Soccer Watch
By Nick Barbaro, Fri., March 6, 2015
The Austin Aztex play their final preseason games this week: a doubleheader this Saturday at Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex, 10211 W. Parmer (Southwestern at 3pm, St. Edward's at 5pm). Then they've added one more game – Houston Baptist University on Wed., March 11 at Lake Travis High School, 3324 RR 620 S. – before ending the preseason with the first-ever Hill Country Derby, against the San Antonio Scorpions at San Antonio's Toyota Field on Saturday, March 14, at 7:30pm. The USL regular season opens March 28; season tickets and more info at www.austinaztex.com, where the team has just announced its Aztex Originals Club, with a variety of benefits for the inaugural season-ticket holders, including an Aztex Originals team scarf.
The U.S. Women got two second-half goals from Carli Lloyd to come from behind to beat Norway, 2-1 in Wednesday's opening game of the prestigious Algarve Cup in Portugal. Fox Sports 1 is showing the U.S. games in the tournament: They finish group play with Switzerland at 11am Friday, March 6, and Iceland at 12:30pm Monday, March 9, with a single placement game to follow on Wednesday (TBA, but almost surely against one of the other serious contenders for this summer's World Cup title).
MLS kicks off this Friday, with the defending champion LA Galaxy hosting the Chicago Fire (9pm, Univision). ESPN2 is showing one game of some local note: at 4pm Sunday, Orlando City hosts New York City FC, the first MLS game for the franchise that started in Austin.
The European Champions League Round of 16 return legs are Tue.-Wed., March 10-11 and 17-18. Fox Sports 1 will have games each day at 2:30pm. This week it's Real Madrid-Schalke, then Chelsea-Paris St. Germain.
