Gateway City Boys in the Thick of Conference Standings
Laredo, TX (Friday, June 21, 2024) – For the second straight week, the Laredo Heat are preparing for a first-place battle after moving back to the top of the table in the NPSL’s Lone Star Conference heading into their final road match of the season at 7:15 p.m. Saturday against FC Brownsville.
As the Heat (4-1-1, 13 points) were idle after Wednesday’s home match was postponed due to weather, they jumped back to the top of the table this week. Last Saturday’s 1-0 loss at Denton dropped Laredo one point behind the Diablos in the standings. However, Denton (4-1-2, 14 points) suffered its first loss 2-1 on Thursday in its final home game of the regular season against the Lubbock Matadors.
“We’re excited to be back in control of our destiny, but as always the focus remains on the next game and taking care of business against Brownsville,” Heat head coach John Powell said. “If we focus on ourselves and what we need to do game in and game out, the rest will take care of itself.”
Coming off a 2-1 road win Sunday over Austin, FC Brownsville (3-1-2, 11 points) remains in the thick of the conference title race. The Heat now control their destiny and would remain in first place with a victory Saturday. Brownsville could pull even with Denton’s current record with a win, but the Diablos are also in action Saturday traveling to Austin.
Despite starting the second half of the regular season last week and now preparing for Game 7, Powell said the sense of urgency remains the same as every game.
“It doesn’t feel possible to be honest, but for us it doesn’t change anything. We know all of the points count the same,” he said. “Whether it is Game 1 or Game 7 or Game 10, they all count the same. We want to make sure we get three points every time we play. We don’t think about the result. We just think about how we do that. We focus on our habits, our tendencies, the principles of our game model. But it’s crazy that we’re over the halfway point of the season.”
While several scenarios are at play atop the table, the teams are all still battling to keep pace in the playoff race as there are no clinching scenarios in sight. West Texas FC (3-2-1, 10 points) is in the fourth and final position heading into this weekend, and Lubbock (2-2-1, 7 points) and CF10 Houston FC (1-2-2, 5 points) are within striking distance as they meet each other Saturday.
“This is the most competitive I have ever seen this conference, and that is facts,” Powell said. “It is clear as day, which is great though. It is great for fans of the NPSL and our conference specifically.”
The Heat will be attempting to bounce back from not only their first loss of the season but their first time being shut out. Laredo had several big chances in Denton but came up empty.
Despite the scoreless outing, Heat forward Manuel Ponce Casas remains in the thick of the NPSL’s Golden Boot race after recording seven goals in the first five games. San Ramon FC’s Nathaniel Carrasco is in the lead at 10 goals through nine games, and Lions United FC’s Mher Karamyan also has 10 goals through 10 games. Karamyan’s teammate Justin Wright has nine goals, Pensacola FC’s Callum Edwards has nine goals in eight games, and Cleveland SC’s Stanislav Koval has eight goals through five matches.
Coming off last week’s quick road trip with two matches in three days, Wednesday’s postponement allowed the Heat a week of rest before hitting the road again.
“We will have full availability for the selection of the 18. Game 7 into the summer, that is great,” Powell said.
Defensively, Laredo is allowing just over a goal per game this season with eight in six matches while posting a pair of clean sheets. Brownsville boasts the best average in the conference allowing only six goals in six matches, and it’s even with the Heat with a plus-6 goal differential.
Brownsville is unbeaten at home this season but has outscored opponents just 6-4 with one win and two draws. It has outscored opponents 6-2 in three road matches with two victories and one loss.
Following Saturday’s road finale, the Heat close out the regular season with three home matches in the span of a week. All three games begin at 7:45 p.m. at PEG Energy Stadium located at 5401 Bob Bullock Loop across the street from the Laredo International Airport.
Laredo hosts the Lubbock Matadors on June 27th, Austin United on June 29th and FC Brownsville on July 3rd.
Visit youtube.com/@LaredoHeatSC for live streams of the Heat’s matches. For ticket information and to stay up to date on all things Laredo Heat, visit laredheatsc.com, follow @laredoheatsc on all major social media platforms or email vaswanifamily@about-time.com.
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