Heat Strike Series of Firsts, Including Team of the Week
Written by admin, May 22, 2014, Comments Off
Ibarra, Bayona perform into national recognitions
LAREDO, Texas – Wednesday night served the Laredo Heat a series of firsts in their search for a seventh Mid-South Division championship in 10 years. With their 2-0 dictating of the Midland-Odessa Sockers, Laredo (1-0-1, 4 points) chiseled its first victory of the year and first clean sheet for Premier Development League rookie goalkeeper Jorge Ortega while thrusting itself to second in the Mid-South table, behind only the Austin Aztex (2-0-0, 6 points).
With equally inspiring strikes in each half, the Heat quickly engineered a finishing form to punctuate their already dominant possession-oriented style of play. Miguel Fernandez surgically sliced through the Sockers’ backline, off a feed from Felix Garcia, taking one touch before spearing his strike past keeper Clint Long.
The goal is Fernandez’s first in PDL play, but second in all competitions.
Esteban Bayona – a striker with professional pedigree after playing two seasons with the San Antonio Scorpions of the second-division North American Soccer League – iced the victory with a 70th minute stabbing from just outside the 18-yard box. In his second goal in as many games, Bayona capitalized off a sickening clearance from Long to strong arm an interception before chipping the off-his-line Long.
The pair of winning goals come from two of the Heat’s most tested veterans. They claim two of only eight allowed slots for over-23-years-old players to each PDL team, but they bring an instrumental level of leadership and veteran composure to the young and diverse Heat.
“This team is all talent – it doesn’t matter your age,” Bayona said. “Some of our best players are also our youngest or the newest to this system and league. The Heat do a good job constructing the chemistry on and off the field. For us, no matter how old you are, it’s all about playing the game.”
Ortega, the Heat’s 20-year-old backstop, is one benefitting most from his veteran strikeforce. Through 180 minutes in front of goal, the former Tigres de la UANL academy keeper has stopped three on-target shots for a .500 goals-allowed average. The one goal he did allow, against the Houston Dutch Lions on May 17, was inches inside the post after he nearly saved it from point-blank range.
“From the first day I arrived in Laredo, the team feels familiar,” Ortega said through a translator. “Everyone has adapted so quickly to being together. I am sure we all miss our individual families, but this team of 20-something players has become a family. We play like we do because of those things.”
Announced on Thursday by the league, two Heat players were honorable mentions for the Team of the Week. Team captain and midfielder Juan de Dios Ibarra joined Bayona as honorees for their performances in the first two PDL matches on Laredo’s slate.
“We know exactly what we want to do when we go onto the pitch,” Bayona said. “It’s clear to all of us: we want to score. That’s what we build toward from our backline, through the midfield and up to our attackers. We take a lot of shots, because we want them all to go in. The more you score, the easier the game becomes for your defense and team as a whole.
“You can’t win if you don’t score, and we want to win.”
The Heat will now travel to Houston for a rematch of May 17’s 1-1 draw against the Dutch Lions. The match will kick off on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Following that match, the Heat will travel to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to take on the Strikers of the North American Soccer League in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Open Cup will be on May 28 with a 6:45 p.m. kick off.
The match will be streamed live and for free at www.YouTube.com/LaredoHeatSC.
The Heat also discovered the time and date of the Open Cup’s fourth round match against Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamo. The winner of the Heat’s third-round match against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers – of the second-division NASL – will travel to Houston on June 11 at 9 p.m. The U.S. Soccer Federation made the announcement Tuesday morning.
Each home game will see the Heat offer four fans a chance at winning $500. If the randomly selected fans can bury an undefended penalty kick at halftime, they will win $400 for themselves and $100 to the evening’s selected benefactor.
