Heat Drop Open Cup Qualifier to West Texas United, 2 – 1
Written by admin, May 12, 2010, 0 Comments
Courtesy Vanessa Guajardo,
Laredo’s Greg Mulamba Issued Red Card in Minute 62
May 12, 2010 ( Laredo , TX): What started well for the Laredo Heat (2 – 1 – 0, 6 points) in Midland, turned out to be very disappointing as the Gateway City Club took on the chin when the West Texas United Sockers (2 – 1 – 0, 6 points) handed the Heat a 2 – 1 loss in front of reported crowd of 4,992. The game was a Lamar Hunt Open Cup Qualifying Match for both teams. At this juncture of the qualifying process, the Heat stand with a 1 – 1 record with three points only in U.S. Open Cup Qualifying Matches and with only two games left, qualifying might once again become a foregone conclusion.
Felix Garcia scored the Heat’s lone goal early in the game when he took on three West Texas United players on his way towards the goal. Garcia started outside the 18 yard box after receiving a pass from Michael Abalos.
After that, the Sockers countered with a goal in the 39th minute by Omar Becerra and then once again scored in compensation time when Junior Hernandez got a ball pass Heat goalkeeper Raul Herrera.
The game went into the half with a 2 – 1 lead that they did not relinquish.
The second half started very good for the Laredo squad when they started pushing to the West Texas United defense; however, at the 62 minute mark, center referee Shelly Finger issued a red card to the Heat’s Greg Mulamba for reckless play in the middle of the field.
After that, as much as the Heat wanted to attack the goal, the West Texas United defense came up big for Head Coach Chuy Enriquez and it was the home team that started to take advantage of the Heat being a man down by countering every attempt by the Heat to score.
Midland has once again proved to be a hard place for the Heat to win a game. In 2009 and now in 2010, the Heat has dropped two games in this West Texas city.
It is now on to Dallas to take on the DFW Tornados on Saturday, May 22, 2010 at Pennington Field for the Laredo Heat. These next few days off should give the team some time to reflect on what happened in Laredo in order to avoid loss away from the friendly confines of TAMIU.
Ryan Sanders Shootout
In a little less than a month, the Laredo Heat will be travelling to Corpus Christi, TX to take on the two –time Major League Soccer Cup Champion Houston Dynamo. The stage has been set for this exciting match scheduled for Thursday, June 10, 2010 (the day before the start of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa) at What-A-Burger Field, home of the Corpus Christi Hooks, the AA affiliate of the Houston Astros. Kick-off is set for 7:00 P.M. The event is being presented by Amigo Energy, the title sponsor of the Houston Dynamo. Tickets for this game can be purchased at www.ryansandersentertainment.com , the What-A-Burger Field Box Office or by phone at (361) 561 – HOOK (4665).
For additional information on the Laredo Heat Soccer Club, please visit our website at www.laredoheatsc.com
