Laredo Hosts Houston, Eyes Revenge Heat take aim at 3 points at home
Written by admin, Jun 3, 2014, Comments Off
Courtesy Vanessa Guajardo,
LAREDO, Texas – A rollercoaster week saw the Laredo Heat chisel a last-gasp triumph against professional competition in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup third round before crashing to a scoreless draw in a Premier Development League return. The Heat shattered all expectations on May 28 in Fort Lauderdale, eliminating the North American Soccer League’s Strikers with an extra-time penalty kick conversion and advancing to the fourth round for the first time. With the Heat’s history-writing win, they now will face Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston on June 11 at 9 p.m.
The Heat became just the 11th PDL team to advance beyond the third round. Three days later, Laredo hosted the Albuquerque Sol in a PDL cross-divisional match, projecting a 20-5 shots-on-goal ratio in the scoreless draw. With the one point awarded for the tie, Laredo (1-1-2, 5 points) trails the Mississippi Brilla (2-1-1, 7 points ) for second place in the Mid-South Division. A Laredo win and anything less than a Brilla win will send the Heat into at least a tie for second place – depending on the tie-breaking goal differential.
The defending national and divisional champion Austin Aztex (4-0-0, 12 points) lead the division, which will see the top two teams in the table qualify for the postseason. Austin and Mississippi kick off at 7 p.m. on June 5. The Heat have never missed a postseason they were eligible for in their 10 years. Laredo’s next competition comes in the familiar form of the Houston Dutch Lions (1-2-2, 5 points). Laredo and Houston have exchanged blows twice already: a 1-1 draw in Laredo on May 17 and a 1-0 Dutch Lions victory in Houston on May 24.
In the two matches, Laredo’s levied 33 shots on Houston’s first-choice goalkeeper, Emmanuel “Bebo” Frias – who made 14 total saves. Frias played for Laredo from 2011-13, joining his hometown Dutch Lions this season. The third meeting between Laredo and Houston will not feature Frias, though. He saw a pair of yellow card cautions for dissent in the 90th minute of the Dutch Lions’ 2-2 draw with the Brilla on May 31. He must now serve a 1-game suspension for the red card, forcing second-choice keeper Addison Watson into the likely starting position. The Heat will also look for a return to fitness for the backline, as center back Matthieu Braem and Kaique Fernandes are expected to come back from respective muscle strains. Laredo scoring leader Esteban Bayona (2 goals), a former San Antonio Scorpion, will likely stand as the tip of the Heat’s strike force.
Twenty-year-old Monterrey, Mexico, native Jorge Ortega will eye some vengeance against the Dutch Lions – the only team to score against him in league play this year. He holds a .500 goals-allowed average through four games with six saves and two clean sheets. The Heat face the Dutch Lions on June 3 at TAMIU at 8 p.m. before traveling to challenge MLS’s Houston Dynamo on June 11 at 9 p.m. in the fourth round of the Open Cup at BBVA Compass Stadium. Those matches will be streamed live and for free at www.YouTube.com/LaredoHeatSC at 8:10 p.m (PDL) and 8:55 p.m. (Open Cup).
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. Mid South Division Pts GP W L T GF GA Austin Aztex 12 4 4 0 0 14 3 Mississippi Brilla 7 4 2 1 1 6 8 Laredo Heat 5 4 1 1 2 3 2 Houston Dutch Lions 5 5 1 2 2 4 9 Midland/Odessa Sockers FC 4 5 1 3 1 4 7
