Chelsea wins EPL race, United takes second. Chelsea only needed a tie to win its fourth English League title and as it turned out a sixth minute goal by Nicholas Anelka was all Chelsea needed as they cruised to an 8-0 win over Wigan. United, 4-0 winners over Stoke, could only watch their hopes dim as Chelsea scored goal after goal on the season’s final week. Chelsea will try to win another trophy this week as it takes on recently relegated Portsmouth in the FA Cup final this Saturday. The game will be on Fox Soccer Channel at 9 am.

Manchester United Selected to play MLS ALL-STARS. Major League Soccer announced last week that English giants Manchester United will be playing this year’s MLS All-Star team in the annual MLS All-Star game on July 28th at the 70,000 capacity Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. This will be the Manchester-based club’s first MLS All-Star game appearance and the fifth English side to face off against the league All-Star’s. Tickets for the game will go on sale to the public on May 30th. Stay tuned for more information on how you can join the Crocketteers at this game.

Dynamo continue their dominance over Chivas USA. The Houston Dynamo came away with their 11th straight victory over Chivas USA last Saturday with a 2-0 win at the Home Depot Center. Brad Davis scored a goal and set up Adrian Serioux for the second in the first 8 minutes as the Dynamo won their first game on the road. The Dynamo currently sit in second place of the Western Conference behind the LA Galaxy. The Dynamo played without forward Brian Ching, who is still nursing an injury.

FC Dallas wins second game in row. Jeff Cunningham scores in the 68th minute to give Dallas its second win of the season at the expense of hapless DC United. United (1-6-0) was shut out for the fifth time this season. Cunningham’s goal was his fourth in just six games. For the second straight game Kevin Hartman started at goal over Dario Sala. Has Hartman taken over the starting goalkeeper job?

Seattle Sounders to pay back fans after loss to the LA Galaxy. Upon losing 4-0 last weekend, GM Adrian Hanauer made the following statement, “ I’ve been on the phone with Joe Roth and Tod Leiweke this morning, and Gary Wright, and some of the people that I run the business with. And that performance last night wasn’t good enough. The effort wasn’t good enough. The execution wasn’t good enough. The heart wasn’t good enough. The passion wasn’t good enough. The only thing that was good enough was our fans. So we decided that we’re going to give our fans their money back for that game. Our season ticket holders. The people who were with us from the beginning, and will be with us in the future. We’re in this for the long haul. We need them to be in it for the long haul. That wasn’t Sounders soccer. And it was quite frankly embarrassing, humiliating, and they don’t deserve that. It’ll come in the form of credit against next year’s season tickets because we want people in for the long haul. It just wasn’t good enough. It’s not a precedent. We don’t plan on giving people money back every time we have a bad game. But as the owners of the club, we reserve the right to do whatever we think we need to do to treat our fans the way they’ve treated us.” Anyone ever hear any other American team do something like this?

Austin Aztex tie on the Road in Tampa. In the first ever USSF D-2 Pro League game at George M. Steinbrenner Field over 8,000 fans packed the converted baseball complex in Tampa Bay last Saturday. Austin was able to come away with a 2-2 draw in a game that saw 3 penalty kicks. The tie sent the Aztex to 10 points and tied for second in the USL conference. The Aztex are off to a fantastic start this season.
The next home game for the Aztex is this Sunday, May 16th. Game time is 6:00 pm. Tickets for the Crystal Palace Baltimore match on May 16, as well as season tickets are available now. All season tickets are flex tickets and can be used in any combination for any regular season game. To purchase your tickets, please visit www.austinaztex.com or call 512-335-8881.

Houston Dynamo to play in Corpus Christi. The Houston Dynamo will play an exhibition match vs the Laredo Heat on Thursday, June 10, 2010 in Corpus Christi, Texas at Whataburger field, home of the Corpus Christi Hooks baseball team. If you would like to purchase tickets to sit with the Crocketteers please go to our website and purchase your ticket no later than this Friday, May 14, 2010 by 12 noon.
http://www.crocketteers.com/2010/03/30/dynamo-to-play-in-ryan-sanders-shootout-corpus-christi/

US Soccer Names its preliminary 30 man roster for the World Cup. U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley has submitted to FIFA the 30-man preliminary roster for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. From this list, a squad of 23 players must be chosen by June 1 for the final roster that will travel to South Africa. The 30 players will begin reporting to Princeton, N.J., on May 15 for the start of training camp, with field sessions beginning two days later. Story and roster courtesy of US Soccer.
PRE-WORLD CUP TRAINING CAMP ROSTER

