The Laredo Heat knew Brownsville FC was going to be a challenge. It knew that Brownsville was going to be its first real test of the season. And after Wednesday’s match, Heat head coach Johnny Clifford would grade the team’s performance a C+.
“We were just OK,” Clifford said.
Laredo drew against Brownsville 1-1 at home. The Gateway City squad was disappointed in the result as most of the players covered their faces with their hands or shirts after the final whistle.
Clifford feels a little lucky to have drawn against Brownsville. Although the Heat struck first in the 5th minute, Brownsville dominated possession for most of the game, especially in the second half.
“We just didn’t do a good job at keeping the ball,” Clifford said. “We allowed them far too much possession. We could have done a better job at figuring out stuff, tactically. Just disappointing.
“I think we had a lot more to show. You will see a lot of disappointed faces.”
Laredo is a team that wants to get out and dominate from the start. It wants to pressure its opponents from the get go and never let up. But against Brownsville, the Heat couldn’t do that. They struggled to sustain possession and any momentum they tried to create.
Brownsville eventually scored the equalizer in the 76th minute — a goal Clifford feels Laredo shouldn’t have allowed. From there, both teams tried desperately to score, but neither could find the back of the net.
Wednesday was the Heat’s first match against a team with a winning record this season. CF10 Houston and the Central Texas Coyotes FC — the two teams Laredo has beaten convincingly this year — are a combined 0-5 with a negative-16 goal differential. Brownsville, after the draw, is 2-1-1 with a plus-four goal differential — a drastically better team than the other two the Heat have faced.
Although Laredo isn’t happy with the result, it feels like it’s a good learning lesson. It feels that the draw will benefit it and make it better as the season progresses.
“I think we saw that teams aren’t going to roll over against us,” Clifford said. “I think (Brownsville) showed a lot of desire to get back into the game. We need to better know that 1-0 is a shot-scoring line. We need to get another score after that.
“We could have always lost this game. It’s good to remain unbeaten and have this sort of experience. We are disappointed, but (Brownsville) is a good team. They are going to be a top-four team by the end of the season.”
The Heat are seen as one of the favorites to win the Lone Star Conference this season. And they see themselves that way, too.
Laredo has set high standards for itself. It wants to repeat as Lone Star Conference champions and it wants to win and it wants to win the National Premier Soccer League national championship.
In their first two games, the Heat seemed to have the potential to achieve those goals. But Wednesday’s match showed the Red & Black still have some stuff to work through to reach those standards.
With growth and steady improvement, Laredo plans to become a dangerous team. It wants to be truly dominant. That’s what the Heat are aiming for. And they feel Wednesday’s match will help them get there. So, when Laredo travels to take on the San Antonio Corinthians FC this Saturday, it aims to bounce back and be the team it aims to be.
“I still think we did a lot to win this game,” Clifford said. “We were really solid defensively, despite that one mistake. And one mistake can cost you a win. We need a little bit better defensively, though. But we will be fine.”