Soccer Watch

Tryouts for the Austin Aztex U-23 squad are this weekend and the next – Saturday-Sunday, March 8-9 & 15-16. You're supposed to have turned in a tryout form by now, but see www.austinaztex.com for more info anyway. We're told senior team coach Adrian Heath will be on hand. Meanwhile, speculation mounts over where the team will play its home games – 57 days until the season kicks off.

Tough week for Aztex affiliate Stoke, which dropped its second straight game to fall from first place to fourth in the tightly packed top level of the English League Championship. Ten games left in the season.

Che Bella Roma! For the second year in a row, Roma used a second-leg road win to move into the European Champions League quarterfinals – upsetting Real Madrid, 2-1, at the Bernabéu. Elsewhere, three English clubs charged into the final eight, led by Arsenal, who knocked out defending champion AC Milan, 2-0 – the first time an English club had ever won at the San Siro. Chelsea smothered Olympiacos, 3-0; Manchester United edged French champ Lyon, 1-0; and Liverpool could make England four-for-four. Their second-leg match against Italian champs Inter Milan was delayed due to Liverpool's Premiership commitments. The Reds take a 2-0 first-leg lead to Italy; that game will be live on ESPN2, 2:30pm Tuesday, March 11. Barcelona ousted Glasgow Celtic, while Germans Schalke 04 and Turks Fenerbahçe each advanced on penalty kicks to fill out the field.