U.S. TRAINING CAMP ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton)
DEFENDERS (9): Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Jay DeMerit (Watford), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)
MIDFIELDERS (12): DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers), Alejandro Bedoya (Örebro), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus), Stuart Holden (Bolton), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), José Torres (Pachuca)
FORWARDS (6): Jozy Altidore (Villarreal), Edson Buddle (Los Angeles Galaxy), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake), Herculez Gomez (Puebla), Eddie Johnson (Aris Thessaloniki)

Soccer on TV. Courtesy of Soccer America. Http://www.socceramerica.com
TUESDAY, May 11

FOX SPORTS EN ESPANOL
Copa Libertadores CHIVAS GUADALAJARA-LIBERTAD (live) 8 pm.

FOX SOCCER PLUS
England League Championship Promotion Playoff NOTTINGHAM FOREST-BLACKPOOL (live) 1:30 pm.

WEDNESDAY, May 12

DIRECTV (461)
Europa League Final, ATLETICO MADRID-FULHAM (live) 1:45 pm

FOX SPORTS EN ESPANOL
Copa Libertadores FLAMENGO-U DE CHILE (live) 5:30 pm.
Copa Libertadores CRUZEIRO-SAO PAULO (live) 7:30 pm.

GOL TV
Uruguay PENAROL-NACIONAL (live) 6:30 pm.

THURSDAY, May 13

ESPN2
MLS REAL SALT LAKE-HOUSTON DYNAMO (live) 8 pm.

ESPN DEPORTES
MLS REAL SALT LAKE-HOUSTON DYNAMO (live) 8 pm.

FOX SPORTS EN ESPANOL
Copa Libertadores INTERNACIONAL-ESTUDIANTES (live) 7 pm.

GOL TV
Europa League ATL. MADIRD-FULHAM (delay) 7 pm.

TELEMUNDO
Friendly MEXICO-ANGOLA (live) 8 pm.

FRIDAY, May 14
no live games

SATURDAY, May 15

FOX SOCCER CHANNEL
FA Cup Final CHELSEA-PORTSMOUTH (live) 9 am.
MLS KANSAS CITY-CHICAGO (live) 7:30 pm.

FOX SPORTS EN ESPANOL
FA Cup Final CHELSEA-PORTSMOUTH (live) 9 am.
MLS KANSAS CITY-CHICAGO (delay) 11:30 pm.

FOX SOCCER PLUS
England League One Promotion Playoff tba (live) 6 am.
England League Two Promotion Playoff tba (live) 12 pm.
FA Cup Final CHELSEA-PORTSMOUTH (delay) 2 pm.

TELEFUTURA
MLS PHILADELPHIA-DALLAS (live) 3 pm.

MLS DIRECT KICK
MLS NEW ENGLAND-SAN JOSE (live) 5 pm.
MLS NEW YORK-SEATTLE (live) 6:30 pm.
MLS LOS ANGELES-TORONTO (live) 9:30 pm.

SUNDAY, May 16

FOX SOCCER CHANNEL
Italy TBA (live) 8 am.
Italy TBA (delay) 10 am.
Italy TBA (delay) 1 pm.
WPS ATLANTA BEAT-WASHINGTON FREEDOM (live) 5 pm.
Argentina TBA (delay) 10 pm.

FOX SPORTS EN ESPANOL
Italy SIENA-INTER MILAN (live) 8 am.
Italy CHIEVO-ROMA (delay) 1:30 pm.
Argentina TBA (delay) 4 pm.
Italy AC MILAN-JUVENTUS (delay) 7 pm.

FOX SOCCER PLUS
Italy TBA (live) 8 am.
Italy TBA (delay) 1 pm.
Argentina TBA (delay) 6 pm.

EPL Race remains tight. Chelsea climbed back to the top of the Premier League as Salomon Kalou’s hat-trick lead a 7-0 win over Stoke on Sunday which sent the Blues one point clear of Manchester United. The big test comes this Sunday at Liverpool. A win against 7th place Liverpool will only leave a home game next week against 16th place Wigan. Manchester United, one point behind league leader Chelsea, plays at Sunderland and finishes at home the following week against Stoke.

Dynamo fall on road to Fire. Lose Geoff Cameron for the season. Baggio Husidic scored in first half stoppage time, and Peter Lowry added one in the second half as the Chicago Fire defeated the Houston Dynamo 2-0 at Toyota Park on Saturday night. Already beset by injuries, the Houston Dynamo got an extra dose of bad news on Monday when midfielder Geoff Cameron was diagnosed with a ruptured right PCL suffered in Saturday’s game against Chicago. Cameron will undergo surgery later this week and will miss the remainder of the season. The Dynamo will host Kanas City Wizards at home this Saturday.

FC Dallas earns 2-2 draw with the Seattle Sounders on questionable penalty. FC Dallas forward Jeff Cunningham scores two penalty kicks, one the 27th minute and one in stoppage-time, The second spotkick came in the 94th minute, after rookie sub Jason Yeisley tried splitting two Seattle’s center backs in the box. The two defenders collapsed on the young striker and he tumbled over causing referee Terry Vaughn to point to the spot. The Sounders got goals Steve Zakuani and Fredy Montero, who blasted in a stunning 41-yard freekick. FC Dallas plays DC United in the US Open Cup on Wednesday and travels to New England to take on the Revolution on Saturday.

Rhinos Derail Aztex. A furious first half of action left the Austin Aztex and Rochester Rhinos knotted at one goal a piece on Sunday at House Park, but a goal in the 65th minute by the Rhinos Anthony Hamilton gave Rochester a 2-1 win.

Austin stays home for one more exhibition match on Wednesday before heading on a two-game road trip to NSC Minnesota and Tampa Bay. Wednesday’s match is against the Haitian National Team and is free to all fans. All proceeds from the match will go to benefit the earthquake relief effort.

Tickets for the Crystal Palace Baltimore match on May 16, as well as season tickets are available now. All season tickets are flex tickets and can be used in any combination for any regular season game. To purchase your tickets, please visit www.austinaztex.com, call 512-335-8881.

Soccer on TV. Courtesy of Soccer America. Http://www.socceramerica.com
WEDNESDAY, April 28

FOX SOCCER CHANNEL
UEFA Champions League BARCELONA-INTER MILAN (live) 1:30 pm.
Concacaf Champions League PACHUCA-CRUZ AZUL (live) 7 pm.

FOX SPORTS EN ESPANOL
UEFA Champions League BARCELONA-INTER MILAN (live) 1:30 pm.
Copa Libertadores UNIVERSITARIO-SAO PAULO (live) 5:30 pm.
Copa Libertadores FLAMENGO-CORINTHIANS (live) 7:30 pm.

FOX SOCCER PLUS
UEFA Champions League BARCELONA-INTER MILAN (delay) 4 pm.

TELEFUTURA
Concacaf Champions League PACHUCA-CRUZ AZUL (live) 7 pm.

THURSDAY, April 29

FOX SPORTS EN ESPANOL
Copa Libertadores BANFIELD-INTERNACIONAL (delay) 1:30 am.
Copa Libertadores CRUZEIRO-NACIONAL (live) 5 pm.
Copa Libertadores ALIANZA LIMA-U DE CHILE (live) 7 pm.
Copa Libertadores ONCE CALDAS-LIBERTAD (live) 9:30 pm.

GOL TV
Europa League LIVERPOOL-ATL. MADRID (live) 2 pm.
Europa League FULHAM-HAMBURG (delay) 7 pm.

FRIDAY, April 30
tba

SATURDAY, May 1

FOX SOCCER CHANNEL
England MANCHESTER CITY-ASTON VILLA (live) 9 am.
England PORTSMOUTH-WOLVERHAMPTON (delay) 11 am.
Italy AC MILAN-FIORENTINA (live) 1:30 pm.
WPS SKY BLUE-GOLD PRIDE (live) 5 pm.
MLS HOUSTON-KANSAS CITY (live) 7:30 pm.

FOX SPORTS EN ESPANOL
England MANCHESTER CITY-ASTON VILLA (live) 9 am.
England PORTSMOUTH-WOLVERHAMPTON (delay) 11 am.
Italy AC MILAN-FIORENTINA (delay) 6 pm.
MLS HOUSTON-KANSAS CITY (live) 7:30 pm.

