Premier Development League soccer: West Texas United heads south

Building any kind of momentum hasn’t been easy for the West Texas United Sockers this season.

Three weeks off in the middle of the season gave West Texas United a chance to find its identity.

But with time running short in the Premier Development League season, the Sockers have to start making their push right now. Ranked fourth in the PDL’s Mid-South Division with just nine points, West Texas United opens a two-game weekend at 8:15 tonight on the road against division-leading Laredo, followed by an 8 p.m. tilt Saturday against Rio Grande Valley.

Picking up a pair of wins in those matchups would help West Texas United (3-4-0) close the gap after ending a three-week hiatus from play with a 1-0 loss at Chivas El Paso last weekend.

“I think that might have been the most complete game we’ve played,” Sockers head coach Warren Cottle said. “I know it came up as a loss — they got a goal within the first five minutes — but most of the game was played on their end of the field.”

Three weeks off kept the Sockers from staying at the type of game speed needed to come back and beat Chivas El Paso, but the time away also allowed Cottle to cement the Sockers’ style of play and cement it.

For the first time this season, the Sockers have an identity.

“We have plenty of people in the middle who can touch and move, and we have forwards who know what to do with the ball,” Sockers midfielder Isaias Miramontes said. “If we get opportunities, we could win every game.”

A tactical shift by Cottle has given West Texas United new life.

Early in the season, the Sockers played impatient soccer. Repeatedly, Sockers midfielders tried to send long balls into the box, a strategy that gave West Texas United chances but rarely allowed the Sockers to hold onto possession.

Cottle scrapped that formula over the course of the Sockers’ lengthy break from match competition.

“With a new coach, a lot of new players, we didn’t have enough time to get to know each other early in the season,” Sockers goalkeeper Leif Craddock said. “Coach Cottle wants us to play direct. Last year, we played a little bit more keepaway.”

Cottle wants the Sockers to dominate possession.

But not at the expense of passing up solid scoring chances. Through the first seven games, only three Sockers — Mariano Sapien, Montiel Urias and Oswaldo Valdivia — have more than one goal, and no player has more than two.

By being aggressive at the point of attack, Cottle wants his players to put the ball in the ne.

None of the league’s top-10 goal-scorers are Sockers.

“We want to play a controlled game, we want to possess the ball a lot, but we want to attack quickly when we have time or space,” Cottle said. “We’re just trying to find ways to break down the opponent.”

Beginning with a road trip this weekend.

>> THE BASICS

Who: West Texas United Sockers vs. Laredo Heat.

When: 8:15 tonight.

Where: Texas A&M International Soccer Complex, Laredo.

Record: West Texas United (3-4-0, 9 pts); Laredo (6-2-0, 18 pts).