NASL Minnesota United FC

Ten-man Stars can't hold off Aztex

Published on May 1, 2010 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
Minnesota United FC News Release


BLAINE, Minn. - Two second half goals carried the Austin Aztex past the NSC Minnesota Stars 2-1 Saturday night in front of 753 fans at the NSC Stadium. Goals for the Aztex in the last 15 minutes from Eddie Johnson and Jamie Watson canceled out Brian Cvilikas' first-half opener as the Stars lost their second consecutive home game.

"Obviously, it's very disappointing to lose two in a row at home, but I thought we responded to adversity much better than Wednesday [in a 3-0 loss to Rochester]," Stars head coach Manny Lagos said after the game.

The Stars now have a full week to recover and train ahead of a May 9 clash at Montreal. Lagos and the rest of the team are welcoming the rest, which comes after a dizzying start to the season that saw the team make trips to and from both coasts and Puerto Rico before playing three home games in eight games.

"The rest is huge for us," Stars goalkeeper Joe Warren said. "We've been going fast game to game. It's very important to get some rest for our legs."

The Stars defended well to start the game, leaving the Aztex searching for long balls and long shots. Kevin Friedland's half volley in the fifth minute could have gotten the hosts off to a dream start after Melvin Tarley won a deflected ball at the back post, but his shot sailed just high and wide of Austin goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo's net.

Two-Boys Gumede, making his first career start on the left side of midfield nearly opened the scoring in the 29th minute. His speed forced a poor touch from Austin center back Leonard Griffin, leaving Gumede one-on-one with Gallardo, but the goalkeeper slid in front of Gumede's shot to parry it away from a corner.

In the 36th minute, Gallardo was helpless as Cvilikas burst into the penalty area to open the scoring from 14 yards out. With his back to the goal, Tarley controlled a cross with his chest, pushing it into Cvilikas' path. The forward, making his first start of the season, pushed the ball between Griffin's legs and finished calmly from the center of the penalty area.

"Mel brought it down really nicely, and I was able to get a good touch between the defender's legs and stay calm. Pretty much, Mel did all the hard work," Cvilikas said.

The game turned on the Stars in the 44th minute, when Daniel Wasson was shown a red card for tripping Watson in the penalty area as he prepared to shoot on goal. There was no malice in Wasson's foul, but the referee ruled he had denied a goal-scoring opportunity.

Nonetheless, the Stars went into the locker room at halftime with a lead as Joe Warren dove strongly to his right to save Eddie Johnson's penalty kick.

"The red card was a little shocking for us," Lagos said. "The penalty was close, and it turned into a red card, but the guys stepped up afterward."

Joe Warren described the save and the importance of the save for holding onto some momentum: "It was important to preserve that lead. Fortunately, I guessed right and got a good push off."

The Stars adjusted their formation to a 4-4-1 in the second half and defended valiantly as Johnson and Watson missed several chances in front of goal for the Aztex.

An Andrei Gotsmanov free kick nearly made it 2-0 in the 62nd minute. The Woodbury High School graduate took a daisy-cutting shot from about 35 yards out, forcing a save from Gallardo, but the Mexican goalkeeper couldn't hold the shot. Tarley raced onto the rebound, but Gallardo lunged onto the ball an instant before the Liberian forward could finish.

In the 75th minute, though, the Aztex finally got the breakthrough. Johnson ran onto a Jay Needham cross from the left wing and nodded the ball past Warren at his near post.

Five minutes later, the Stars looked like they'd caught a break and regained the momentum. Kyle Altman made a hard challenge in the midfield on Joey Worthen, which sent the Aztex defender tumbling. Worthen responded with a kick to Altman's face right in front of referee Russell Schouweiler, who reached straight to his back pocket for the red card.

But the momentum swing was short-lived. In the 83rd minute, a sloppy giveaway in midfield gave Yordany Alvarez the space to thread a through ball to Watson, who raced into the penalty area and shot past Warren and into the far side of the goal.

Lagos responded with attack-minded substitutions, bringing Leilei Gao on for Friedland and Neil Hlavaty on for Gotsmanov. Hlavaty had an immediate impact, as his first touch was a left-footed shot from the corner of the penalty area that sailed wide.

Simone Bracalello had the best chance to grab an equalizer in the fifth minute of stoppage time, as he ran onto a through ball down the left and hit a shot from a tight angle with the outside of his right foot. The technique was somewhat surprising, but Gallardo got his hands up quickly to protect his near post. Hlavaty had another chance in the sixth minute of stoppage time after Warren Ukah squared the ball for him about 15 yards from goal, but his shot went high and wide of the near post.

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North American Soccer League Stories from May 1, 2010


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