FOX SOCCER PLUS
England TOTTENHAM-BOLTON (live) 9 am.
Italy PARMA-ROMA (live) 11 am.
England STOKE CITY-EVERTON (delay) 3 pm.

TELEFUTURA
MLS D.C. UNITED-NEW YORK (live) 3 pm.

MLS DIRECT KICK
MLS NEW ENGLAND-DALLAS(live) 6:30 pm.
MLS CHICAGO-CHIVAS USA (live) 7:30 pm.
MLS REAL SALT LAKE-TORONTO (live) 8 pm.
MLS SAN JOSE-COLORADO (live) 9 pm.
MLS LOS ANGELES-PHILADELPHIA (live) 9:30 pm.
MLS SEATTLE-COLUMBUS (live) 9:30 pm.

SUNDAY, May 2

FOX SOCCER CHANNEL
Italy CATANIA-JUVENTUS (live) 8 am.
England SUNDERLAND-MANCHESTER UNITED (live) 10 am.
Italy LAZIO-INTER MILAN (live) 1:30 pm.
FOX SPORTS EN ESPANOL
MLS HOUSTON-KANSAS CITY (delay) 11:30 am.
Italy CATANIA-JUVENTUS (live) 8 am.
England SUNDERLAND-MANCHESTER UNITED (live) 10 am.
Italy LAZIO-INTER MILAN (live) 1:30 pm.
Argentina INDEPENDIENTE-BOCA JUNIORS (live) 4 pm.

FOX SOCCER PLUS
England LIVERPOOL-CHELSEA (live) 7:30 am.
England FULHAM-WEST HAM UNITED (delay) 9:30 am.
Italy LAZIO-INTER MILAN (delay) 4 pm.

The EPL title is now a race. Just when we thought Chelsea’s was on its way towards the Premier League title along comes another twist to this strange season to leave the race wide open again. With 20 seconds left on the clock at the City of Manchester Stadium, Paul Scholes kept a cool head when Man United needed it most to propel themselves within one point of league leaders Chelsea. United’s victory cuppled with Chelsea’s loss to Tottenham places United to within 1 point of the league leader. With each team with three games to go the race to the end will be interesting.

FIFA Says 145,000 World Cup Tickets Sold. FIFA reported on Sunday that over 145,000 tickets had been sold. In this final round of distribution many tickets are still available. So far, only 29 of the 64 matches are sold out. Included in that 29 are the sold out final and semi-final matches.

RedBulls late penalty sinks FC Dallas. When FC Dallas goalkeeper Dario Sala stopped RedBull forward Juan Pablo Angel’s penalty kick in the 65th minute many thought Sala had secured a point for the visiting team. But Dallas was called for second penalty kick in stoppage time on a foul just inside the penalty area. This time Juan Pablo Angel made the most of it. Angel put it away to give New York a 2-1 victory and send FCD to its first defeat of the season after two draws. New York goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul came up big in the game stopping to one on ones from Jeff Cunningham and Eric Avila.

Houston Dynamo wins 10th game over Chivas. Geoff Cameron, Lovel Palmer and Dominic Oduro scored goals, and the Houston Dynamo shut out Chivas USA, 3-0, on Saturday. The Dynamo got two saves from Pat Onstad and extended its 10 game winning streak over Chivas USA. Chivas USA has not beaten the Dynamo since a 3-2 win in California back in August 2006. Palmer, in his first start for the Dynamo, Cracked a screamer from 25 yards out which may turn out to be the goal of the year. Check it out for yourself.
http://www.mlssoccer.com/content/lovel-palmers-30-yard-goal-puts-houston-2-0

Austin Aztex beat AC St. Louis, Remain Undefeated. The Aztex are on top of the table in the USL Division after beating last week defending USL champion Montreal. The next home game for the Aztex is Sunday, April 25th at House Park in downtown Austin against the Rochester Rhinos. Tickets, as well as season tickets are available now. All season tickets are flex tickets and can be used in any combination for any regular season game. To purchase your tickets, please visit www.austinaztex.com, or call 512-335-8881.

Haitian National Team delights the standing room only crowd. A crowd of over 2500 packed Trinity University on Monday night as the Haitian National team etched out a 2-0 win over Trinity University. The stadium was filled to capacity with fans spilling on to the field and behind the goals. Many watching from outside the fences of the packed stadium. The fans were treated to some great soccer from both the Haitians and the Trinity boys. The atmosphere was rocking. The Crocketteers were out in force and started many chants for the Haitian team. Hats off to my Crocketteer brothers and sisters.

