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Aztex, Arizona United SC Set to Resume Rivalry

July 15, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Austin Aztex News Release


AUSTIN, Texas (July 15, 2015)- The Austin Aztex (5-9-3) will host Arizona United SC (7-8-1) on Friday, July 17th at Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex in Austin in what will be the first of two consecutive matches between the two clubs.

The match will feature two teams hungry for a win, both sitting on the outside looking in at the playoff race. Austin comes into the game reeling, winless in their last five USL matches after being outscored 9-3 in that stretch.

The Aztex, who were in the playoff standings just weeks ago, are looking to bounce back offensively and gain a crucial three points on Friday. Arizona has impressed in the second half of the season, going 3-2 over their last five matches and just one point out of the coveted 6th seed.

This match will be the third of a four game season series between the two clubs, with the fourth coming next week as both clubs will travel to Scottsdale to face off on July 25th. Arizona has won each of the first two meetings this season.

Defensively the Aztex have been solid throughout the season. Despite the recent stretch of poor play, the defense ranks 4th in the conference with 24 goals allowed on the season. The Aztex back line has solidified with captain Lance Rozeboom and Brazilian defender Fernando Timbo anchoring the middle while Mikey Ambrose and Max Gunderson work on the outside.

Austin's struggles have been rooted in their offense , which is now ranked last in the conference with 17 goals on the season. The Aztex are hoping that the addition of midfielder Romain Gall, who is on loan from the MLS affiliate Columbus Crew SC, could give the team an added spark needed to ignite an offensive attack that has shown promise in creating chances, but has struggled to finish them. Forward Kris Tyrpak has trained and has been ruled probable for the game after missing last weekend's match versus Real Monarchs. Trevin Caesar has emerged as a spark of offense when he is on the field, scoring in the last match, and may be looked upon to keep his current form as the Aztex look to score more goals.

Head Coach Paul Dalglish said after the team's loss to Real Monarchs SLC last weekend that consistency in their first year as an expansion team was the biggest challenge facing the team, but expressed optimism that the Aztex are close to putting it all together. Dalglish said he fully believes the team can put a run together to get into the playoffs.

Arizona United SC enters Friday's showdown after winning three of their last five matches. Sitting just one point away from 6th place in the conference, the team will be itching to get over the hump and jump into the playoff standings with a win. Offensively, the team is led by forward Long Tan, with Jonathon Top, Brad Stisser and Dennis Chin all being names to look out for on Friday. Much like the Aztex, Arizona's attack has sputtered at times on the season, with just 19 goals overall. Defensively, Arizona ranks last in the league with 31 goals allowed and last with 1.94 goals allowed per game. The team will look to strengthen the back line on Friday, while Austin will be hoping to take advantage of the weakness and break out of their offensive slump.

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