The inside scoop on the Austin Aztex

Wednesday, the Houston Dynamo face off against USL side the Austin Aztex. Just who are the Aztex? We posed this question to James Morgan. A fan since 2009, Morgan is a member of both Aztex supporter groups in Austin and has been a capo since 2013 and the perfect person to share his thoughts on the team.

My first thoughts on the Austin Aztex USL squad

When talking about the Austin Aztex new USL squad, it's too early to for an objective opinion on the roster. As of this writing, Austin had only played three preseason matches. A 3-0 win against a local soccer academy. A 2-nil loss to MLS' DC United and a 1-nil loss to MLS' Columbus Crew SC. I'm still trying to put faces to names on the squad. Out of the 23 player roster I only know about nine of them - most of whom at one time or another have worn a blue and gold jersey when the Aztex were a PDL squad. The rest of the team comes from around the USL, NASL and two players who are on loan from Coritiba, a Brazilian first division squad and one of Austin's affiliate teams. Austin is also affiliated with Columbus Crew SC, but we won't know which players they are sending down until after preseason ends.

My breakdown of the current roster:

Young guns

Both of these guys left college early to join the squad, but from my understanding, the Aztex are footing some of the bill so they can finish college while still playing as a pro. These are extremely talented players whom I don't think they will be in USL very long and both would likely have been drafted in MLS SuperDraft. I'm thinking that we may see players in future just picking a USL side instead of playing MLS roulette.

Jobe has switch from a forward to RB. He is by far one of most fun player to watch as he takes on opponents. I'm expecting him to become like a Corey Ashe style of player in the future.

Veteran Players

Here is the key thing for Houston fans to know: Paul Dalglish's coaching style reflects his playing style: fast tempo, possession heavy, and entertaining soccer. When the Aztex play great it is "massacre style." They play a full 90 and don't mind putting 6 or 7 in the back in the net. Now, when they can't get possession, it seems to become sloppier and more about individual plays. There was a lot of this sloppier style this weekend at the ATX Pro Challenge, but you could see that they are still finding team cohesion. I was fine with the results and I'm very optimistic about future.

I saw a lot good things from Jobe, Cuero, Guaraci, and Perales. Perales came up with six huge saves and was my MVP of the tournament. Goals scored on him were caused by the Center backs making a mistake. The Aztex back line just needs to develop trust and the squad will be solid this season. I don't know if Austin will have kinks worked out by Wednesday, but I'm expecting to see another entertaining match. It will be a closer result than some Houston fans would like - especially if Austin can score within first 15 minutes.

Huge thanks to James for taking the time to give us some insight on the Aztex. Be sure and follow him on Twitter @AztexPunk