High School Soccer’s Finest. The Expres-News published in Sunday’s paper the area’s best in boys and girls soccer. Check out the list of fine student athletes at: http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/high_school/Parade_of_Champions_Express-News_honor_teams.html

Soccer on TV April 20-25 Courtesy of Soccer America.com

TUESDAY, April 20

FOX SPORTS NET
UEFA Champions League INTER MILAN-BARCELONA (live) 1:45 pm.
FOX SOCCER CHANNEL
UEFA Champions League INTER MILAN-BARCELONA (delay) 4 pm.

FOX SPORTS EN ESPANOL
UEFA Champions League INTER MILAN-BARCELONA (live) 1:30 pm.
Copa Libertadores ESTUDIANTES-ALIANZA LIMA (live) 7 pm.

FOX SOCCER PLUS
Copa Libertadores ESTUDIANTES-ALIANZA LIMA (live) 7 pm.

WEDNESDAY, April 21
FOX SOCCER CHANNEL
UEFA Champions League BAYERN MUNICH-LYON (live) 1:30 pm.
Concacaf Champions League CRUZ AZUL-PACHUCA  (live) 9 pm.

FOX SPORTS EN ESPANOL
UEFA Champions League BAYERN MUNICH-LYON (live) 1:30 pm.
Copa Libertadores NACIONAL [URU]-MORELIA (live) 5:30 pm.
Copa Libertadores CLUB NACIONAL [PAR]-MONTERREY (live) 7:30 pm.

FOX SOCCER PLUS
England HULL CITY-ASTON VILLA (live) 1:40 pm.
UEFA Champions League BAYERN MUNICH-LYON (delay) 4 pm.

GOL TV
Italy UDINESE-ROMA (live) 11 am.
TELEFUTURA
Concacaf Champions League CRUZ AZUL-PACHUCA  (live) 9 pm.

THURSDAY, April 22

ESPN2
MLS DALLAS-SEATTLE (live) 7 pm.

ESPN DEPORTES
MLS DALLAS-SEATTLE (live) 7 pm.

FOX SPORTS EN ESPANOL
Copa Libertadores CHILE-U CATOLICA (delay) 1 pm.
Copa Libertadores SAO PAULO-ONCE CALDAS (delay) 3:30 pm.
Copa Libertadores INTERNACIONAL-DEPORTIVO QUITO (live) 5:30 pm.
Copa Libertadores CORINTHIANS-INDEPENDIENTE MEDELLIN (live) 7:30 pm.

GOL TV
Europa League HAMBURG-FULHAM (live) 2 pm.
Europa League ATL. MADRID-LIVERPOOL (delay) 7 pm.

FRIDAY, April 23
tba

SATURDAY, April 24

FOX SOCCER CHANNEL
England HULL CITY-SUNDERLAND (live) 9 am.
Italy INTER MILAN-ATALANTA (live) 11am.
England BOLTON-PORTSMOUTH (delay) 3 pm.

FOX SPORTS EN ESPANOL
England WEST HAM-WIGAN (live) 9 am.
England ARSENAL-MANCHESTER CITY (live) 11:30 am.
Italy PALERMO-AC MILAN (delay) 6 pm.

FOX SOCCER PLUS
England HULL CITY-SUNDERLAND (live) 9 am.
Italy INTER MILAN-ATALANTA (live) 11 am.
England BOLTON-PORTSMOUTH (delay) 3 pm.

TELEFUTURA
MLS NEW YORK-PHILADELPHIA (live) 3 pm.

MLS DIRECT KICK
MLS COLUMBUS CREW-REAL SALT LAKE (live) 6:30 pm.
MLS NEW ENGLAND-COLORADO (live) 6:30 pm.
MLS CHICAGO-HOUSTON (live) 7:30 pm.
MLS KANSAS CITY-LOS ANGELES (live) 7:30 pm.

SUNDAY, April 25

FOX SOCCER CHANNEL
England ASTON VILLA-BIRMINGHAM CITY (live) 6 am.
England BURNLEY-LIVERPOOL (live) 9 am.
Argentina BOCA JUNIORS-SAN LORENZO (delay) 11pm

FOX SPORTS EN ESPANOL
Italy JUVENTUS-BARI (live) 8 am.
England CHELSEA-STOKE CITY (live) 10 am.
Mexico INDIOS-UNAM (live) 2 pm.
Italy ROMA-SAMPDORIA (delay) 4 pm.

