Heat Return from Houston, Positive Information Gathered
Monday, March 27, 2006, (Laredo, TX):
Head Coach Israel Collazo and the Laredo Heat Soccer Club returned from Houston with lessons learned and enough information from the three games played in the Houston Futbol Association Men’s Open Tournament to make knowledgeable decisions for the upcoming season.
The Heat played versus Men’s Amateur Teams from Los Angeles, CA, Austin and Houston. In the Heat’s first game of the tournament and of the pre-season versus the LA United Soccer Club, the Heat played to a scoreless draw. The game was played in a very aggressive style of soccer by the club from California. The club’s second game versus the team from Austin (Real Madrid) was on offensive onslaught by the Heat; however, every shot at goal by the Heat either missed right, left or went over the goal. The Austin team took two total shots at goal and one scored and the Heat fell 1 – 0. In the final game of the day, the Heat took on ASC New Stars from Houston, one of Houston’s top Men’s Amateur Teams, and beat them 1 – 0. The Heat’s lone goal in the tournament came from veteran Heat player Chuy Sanchez who scored on a free kick from about 20 yards out.
Of the experience in the tournament, Head Coach Israel Collazo, said, “The tournament gave me plenty to look at and evaluate.” Collazo continued, “The tournament was an excellent opportunity for the players to get into game situations and showcase their talents to the coaching staff plus it gave them the opportunity to play together for the first time after 4 weeks of extensive training which was very helpful to all of them.”
In all three games, it was evident that the Heat dominated their opponents. Time of possession was 80 / 20 in favor of the Laredo Heat and most of the time was spent on the opponent’s side of the field; however, it was apparent that work is needed on the offensive side of the ball.
Collazo concluded, “While I wish we could have advanced to play on Sunday, I cannot complain about the information I was able to gather of the team during the tournament. After this weekend, I know exactly what I need to address with the team and most especially, I know what players are ahead in their development and what players I need to push to get them where we need them.
For additional information on the Laredo Heat Soccer Club and future game updates, please visit their web site at www.laredoheatsc.com .
