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U.S. Open Cup 3rd Round - Austin Aztex FC vs. Houston Dynamo

June 30, 2009 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Austin Aztex News Release


Austin's Gifton Noel-Williams would intimidate most if he didn't smile so much.

So to hear the six-foot forward say that he wouldn't dare mess with Houston's Ade Akinbiyi (pronounced - AD-dy ACK-in-by) is a bit alarming.

That is, until you see the 6-1, 192-lb Akinbiyi.

"Seriously, this guy is the strongest guy," Noel-Williams said.

Noel-Williams knows firsthand about Akinbiyi. The two became close friends during their time playing together for Stoke City and Burnley back in England where the duo's physical presence proved to be effective both on and off the field.

Before games, the two liked to play games with opposing teams. Noel-Williams would shoot a grimacing look over toward the defenders and ask Akinbiyi a simple question.

"So who you going to kill first Ade?"

Akinbiyi would then put on his own game face and begin looking at the opposing team.

"A lot of defenders got scared," Akinbyi joked. "We would just make noises and shoot stares at them just to put them off."

The tactic worked well at Stoke City, where manager Tony Pulis had a knack for recruiting physical players. The strategy is still in effect today at the club where the average height of its strikers is over 6-2 with Ricardo Fuller (6-3, 173) and Mamady Sidibe (6-4, 170) leading the way for Pulis, now in his second stint at Stoke.

"Our team was massive size," Noel-Williams said of his time at Stoke. "Everyone was like 6-4. I looked normal sized."

"We were just bullying defenders," Akinbiyi added. "Those were the good ol' days."

With their side preferring brute force, the two ultimately got into a few scuffles. Still notable to both players was a pre-season match where an opposing player slung racist insults at Noel-Williams.

After halftime, Noel-Williams went after the player, leading to a fight breaking out on the field. When Akinbiyi had had enough, he pulled Noel-Williams - all 6-0, 193 pounds of him - off of the player and held the usually overpowering Noel-Williams back with only one arm.

"When I'm angry, I get double strength," Noel-Williams said of the incident. "He wasn't angry at all. He was cool and calm."

Akinbiyi and Noel-Williams have since brought their strength over to the U.S. and will have a chance to be on opposite sides Wednesday when the Dynamo come to Austin for a third round U.S. Open Cup match at Nelson Field.

Noel-Williams has been hobbled with a hamstring injury, missing his ninth game Saturday after the injury flamed up again last week. He said that he should be healthy enough to go Wednesday.

While Noel-Williams has struggled to remain in the lineup, Akinbiyi has had his own struggles with playing time. He has seen more minutes in the last month after Brian Ching went down with a hamstring injury of his own. Although Akinbiyi is looking forward to additional playing time, he admitted he is still trying to adjust to the Texas weather.

"I'm not fit enough to get 90 minutes yet," Akinbiyi said. "I'm working hard though. Getting used to the heat comes first."

Akinbiyi said Kinnear hadn't released who would be playing Wednesday, but felt he had a chance to crack the lineup.

If so, Aztex fans will get a chance to see Akinbiyi-the one man who intimidates Austin's most intimidating player.

AUSTIN AZTEX This Year: The Aztex have reached the third round after a pair of 2-0 victories against PDL sides, defeating Mississippi Brilla in the first round (Jeff Harwell 18; Eddie Johnson 64), then the El Paso Patriots in the second round (Ryan McMahen 45; Ciaran O'Brien 48)

Form Guide: The expansion Aztex sit in ninth place in the USL-1 with 12 points from 14 matches, playing to a 2-2 draw at Cleveland City Stars over the weekend. Former England U-18 international Eddie Johnson and Yordany Alvarez have scored three goals each for Austin; Johnson has also added three assists.

HOUSTON DYNAMO In the Open Cup: Each of the last two years, the Houston Dynamo saw their Open Cup run ended at the first hurdle, in losses to the USL-1 Charleston Battery at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, S.C. ... Last year, a Marco Reda goal gave the Battery a 31st-minute lead, and after Charleston's Chris Corcoran was sent off in the 74th minute, Stephen Wondolowski hit for the equalizer in the 89th minute. Reda was sent off in extra time, but the Battery survived to a penalty shootout, which they won 4-3. ... In 2007, the Dynamo saw a long league unbeaten streak come to an end in a 1-0 loss in extra time in a third-round loss to Charleston. Stephen Armstrong's rebound from a penalty kick - that was first saved by Zach Wells - in the 106th minute gave the Battery yet another giant-killing feat in the Low Country. ... In their first season in Houston, the Dynamo reached the semifinals before going down to defeat. They began their Open Cup history with a 4-2 win against PDL side Carolina Dynamo, then continued their dominance over in-state rival FC Dallas with a 3-0 win in Houston in the fourth round, before losing 3-1 to the Los Angeles Galaxy in the semifinals.



USL First Division Stories from June 30, 2009


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