FOX SOCCER PLUS
England ASTON VILLA-BIRMINGHAM CITY (live) 6 am.
England BURNLEY-LIVERPOOL (live) 9 am.
Argentina BOCA JUNIORS-SAN LORENZO (delay) 11pm

MLS DIRECT KICK
MLS TORONTO-SEATTLE (live) 1 pm.

You have joined the group at an early time in our existence. Our website is just about 3 months old and we started out as 6 friends. It was at the Lion and Rose at Park North that we decided to put the group together. We all felt the same passion for the game of soccer and we all agreed how great it would be if we could see and support a professional soccer team locally. After seeing the immediate success in Seattle (in an NFL stadium too), realizing we are the 7th largest US city, and knowing what a great urban atmosphere downtown San Antonio offers, we knew in our minds there was no question that San Antonio could support a Major League Soccer franchise. Today we are roughly over  80  95 people in total (combination of unique people on facebook or directly signed up on Crocketteers.com).

With that said, we are fully aware that the USL is looking at the San Antonio market for another team in their first division. Although we strive to bring the highest brand of professional soccer to San Antonio, we agree that we, the Crocketteers, will also support a USL-1 franchise making an immediate rival with our friends to the North, the Austin Aztex.  A few weeks ago 11 of us joined Chantico’s Army (Supporters Group of the Aztex) in watching the World Cup Qualifying match between the United States and Costa Rica and later in the week watching the Aztex host the Charlestion Battery.

For a nice recap of our time in Austin, please read “Big Night for the Crocketteers!” by Sergio Macias and Sam’s “My First Live Soccer Game”. We were fortunate to hang out with Chantico’s Army after the game and meet the owner of the Aztex, Phil Rawlins, and their manager, former Everton star, Adrian Heath. Subsequently, the Crocketteers received a friendly e-mail from Kay Rawlins, Head of Client and Community Services, recognizing our efforts in attending their match. She has invited us to attend the Copa Aztex July 18th at the University of Texas in Austin. Cruz Azul and Tigres will be playing a match that day along with other soccer related activities on the grounds of UT. I invite you all to join us in another road trip up I-35 and see some top-notch futbol action.

Again I want to thank all of you for joining our group within the last week. I got a chance to speak to a few  of you briefly and I know some of you plan to encourage your friends to join our group. I want to reiterate that nothing is required of you as a member of the Crocketteers. When we do get a team to support, then we can make simple requirements to maintain membership but nothing too significant. For those of you who want to contribute more, feel free to ask how you can help. We are always open to new bloggers for the website. With that said, I hope you all can at least spread the word about the Crocketteers and help drive our membership numbers up. One member, James Hope, had the great idea of getting business cards made for the group to hand out at soccer events, get togethers, etc…

Lastly, we will plan to have a meeting for anyone who would like to help come up with various ideas and strategies to discuss making the Crocketteers a real success and taking the group to a new level.

Again, Welcome to the Crocketteers!

Single Flier (jpeg)

Double Flier (pdf)

The Austin Aztex played the Charleston Battery Friday, losing in a 2-0 shellacking.  It wasn’t a huge surprise, as the Battery are very good, and the Aztex are new to the USL-1.  However, the effort was there for the Aztex, which means more to me after watching the USA National team sleep through their game against Costa Rica recently.  The Aztex seemed to push the ball far more aggressively than the US team did, unfortunately they really did seem to be just physically outmatched at most positions.

Overall the game was an enjoyable experience, I got to see some things I never would have on TV, with my favorite experience being the poor distracted ball boy.  We were sitting near the Charleston goal about midway through the second half, with the Aztex attacking.  The ball was kicked into the stands by a Battery defender and rather than immediately feed the Aztex the ball for a quick throw in before the defense got set up, the poor ball boy tracked the flight of the ball into the stands.  He was completely oblivious to the crowd and Aztex player as they screamed for him to provide a ball to the player.  Hilarity ensued as the ball boy freaked out , threw a new ball to the player, and then refused to look at the crowd for the rest of the game.

