Happy to be in Texas, former RSL assistant fondly remembers SLC


3 photos
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SANDY — Paul Dalglish considers himself a happy Texan after two seasons with the Houston Dynamo that included back-to-back MLS Cup trophies in 2006-07.

The Scotland native's wife is from the Houston area, and each of his children were born in Houston, as well.

Still, the current coach of the third-division Austin Aztex felt a little bit of nostalgia when he stepped off the plane in Salt Lake City before Saturday night's match against Real Monarchs SLC.

"My wife and kids loved it here," said Dalglish, who spent most of last season as an RSL assistant coach under Jeff Cassar. "My kids still sing RSL's 'Believe' song. They've still got their RSL uniforms, and they ask me all the time if we can go to Cowabunga Bay. We used to take them there very often.

"We've got very fond memories of here; my wife and kids loved it. My kids miss it at times."

Dalglish and the Aztex (5-9-3) lost 3-1 to the Monarchs in front of a USL-record crowd of 11,003 fans at Rio Tinto Stadium. The hosts got goals from Maikon Orellana, Ricardo Velazco and Emery Welshman in the win, which saw them come from behind after Austin's Trevin Caesar scored an unassisted rip in the 28th minute.

For as much nostalgia as Dalglish experienced this weekend, taking the head coaching job of the Aztex as they moved from the Premier Development League to USL has turned out to be best for him and his family as they return to their roots.

"It was really going back home for me," said Dalglish, the son of former Scottish international and Liverpool star Kenny Dalglish. "The opportunity, as everybody knows, it's a very difficult job running an expansion team, and for me it was something I really looked forward to the challenge. It was something I really looked forward to: the challenge of going back and trying to produce a successful team in Austin."

Austin Aztex head coach Paul Dalglish coaches his team during a 3-1 loss at Real Monarchs on July 11, 2015. Dalglish, a former RSL assistant coach, made his first return to the Wasatch Front since accept the job in Austin in 2014. (Photo: Rob Gray/Real Monarchs)
Austin Aztex head coach Paul Dalglish coaches his team during a 3-1 loss at Real Monarchs on July 11, 2015. Dalglish, a former RSL assistant coach, made his first return to the Wasatch Front since accept the job in Austin in 2014. (Photo: Rob Gray/Real Monarchs)

The challenge of taking over a team that won the 2013 PDL title before making the move upward in U.S. Soccer's club pyramid has been inconsistent at times. Wins over teams like Colorado, Arizona and Oklahoma City have been balanced with losses, such as the one Saturday where the Aztex out-shot the Monarchs, 9-7, but only put three shots on target.

"We've had good wins, and we've had disappointing losses," Dalglish said. "But the one thing about this league is there is so much parity. You need a little bit of luck along the way, as (the Monarchs) found out here. That's the way the games seem to go as an expansion team. You don't always get the luck you think you will, and sometimes you do."

The Aztex are experiencing many of the same troubles as the Monarchs, who are 2-9-6 on the season and last place in the Western Conference. But the hard losses make players relish the positive results even more — and a little winning can go a long way.

"If you don't wake up, we could've lost, and we can't afford a loss anymore," Monarchs midfielder Velazco said after the match. "We have to win now, and we know it. We're going to keep value of this win and keep going."

Dalglish compared his job much to coach Freddy Juarez and the Monarchs, who are also in their first season of USL play — and are looking to compete both this season and in the long-term health of the club.

"Just like Freddy's doing here, it's a 2-3 year plan. We want to put together a really consistently performing team," Dalglish said. "It's like any expansion team this year; when we're good, we're good. But we lack any real consistency at this time. That will be what we need to do in 2-3 year's time, is just bring the quality and the consistency to the performance."

There were positives to take away from the loss, such as Caesar's goal in the 28th minute that gave Austin a 1-0 lead for 10 minutes. But there will also be areas to improve and progress — something Dalglish helped in a lot of players during his time as PDL coach of eight former MLS SuperDraft picks.

Taking what he learned from his brief time on Cassar's staff in Salt Lake City has made Dalglish's transition to Aztex head coach a bit smoother, as well.

"Jeff has a lot of experience, and Andy Williams, Craig Waibel, Darryl Shore and I had some good experiences. There were a lot of people with a lot of years in MLS on that staff," Dalglish said. "It was a great staff to be part of, and I have nothing but great memories of my time here."

Now comes the task of turning Austin into a consistent winner — and keeping his family happy in Texas, even without Cowabunga Bay.

"When I was at training, they bought season passes. I think they were the most regular visitors to Cowabunga Bay while we lived here," he said with a laugh. "I can't go on my own."

Photos

Related stories

Most recent Sports stories

Related topics

SportsReal Salt Lake
Sean Walker

    ARE YOU GAME?

    From first downs to buzzer beaters, get KSL.com’s top sports stories delivered to your inbox weekly.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast