austin at 7:30 p.m. tonight in Round Rock.
“We’re not stressing out,” Heat head coach Israel Collazo said. “We’re working toward getting better. At the moment we are focused on Austin, a team that we are as good if not better then, things just haven’t gone our way lately.
“We are going to go and try to play our game, fundamentally sound and professionally and hopefully, God willing, we come out with a win.”
El Paso takes the weekend off at perhaps the wrong time. The Patriots were on a four-game winning streak in which they knocked off Austin and Laredo. They resume play against another surging team in the Mississippi Brilla (5-4-2, 17 points) next weekend.
The Brilla are playing two key games over the weekend at Houston (3-7-1, 10 points) and at Austin (8-2-1, 25).
New Orleans still has its name in the mix and plays its last four games in the comforts at home, starting Saturday versus Dallas-Fort Worth (4-7-3, 15).
The Tornados have only two games left in the season and are all but eliminated from playoff contention.
The Aztex have five games remaining with only two at home in which they can look to clinch the division by winning three of the last five games.
All signs point to Austin wrapping up the division in the upcoming weeks as El Paso and Laredo need to win out to have a chance.
The race is on for second place as the Patriots have three games remaining and all are against the top teams left in the Brilla, Laredo and Austin.
El Paso’s only chance to catch Austin is if the Patriots win out and the Aztex only manage one win in their final five games.
Laredo, on the other hand, needs to win out and have Austin win only twice more for the decision to go to goal differential between the two clubs if Laredo beats the Aztex at their house tonight.
Simply put, play your game and control your own destiny, Collazo said.
“The pressure is always going to be there, the thing is how one handles the pressure,” Collazo said. “Some people handle it well and others don’t. We know that we just have to continue playing our game and stay focused on us and what we can do, not what other’s need to do in order to help us.”
Helping the Heat’s chances of getting the always welcomed three points for a victory is the return of striker Felix Garcia, who leads the team with six goals, and defender Oliver Mulamba. Both players served a one-game suspension last week due to card infractions.
Sitting this one out, though, is the author of last week’s lone goal against Houston, Raul Quinones, who was red carded in the 90th minute.
In last week’s game, three new players dressed up for Laredo. Filling in from the practice squad were Pedro Ramos Del Llano, Raul Perreira and Kamah Duwana.
“We had to use their services and they played well,” Collazo said. “Everybody has to be at 100 percent because at any given moment you might be needed. If you show me that you’re better prepared than the next guy, then you’re playing. There is no seniority or guaranteed spots.”
The Heat is winless in its last three games, while the Aztex have won two of their last three. They lost for just the second time this season against El Paso 2-1 last week.
Finding ways to score against Austin isn’t an easy task, they have, by far, the best defense in the division and in the entire Premier Development League.
Their offense isn’t too shabby, either, with a division-leading 19 goals. At home in Dragon Stadium in Round Rock, the Aztex are 5-1-0 and have 12 of their 19 goals and allowed two of the four.
Laredo’s defense has been flimsy of late, allowing five goals in its last three games after allowing only six in nine previous contests. Offensively, the Heat has knocked in 18 goals total this season and three in the last three games.
“It is a 100 percent change from last year where at this stage we were thinking about who we would play in the playoffs,” Collazo said. “Now we are just thinking about qualifying and getting a chance, God willing, to defend our championship.
“We are going to go out there and play with our heart and soul. It’s not over yet; there are four games left.”
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