While it was a sizable defeat to the Aztex, their faithful Chantico’s Army did not let that discourage them from supporting their team for the duration of the game and beyond.  They banged their drums and played their trumpets trying to coax their team to even greater effort.   The Aztex cheers and drumming was highly reminiscent of what I saw the Costa Rican crowd do in their match against the USA.  Unfortunately, for all of Chantico’s Army’s efforts, it didn’t seem to get the rest of the crowd as involved in the game as one would hope.  When San Antonio gets a soccer team I think we could learn from this and try to develop ways to get the whole crowd involved, perhaps through something similar to the college games, where they have appointed cheer leaders spread throughout the stands, where they could teach the chants and cheers so even new fans would have the chance to learn and participate in them.

With all that said, the best part of the game was the crowd that went along with it.  There were some very nice people from both the Crocketteers and Aztex supporters .  Crocketteers Daniel and James  were both highly helpful in explaining some points about the more technical aspects of the game and the business side of the game.  After the game, the Crocketteers were invited to the semi-official gathering place of the Aztex, Cuatros, which was more fun than a barrel of monkeys in a hot tub.  If you ever get a chance to go to a Crocketteers event, know that you are going to be hanging out with some quality folks.

Overall, while I still wouldn’t rate soccer as my favorite sport in the world, after watching 180 minutes of it in the last few days, I certainly don’t find it quite is repellant as I may have before.  There is a flow to the game that certain American sports (football, baseball) can’t quite match, although those sports certainly have their own redeeming qualities.  I still doubt that I will be watching soccer all the time, but now, I certainly won’t be so quick to turn the TV off.

After a 2 – 0 loss by the Aztex to the Charleston Battery (a great team in the USL-1 division), we Crocketteers met up with the Chantico’s Army (Aztex Fan Club) at their regular hangout, Cuatros.

Chantico's Army (June 5, 2009 Aztex vs Battery)

It was at Cuatros where myself, and my cousin Michael Macias, were introduced to Mr. Phil Rawlins, owner of the Austin Aztex and part owner of Stoke City FC in the EPL.  After being introduced to Mr. Rawlins, we also met Austin Aztex coach, Mr. Adrian Heath, and General Manager for Charleston Battery, Mr. Mike Anhaeuser.  All soccer enthusiasts, they were especially welcoming and especially grateful for our visit to Austin to watch the Aztex play.

Let me also take the time to thank Matthew Gray (mgrayscale on BigSoccer), President of  the Austin Aztex fan club Chantico’s Army, for hosting the Crocketteers and hooking all of us up with tickets to the game. Hopefully, in the future we can return the favor and party on the riverwalk.

Also had some Crocketteer faithfuls at the game, James Hope & Daniel Rodriguez.  James (jhope on BigSoccer) certainly proved himself to be a great knowledge base with the economic aspect of soccer as well as a general soccer fan. Daniel (Danilo on BigSoccer), a recent transplant to San Antonio (originally from Venezuela), was also right there with us meeting and greeting these new, influential people.

Lastly, and certainly not least, on our way out the door, Michael, Daniel, James, and myself got into a very good conversation about soccer here in San Antonio with Mr. Eric Vormelker (VioletCrown on BigSoccer).  Eric does the stats for the Austin Aztex and is also a member of Chantico’s Army.  This is where James really demonstrated his familiarity with the economic aspect of bringing soccer to our city.

One way or another, last night seemed to me to be a great night for the Crocketteers as we are working to establish a solid relationship with some strong soccer fans, faithful to soccer and dedicated to spreading soccer around Texas.

Victory or Death!

Thanks for reading guys! and feel free to correct any errors I may have made!

- Sergio J. Macias (ChexMex on BigSoccer)

PS I would definitely like to make it back out to Austin to watch some more games, and hopefully share some more drinks at Cuatros!

Usually, I’d talk about how challenging it is to win a World Cup (Only 7 countries have won it in 90 years) or how many wars have been temporarily stopped thanks to soccer or talk about all the friendly matches played to promote peace such as the game between FC Barcelona vs Peace Team (Team made up of players from Israel and Palestine) or amazing moments like the one in WC2006 where Mexico’s goalie father had just passed away and before the Mexico-Iran game Iran’s goalie gave Mexico’s goalie a flower bucket and a hug (Min. 2:55)

Instead, I’m just gonna explain soccer as if I was writing a “Soccer for dummies” book.

