The 2013 Austin Aztex Season

Great news, but what happened to the whole hosting situation?

 

Not sre what you mean by 'the whole hosting situation', but based on the above tweet from the PDL you're gonna end up having the two round of 16 games on Friday (I'd assume the first game will be Southeast#1 vs Mid-South #2 with the nightcap being Austin vs Southeast #1), then the next night you'll have the two winners battle it out for the conf championship.

 

The hosting situation being the deal where we had to lock up our points lead over Panama City Beach and Ocala in order to win the right to host. Did those teams both state that they would decline to host should they pass us in points?

 

Honestly I think it boiled down to this (and this is mere conjecture, not any inside info): Last year Ocala hosted as the #1 seed but I seem to remember we had that position locked up a bit earlier. So I think that since we (Ocala) hosted last year there was probably some sentiment for it to go to Austin, alongside the fact that in all liklihood you guys WILL end up the #1 seed, alongside the fact that even if you don't end up the #1 seed it wouldn't be determined until late Sunday night, I think they wanted to make sure that the teams had ample time to get their travel arrangements set up.

Panama City probably won't get back home until the wee hours of Monday morning (its a good 6-7 hour drive home from VSI's stadium) so for them to have to make travel arrangements on Monday morning for a Thursday flight I could only imagine how ridiculously expensive that would be.

I think the league is just being fiscally responsbile as well as practical logical in making this hosting decision early.

 

Plus who wouldn't want to come to Austin in late July?

 

Ill tell ya right now... Coming from Florida I doubt the climate will affect Ocala or PCB. This summer has either been punishingly hot or Noah's flood levels of rain... Sometimes both in the same day

We'll have enough to worry about with tyrpak and the rest of your crew

 

I would also add that it may have also come down to those teams likely to be in a position to host, being willing to pay the hotel costs for the other teams. I don't know if this is a requirement for this year, but know it was last year. The Aztex may have been the only team to voluntee for this. I'm not sure, but it would explain the early announcement.

 

Wow the Austin Aztex are still around? Awesome! I don't know why I thought the club went under. Are the Aztex still mixed in with Stoke City?

 

The old team, which was affiliated with Stoke, left town and became Orlando City, which may soon become Austinites' least favorite MLS expansion team.

The new team, unaffiliated with anyone, has been kicking ass in the PDL and has made the PDL playoffs two years running.

 

Ocala might be better-rested for the playoffs, since they've finished their season already, so I think I'd rather face Panama City Beach. Either way, though, it should be a fun match and I feel optimistic albeit ever-cautious and ever-nervous.

 

Wow, I stop following the Aztex and look what happens. Well if the OC team does become a MLS team, then it would be nice if the PDL became the second tier in a giant US league. Would have a awesome built in rivalry there and maybe the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup would be more fun to watch.

I don't know, I'm such a fan of the European league systems, I would just love to see that placed here in the states.

 

I think it's possible that this incarnation of the Aztex will eventually move up to USL-Pro. But I think there are several fans, including Arch Bell of Futbol en Vivo, who are pretty happy with the status quo for now. The local kids are fun to watch, and some of them from last year's team went pro and are already having success in MLS. And there may be less risk of financial overextension and relocation at the PDL level, though a lot of PDL teams do fold for whatever reason. For my part I would like the Aztex to be in one of the professional tiers of the pyramid because it means longer seasons, but I've really enjoyed the PDL and ultimately I'd just like for us to be successful in whatever league we're in, so so far so good on that count.

As for promotion and relegation, I think most American fans prefer and want that system deep down, but just as many are probably weary of the discussion, since realistically that won't happen in the States for decades or a century, if ever (high travel costs and lightweight television contracts being two of the biggest financial barriers).

The Open Cup, though, is certainly a great tourney. The Aztex were hard done by this year in the second round, with our goalkeeper being sent off twenty minutes into the match.

 

VSI Tampa Bay FC defeats Panama City Beach 2-1, which means Ocala is the division champ and PCB is the runner up! Austin will play PCB is the round of 16.

 

I definitely don't want the Aztex to overextend, and I like the PDL all right, but I'm eager for the team to move up the pyramid.

Exhibit A: The final year of the Aztex 1.0, when they ran both a USL1 and a PDL team – i.e., the year we could pick which to attend (or attend both) – how many of us went to any PDL games? I think I maybe made it to one? It's good stuff, I don't disparage or take for granted what we have here now, but I'd be even more psyched to have the team a bit higher up. (Whether that's USL-PRO or NASL is a holy war for another day...)

Exhibit B: quoted from kenn.com; emphasis mine:

 

I have to say that I've been really enjoying the Aztex over the last couple of years, as much if not more as compared to 1.0. For me, I echo the comments from many other when I say I want the Aztex to play at a sustainable level in US Soccer. I feel like we can support a USL Pro or NASL franchise here, but I'd want it to be tied to the Aztex in some way and I want to make sure that it's sustainable beyond a couple of seasons. Part of my concern has been (for the last 3-4 years) the continuing saga of USL Pro vs NASL. I prefer NASL, as it would be great to have a I-35 Derby with SA, and if OKC makes it, to extend on up to OKC.

 

Makes too much sense, hence it probably won't happen. In all seriousness, that would be awesome.

 

That would be nice, but I can't stand how NASL has gone off-script and seems to think they can someday rival MLS as a kind of parallel top-tier league. USL-Pro is more embedded within the classic pyramid idea, and that structure is better for US Soccer and more consistent with the way soccer works around the world. So USL-Pro for me.

 

Not exactly sure what you mean by NASL going "off script," as I would be interested to know what script you are referring to. There is no actual or meaningful soccer pyramid in the US. This USL-Pro "embedding" is nothing but a farm team loan system that I can't personally see doing anything meaninngful for USL-Pro.

 

If there is no actual or meaningful soccer pyramid in US Soccer, it is only because the NASL insists on operating outside/alongside it. Otherwise there'd be a perfectly coherent pyramid with MLS on top, USL below that, and PDL below that. That's the "script" that US Soccer ought to follow, it's the script that soccer around the world follows, and it's what I mean by NASL going off-script.

 

NASL is not the reason there is no meaningful soccer pyramid, that is soley the doing of USSF. When I talk about soccer pyramid, I'm talking pro/rel. No pro/rel in U.S., hence no meaningful soccery pyramid.

 

Yes, because it's physically impossible for a team to move between levels of play in this country. Never happens. Can't happen. Especially not based on, you know, their means and ability to afford to do it.