Aztex win, play spoilers
Gall notches goal; Westlake’s Cuero scores his first.
The final home game of 2015 proved to be a night of firsts for a pair of Austin Aztex.
Andres Cuero, the first player signed by the USL expansion club, notched his first goal, and Romain Gall, on loan from MLS’ Columbus Crew SC, found the back of the net for the first time in an Austin jersey. That was enough to lift the Aztex to a 2-1 win over Seattle on Saturday night at Reeves Athletic Complex, preventing the Sounders 2 from clinching a playoff spot.
“It was rewarding to get that first goal on a night like this,” said Cuero, a Westlake High alum. “We wanted to leave our fans with a nice memory.”
Austin (9-13-3), which finishes with three road games, moved from 11th to 10th in the West.
Seattle (12-11-3) is still in good shape to grab one of six conference playoff spots, but the Sounders 2 endured a fourth straight defeat on the road and are 0-5-1 in their last six away from home.
The victory allowed Austin to finish with a winning record (6-5-3) at home. The Aztex were 3-3-1 at House Park and 3-2-2 at Reeves, where they moved after the Memorial Day flood made their downtown venue unplayable.
“Our fans have stuck with us through thick and thin, so I’m pleased we gave them this performance,” coach Paul Dalglish said. “We had a great start. We scored twice and could have had three or four.”
Gall, an up-and-coming player in the U.S. national system, played a vital role in each goal. The 20-yearold, in his ninth game for Austin, has looked more dangerous the last several weeks and his speed and moves were too much for the Seattle defense.
Gall made a strong run down the left side in the 14th minute, redirected the ball to Cuero flying down the right, and Cuero smartly slid it back into the left corner of the Seattle goal.
“It took a while to adapt to a new system with new teammates, but it’s really been coming together for me lately,” Gall said. “I’m more into my rhythm.”
Gall scored himself in the 34th minute, off a nice feed from Tony Rocha for a 2-0 lead. “We were attacking, pressing, not holding back,” Gall said.
Dalglish called Gall, “one of the top prospects in the country, an exciting talent.”
Seattle answered late in the first half as Sam Garza scored from a far left angle. But the second half played out scoreless, with Austin goalkeeper Cody Laurendi denying three good chances, and the team had its going-away present.
The Aztex wore pink jerseys and auctioned them off during the game to raise money for Breast Cancer Awareness month. Attendance was listed as 5,050, second-highest of the home season, though it was obvious many stayed home to watch college football.
“I’m happy we could help a good cause and thank the fans that turned out,” Cuero said. “We gave them the kind of performance we expected more often.”