Soccer is very similar to basketball, the main differences (beside the obvious) is that in basketball you can dribble past more than 2 people (Easier to do with your hands than your feet) and there’s no goalie in front of rim ready to stop the ball. That’s why the best ways to play soccer are (1) Run extremely fast to leave people behind or (2) Play like the Globetrotters and make the defense chase behind the ball.

Soccer is a team sport just like basketball, if you are fast or tall (heading the ball) gives you an advantage. There’s a lot of physical contact (like most sports played by men) and the rules are set-up to encourage a physical-fun game without having people getting killed. (That’s why in B-ball you can’t push somebody when he’s in the air).

In soccer you have 11 players, the field is very big so they try to play positions.

The goalie is the only player that can grab the ball with his hands, he’s the main reason why it’s so difficult to score a goal. But he can only grab the ball inside the goalie box.

In front of the goalie is the line of defenders (Usually 3-4 players) their main goal is to kick the ball out of … what you call in football “The red zone”.

In the middle of the field are the midfielders, they are the quarterbacks of soccer, their job is to break the “destruction defensive line” created by the other team’s defense by passing the ball around and hopefully give a nice pass to a wide open forward to score a goal.

The wide-receivers of soccer are the forwards, their job is very similar to a wide-receiver because of the off-side rule (A forward can’t just stand behind the rivals defense waiting for a pass, he has to be “on this side” until the ball is passed) because of this rule, many plays look just like a QB passing the ball to the WR who sprinted passed the cornerback or safety… BUT the forward still had to put the ball in the goal and has the goalie ready to stop the ball.

Sometimes a player will get fouled about 20-30 yards from the goal and the team gets a free-kick. That’s when you realize that there’s a similarity between soccer and golf. When a player gets a free kick, he has to kick the ball over 4-7 rivals standing about 12ft in front of him, get the ball pass the goalie and put it in the goal. Some free-kicks can be just as exciting as watching a golfer getting a hole-in-one.

The best free kicker in the World is Juninho Pernambucano, a Brazilian that plays in the French league.

Everybody loves the And1 basketball videos because of all the tricks and skills they display. In soccer there’s also many people that can do a lot of tricks with a soccer ball in a game. The best dribbler in World right now is Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese – Plays in England in Manchester United)

Hopefully this will help you understand a little better why soccer is the most popular sport in the World.

To finish, I’ll leave you with one of the funniest soccer commercials I’ve seen.

As I have told Mike a number of times, soccer is just boring.  Eleven men per side, jogging back and forth kicking a ball and then faking injuries just doesn’t interest me.  However, Mike keeps claiming that soccer involves more than that, that it involves things like defense, crisp passes and accurate shooting.  Since these are the things that I treasure and love about basketball and hockey I’ve agreed to give soccer a chance.

To that end over the next few days I’m going to be watching some soccer, with the U.S.A vs. Costa Rico in a World Cup qualifier on Wednesday and then on Friday going to Austin and watching the Aztex take on the Charleston Battery.  During this time I will be writing about my hopefully enjoyable experiences, as I try to learn to enjoy the “beautiful” game.  Hopefully by the end of this time, I will have learned to love the game and be ready to be a fan when San Antonio gets a team.

San Antonio…. I don’t know if a lot of people are aware of this. The San Antonio Spurs are actually bringing a team to San Antonio in the next year or two. That’s been confirmed.

Listen to sound byte: Aztex Coach Adrian Heath on San Antonio in the USL

“That’s been confirmed.”

With the Austin Aztex now confirming that San Antonio will be in the leauge in the next year or two, we now have three credible sources stating that the San Antonio Spurs are indeed looking to bring professional soccer to the Alamo City.

• The first source was the USL itself (see “Confirmed: Spurs Sports & Entertainment in talks with USL”).
• The second source was Spurs Sports & Entertainments Chairmain, CEO, and owner Peter Holt (see “Soccer Stadium Deal stalling Spurs Sports & Entertainment”).
• This latest source of information, thanks to AM 1300 The Zone, brings to center stage a time frame of 1-2 years when San Antonio Soccer fans will have a team to cheer for.

The Austin Aztex Coaches Show on AM 1300 The Zone with coach Adrian Heath runs Wednesday evenings from 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM.

Listen to the entire podcast of last Wednesday’s show: Aztex Coaches Show (May 20, 2009)

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