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.