Wild weekend ends with Texas barely missing the PASL post-season

DFW AIRPORT, TX (8 March 2009) – The Texas Outlaws started the final weekend of the PASL’s inaugural campaign well before dawn on Friday morning, heading to Canada for the most challenging road trip scheduled for any team all season. Most would agree that it’s hard enough to play three games in as many days, but the Outlaws’ task was made even more difficult by over 4,000 miles of flying and driving – all necessary to get them to Edmonton on Friday, Calgary on Saturday, and back home on Sunday for their season finale. Add to that the pressure of needing victories in all 3 contests to qualify for the PASL Championship Weekend in Stockton, CA, and you have some idea of what the young Texas squad faced in what many fans around the league have been calling the “Road Trip to You-Know-Where” since the first day the PASL released its schedule last fall.

Some thought the Outlaws were left for dead a month ago, as the young team was reeling following 3 straight losses after the league reorganized the club in late December. The confusing affair transformed the team from one of the most experienced in the league to easily the least overnight. But the youthful roster could hardly be blamed for two losses to international powerhouse Monterrey La Raza and one to PASL Western Division champs, the Stockton Cougars. Even so, followers of the league wondered if Texas could recover. That all changed when the Outlaws knocked off division rival St. Louis in the opening round of a weekend double-header, handing the Illusion their first home loss of the year. The win allowed Texas to leap frog St. Louis in the wildcard race, but the Illusion regained the upper hand the next afternoon as the hosts retooled with some fresh legs to avenge the loss against the road-weary Outlaws.

Texas closed out February with a win over local club Tyler Threat FC, keeping them within striking distance of St. Louis and Denver, who had joined the wild card tug-of-war. Entering the final weekend, the Illusion held their fate in their hands – at 8-6, they could win out to secure the spot. Denver was next in line, holding an 8-7 record and hoping to benefit from any St. Louis loss, as they enjoyed an advantage in the tie-breakers. The Outlaws would need success on their arduous road trip, plus some help from Cincinnati and/or Detroit in the form of a win over the Illusion. They could eliminate Denver with 3 wins, but would fall short in a head-to-head clash if their records were equal. In short, though St. Louis was favored to earn the final spot in Stockton, everyone still had a shot.

So, the Outlaws boarded their plane before sunrise at DFW International Airport on a mission to Canada hoping to return with a shot at wrapping up an unlikely wildcard spot in front of their home crowd on Sunday. About 7 hours later, they arrived in Calgary where they loaded up their bags and trekked north 200 more miles to Edmonton. They arrived with time for only a brief rest at the hotel – 20 minutes at most – before heading to Servus Place to face the Edmonton Drillers. The Outlaws started strong going into the first break tied at one, but gave up 6 in the second quarter and faced a 7-3 halftime deficit. Late in the fourth, down 11-8, they opted for a sixth attacker and nearly equalized, getting to 11-10 before the Drillers scored an empty-netter with only 30 seconds left. They added a buzzer-beating final tally for a 13-10 victory, a serious blow to Texas’s hopes of a playoff bid.

With no time to waste lamenting the loss, the Outlaws hit the road Saturday morning, heading back south to try their luck against Calgary United, Edmonton’s provincial rival. Snowy conditions slowed their travel, but they arrived in time for a couple hours relaxation before driving to Calgary Soccer Centre. This time the Outlaws jumped out to an early lead and were in front 2-0 after the first quarter, an advantage they extended to 4-1 by halftime. After a third quarter in which Calgary closed the gap a little to 5-3, the teams traded goals in a back-and-forth final period setting up a tight finish. Texas appeared to lock it up with one minute left – they scored to go up 8-6, forcing United to pull their goalkeeper to press for overtime. A goal with 18 seconds left cut the Outlaws’ lead to one, but Texas held on for the 8-7 victory.

Leaving the stadium, they found a blizzard had followed them down the highway from Alberta’s capital. High winds and heavy snow made for limited or no visibility and a treacherous ride back to the hotel, but good news awaited – the Illusion had fallen to Cincinnati! So, Denver, St. Louis, and Texas all entered the last day of the PASL regular season locked up with 8 wins and 7 losses each.

Still alive in the playoff hunt, the Outlaws arose at 5am (losing an hour’s sleep to Daylight Saving’s “spring forward”) and trudged to the airport in driving conditions considered harsh even by Canadian standards. There the news turned sour, as they learned the plane for their 7am flight had been diverted to Edmonton the night before. They scrambled to rearrange their flights but found dead ends at every turn. In the end, they were trapped at Calgary International Airport for 9 hours before they could board a flight for home. Forced to postpone or cancel their final match, Texas was left hoping for Denver and St. Louis losses to retain any hope of entering the post-season tournament. The squad made the best of it during the delay, even making it onto Calgary’s nightly newscast, and arrived back in Texas eager for word of the day’s match results. St. Louis played its part, losing to Detroit, but Denver spoiled the party, downing Colorado to clinch the last spot.

Winning 3 of their last 5 games and earning respect around the PASL was little consolation to the dejected Outlaws as they completed their epic journey with a short flight from Houston back to Dallas. Each player counted lost opportunities throughout the Canadian adventure, as well as the entire season – a missed shot here, an unmarked player there. To come so close and just miss their goal was hard to take. Disembarking at DFW after 10:30 at night, culminating 2 ½ days of games and travel, the Outlaws gathered for one last “team meeting.” The coach offered a few words of encouragement, pointing out some things the team should be proud of: Texas played the toughest schedule in the whole league, most of it after a major management and coaching shake up left them without almost all of their seasoned veterans, but they still ended up tied for the third best record in the league, only missing the playoffs because of an early season loss to Denver. He told them he was proud of how hard they’d worked and that they should all be looking forward to next year. A few players added their own comments, but most had a look on their face that belied what everyone was thinking – time for rest! They bid their farewells, and headed out to catch their rides, disbanding the Outlaws posse...‘til next season.