Wednesday Morning Hangover

There’s a big soccer match tonight, between the Austin Aztex and Houston Dynamo in U.S. Open Cup action at Nelson Field. ATX Sports will be at the game in the press box and have something to post tomorrow afternoon. Today we’ve also got some college baseball news and Tour de France news featuring Austin’s own, Lance Armstrong. How do you think Austin will do tonight against the Dynamo? What are your thoughts on Lance Armstrong’s comeback? How big a year will Kevin Durant have this season? Let me know in the comments.

Pro Soccer

The Houston Dynamo are ready to take on the Aztex tonight

“The Dynamo will be attempting to make it out of the third round of the Cup for the first time in three years after suffering eliminations at the hands of the Charleston (S.C.) Battery the past two tries. ‘This is a tournament that we want to come out and win,’ said Mike Chabala, who will be playing in his fourth Cup with the Dynamo. ‘As a team, we haven’t won it yet, and that motivates us.’ The Dynamo’s best finish came in 2006, when they fell to the Los Angeles Galaxy 3-1 in the semifinals.”

The Aztex understand the challenge they face

“‘It’s going to be a hard game,’ said Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear. ‘The last one was a hard game. I know they have some injury troubles, but they have a good team down there.’ In recent weeks, the Aztex have been decimated by injuries, requiring several stopgap loans from MLS teams to fill in the roster. Along the way, they have seen youth-team players like winger Jeff Harwell step into the limelight with inspiring performances. The youngster, promoted from the Aztex development team mid-season after an injury to winger Sullivan Silva, has scored three goals while assisting on several others.”

 

College Baseball

Expect Texas to compete for a National Title again next season

“The Longhorns will miss veterans such as Clark, Tucker, Torres and Wood. But outside of those contributors, they welcome back every key player this fall. UT’s pitching staff once again will be fabulous. Ruffin, Green and Jungmann will return to the weekend rotation and Austin Dicharry could find his way to the rotation or continue his role as an effective long reliever and mid-week starter. The ‘Horns also have high hopes for hard-throwing right-hander Brandon Workman, who could be lethal in the closer’s role. Defense once again will be a strong suit, but offense, as it was the entire ’09 campaign, will be a question mark. UT loses two of its leading hitters in Torres and Belt. But there is some hope. Perhaps Moldenhauer will build off his hot hitting in Omaha and develop into a consistent producer. Catcher Cameron Rupp has shown he can be a consistent power producer. Now he needs to establish consistency. Then there’s outfielder Kevin Keyes, who has potential to be a big-time hitter. He could be playing for a lot of money in next year’s MLB draft. Connor Rowe and Brandon Loy also have the ability to be good hitters.”

Texas State freshman outfielder Tyler Sibley was named a Second-Team Freshman All-American

“Texas State freshman outfielder Tyler Sibley has been named a Second-Team Freshman All-American by Baseball America after helping the Bobcats win their first outright Southland Conference championship and earn a NCAA Tournament berth in 2009. This marks the second time this season that Sibley has been selected as a Freshman All-American this year. He also was named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American after he set a Texas State and Southland Conference single season records for most runs scored in a single season with 77. He broke the old school record of 66 that was set by Thomas Field in 2008, while Ben Broussard of McNeese State set the previous SLC record in 1999.”

 

Minor League Baseball

Round Rock Express 1 – Iowa Cubs 0

“Josh Muecke pitched eight shutout innings to lead Round Rock to a quick 1-0 victory over Iowa. In a game that lasted less than two hours, the Express collected three hits, all in the seventh inning. Iowa starter Mitch Atkins held Round Rock hitless through the first six innings while striking out six.”

 

Pro Basketball

Kevin Durant: getting big

“Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant says the two-hour workouts he’s been doing on his old college campus this summer are strenuous enough that he sweats through his entire uniform by the time he’s done. For the former Rookie of the Year who’s trying to shake his resemblance to a stick figure, Durant says its exactly what he needs. Durant finished last season as the NBA’s sixth-leading scorer, but wanted to come back as a stronger player. He’s been taking a summer school class at the University of Texas this summer and working out with the Longhorns players when he can.”

 

Cycling

Lance Armstrong is ready for another Tour de France

“The 37-year-old Armstrong won the last of his record seven straight Tours in 2005, and his startling comeback has fans worldwide eager to see if he can add to his cycling legend. ‘Now it’s 2009, not 2004, 2005 or 2001, that’s different,’ Armstrong said in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday. ‘I would love to be eternally young, but I’m not. That’s just the reality. It’s not going to be easy to win,’ Armstrong added. ‘In December and January, I thought it would be easier. It ends up being more difficult than I thought. Perhaps because of the crash, of the complicated season or simply because I’m older now.’”