With only eight games remaining in the regular season, the Laredo Heat can no longer afford to let any more points slip away.
Six potential points are up for grabs this week, as the Heat host the Dallas-Fort Worth Tornados tonight and the Rio Grande Valley Bravos on Friday.
Both games are at 8:15 p.m.
The club's veterans and rookies have now reached a point where their inexperience with one another is no longer a valid obstacle.
They've played and practiced long enough to finally begin showing signs of what the team can accomplish.
Essentially, it's the time of the season where every team hopes to begin ironing out the nuances as they strive to make a playoff run.
"There will always be things to tinker with here and there," Heat coach Israel Collazo said.
"What we need to do is make sure we stay the course for 90-plus minutes.
It does you no good to play 80 solid minutes and lose in the final ten.
"The new players are learning game by game.
You don't start off in this league knowing what you have to do or is expected of you."
The Heat (4-1-3, 15 points) looks to maintain its current course and stay in contention for another division title.
"These next two games at home are crucial, and we're striving for the six points," Collazo said.
The Tornados (1-5-2) come to town on Thursday when they'll look for their first win in over a month.
The Tornados' last victory came on May 16 against the Houston Leones.
Since then, the club has been on a downward spiral where they've been shut out three times and outscored 15-6.
On the road the Tornados are 1-3-0 and have been outscored 9-5.
The Heat, on the other hand, is perfect in three games at home and has scored five goals and allowed one.
The fact that the Tornados are playing poorly isn't offering the Heat any consolation as Laredo managed two ties and one win against the Houston Leones, the division's last place team.
The two ties were on the road.
"Playing at home is always an advantage since we know the ins and outs of the field," Collazo said.
"When we hit the road, the fans aren't really what worries us, but the referees since they tend to have a tendency to favor the home team."
The Tornados' leading player is Daniel Summers with three goals.
Their goalkeeper Janrai Gravely hasn't played too well, allowing 2.869 goals on average.
On Friday, the Heat host the Rio Grande Valley Bravos (3-3-3, 12) who are 2-2-2 on the road, but have scored 11 goals and allowed nine.
The Bravos have lost two of their past three games, with their last game being a 5-2 rout of Dallas.
Their top scorer is Salvador Luna with five goals followed by Jesus Mireles with two goals.
Their goalkeeper Juan Garcia has allowed 1.28 goals against per game.
Note: With the purchase of a ticket for tonight's game, fans will receive a ticket free of charge for Friday's game.
General admission tickets are $5.00 for adults, and kids 12 and under get in free.
VIP Area tickets are priced at $20.
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