Reliving the ATX Pro Challenge

Anyone who follows this blog knows how excited I was to see Major League Soccer (and my favorite club FC Dallas) visit my hometown for this event. Now that it has passed, I feel obligated to put something up on the blog so it can live in our (digital) memories forever. Below, you will find a recap of the action with some other talking points from the weekend. At the end, I’ve included a short photo album. Austinites really showed up to watch some soccer and proved that, even if we are not #MLSready, we are most certainly USL ready.

FC Dallas v. Columbus Crew (2/13/2015)

A gorgeous Austin sunset and some brilliant weather (50-70 degrees and clear all night) set the scene as FCD and Crew SC kicked off the inaugural ATX Pro Challenge at 5:45pm. A lackluster crowd was on hand to start the evening, but Dallas’ supporters traveled well, showing up in impressive numbers to support their club from start to finish.

FIRST HALF
Both clubs fielded strong XIs but the first half looked like the early preseason action that it was: inconsistent passing and mistakes aplenty in the final third. Columbus did put together some legitimate scoring chances, including a one on one between new Crew attacking man Kei Kamara and FCD ‘keeper Chris Seitz. Kamara made a nice effort at goal (from my poor point of view anyway) but Seitz and the woodwork each got a piece of the ball and Dallas maintained their first half clean sheet. A mostly forgettable first half ended in a flurry as FCD bagged three goals in the final 16 minutes. Promising young midfielder Ryan Hollingshead assisted FCD Talisman Blas Perez in the 29th minute before bagging a brace with goals of his own in the 38th and 44th minutes. Perez’ opener delighted fans as he took the pass from Hollingshead in a tight space just outside the box, gave a quick touch with his left, and then half volleyed it past the ‘keeper with his right all in the blink of an eye. Hollingshead’s brace was a pair of tap in rebounds, but his performance on the night should not be discounted as he was all over the place.

The halftime band was AWESOME. A different band for the Sunday match was equally awesome. After all, Austin is the Live Music Capital of the World.

SECOND HALF
A drab and uninspired second half was filled with sloppy play. Dallas created some nice chances early on, but Columbus controlled the run of play and got one back in the 65th minute to make for a final score of 3-1. For highlights of the match (especially the classy Blas finish), click here.

Austin Aztex v. DC United (2/13/2015)

A great crowd (estimated at 6,000) was on hand for this one as Eberly’s Army came out in full force after an all day tailgate. After a classy march to the match and an impressive tifo display, the ATX supporters’ group stole the show, engaging the crowd and creating an exciting soccer atmosphere (relatively speaking, remember this is still third division soccer in a football, baseball and basketball country).

FIRST HALF
Admittedly, I am Dallas ‘till I die, not Aztex ‘till I die, so we left at halftime for this one. Fortunately, I didn’t miss a single goal on the evening, witnessing each of United’s goals in their 2-0 win over Austin. Austin was without the bulk of their attacking players (missing four forwards!) and it showed on the pitch. The players they did start up top were midfielders and they did very little in the final third as a result – plus, ATX was outmatched to begin with. The Aztex did put one in the back of the net at one point but it was called back for offside. While the defending was poor on the play(more like nonexistent), Miguel Aguilar’s 9th minute blast stood out as the most visually spectacular moment on Friday night. Our group left for the bars at halftime of this match, but we didn’t miss much as the second half turned out goal-less. Here is a look at the highlights, including the highlight of the night by Miguel Aguilar.

Championship Sunday
FC Dallas v. DC United

Again, I am a casual Aztex fan, so I skipped out on the third place match and showed up for the final: The battle for the famous armadillo trophy and a clash between two strong sides heading into MLS 2015. The weather was a step down from Friday, but given that forecasts called for a 100% chance of rain, we gladly settled for an overcast, but dry afternoon.

FIRST HALF
FC Dallas fielded a strong lineup (other than a backup forward – Texiera relieved Blas Perez up top) and was impressive for the first 45’. Dallas saw more of the ball than DC, connecting on most of their passes and playing the possession style soccer Coach Oscar Pareja prefers. While the Hoops created solid chances, they did not manage a goal, and that would cost them in the end.

SECOND HALF
Both clubs came out flat but it was FC Dallas that never quite found their groove in the second ’45. A Chris Rolfe strike in the 54th minute from outside the box was a worthy tournament winner for United. Check out the highlight here, it’s an absolutely gorgeous goal, if you’re into that kind of thing. FC Dallas made a solid push for the equalizer over the last 20 minutes behind the relentless support of their brilliant traveling fans. Despite these rowdy efforts (most notably those of FCD Supporters’ Groups The Beer Guardians and El Matador) their boys came up short in the end, falling 1-0 to DC. A couple of orange clad Houston Dynamo fans stole the show in the stands, perfectly positioning themselves one section over from the Dallas Supporters’ and engaging them in some friendly(ish) banter. The back and forth was fun as the Dynamo duo succeeded in their scoreboard taunting of the frustrated FCD supporters, who in turn reminded the duo that Dallas had won four straight over their beloved Dynamo (a streak that has included some rather enjoyable moments – WATCH THIS!).

This was only a preseason tourney, but FC Dallas and their fan base are starving for any silverware they can get, and that armadillo trophy is simply a world class piece of silverware. Lord knows, DC United have no room for preseason silverware in their ridiculously stuffed trophy case. However, as any weathered sports fan knows, preseason action is truly meaningless, and we Dallas folks will get over it sooner than later.

PHOTO ALBUM
Scroll down to view my ATX Pro Challenge Photo Album. It starts with a series of my own shabby iPhone photos. It concludes with the four finest images I gathered through various media covering the event. To be clear, the four good ones at the bottom are not my photos, I did not take them.