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NASL Minnesota United FC

NSC Minnesota Stars Wrap Up Homestand Saturday Against Austin Aztex

April 29, 2010 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
Minnesota United FC News Release


BLAINE, Minn. (April 29, 2010) - After a disappointing 3-0 loss to the Rochester Rhinos on Wednesday night, the NSC Minnesota Stars will play the Austin Aztex in the final match of a three game homestand on Saturday at 7 p.m. Both teams are coming off losses to the Rhinos, who beat the Aztex 2-1 in Austin on April 25.

The Aztex began their second season at the second-division level with consecutive wins against the Montreal Impact and AC St. Louis. At 2-1-0, they enter the match in fourth place in the USSF D-2 Pro League's USL Conference. At 2-3-0, the Stars are right behind them in fifth place.

For the Stars, Saturday's match will finish off a grueling stretch of six games in 21 days that featured road trips to both coasts and Puerto Rico. The Stars won't play again until a May 9 encounter with the Montreal Impact, giving the team a chance to rest tired legs and heal small injuries. It's also a quick turnaround to make up for a poor performance Wednesday night.

"The last game was a tough one to swallow," Stars head coach Manny Lagos said. "It'll be important for us to step on the field with a different attitude and higher expectation for our own level of play."

Lagos expects Austin to be well-organized on defense. The Stars struggled to create scoring chances against a Rhinos team that played most of the second half with a 10 or 11 players behind the ball.

A face in the Aztex's midfield will be familiar to several Stars players and to Minnesota fans. Kenyan defensive midfielder Lawrence Olum played in 28 games for the Minnesota Thunder in the USL First Division last season.

"Lawrence is tall and physical. He'll be one of a handful on the Austin roster that are very good and we'll have to be aware of on the field," Lagos said.

The Stars will also have to keep an eye out for Austin defender Leonard Griffin on both sides of the ball. Despite his role as a central defender, Griffin is currently Austin's leading scorer, having played a part in a goal in all three of Austin's games. He had an assist in their season opener and has scored two goals in the two matches since then, including a game-winning strike on April 17 against AC St. Louis.

The Stars will be missing three players due to injury. Defender Vorgen Less and goalkeeper Louis Crayton are both out for the season due to an Achilles' tendon and ACl tear, respectively. Midfielder Devin Del Do is still recovering from a right knee injury he sustained against the Carolina RailHawks on April 16.

Central defender Brian Kallman will return to the team after serving a one-game suspension for a red card April 24 against FC Tampa Bay.

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