Soccer notebook: Hector Moreno: ‘It’s amazing what (Austin FC) are doing’

Let the transfer rumors begin.

It’s been almost exactly a year since Anthony Precourt took his shot at Chicharito. Now, the overtures are beginning to flow the other direction with a Mexican national team star.

Hector Moreno, a starter for El Tri at three World Cups (2010, 2014, 2018) who plays for Al Gharafa in Qatar, is intrigued by the opportunity that the new MLS expansion franchise represents.

Moreno praised Austin FC, MLS and talked about his career at length in a recent interview on “Glenn Davis’ Soccer Matters," the second part of which will air Wednesday on 104.9 The Horn. The podcast version will be available later this week, and part one aired Tuesday on ESPN 97.5 in Houston.

“It’s amazing what they are doing,” Moreno told Davis when asked about Austin FC.

The 32-year-old center back from Culiacán, Sinaloa caught the attention of Mexico and Austin FC fans when he liked and retweeted an Austin FC social media post against racism on June 4. It was discovered that Moreno not only follows Austin FC on Twitter, but he’s interacted with the team’s posts before.

“After doing this interview with Hector, I have a genuine feeling that he is very interested in coming to Major League Soccer,” Davis told the American-Statesman on Tuesday.

The big question is whether the attraction is mutual, and there are several factors worth considering.

The first is that Moreno is an established name with 104 caps for Mexico that would make him an attractive signing for a team that desperately wants to appeal to that segment of the Central Texas market.

Second, at 32 years old he is nearing the back end of what are considered a player’s productive years, even for a defender. And third, his profile and advancing age would likely put his salary at a level MLS teams normally reserve for attackers.

He would seem to fit the system Austin FC coach Josh Wolff wants to play, which values possession and relies on defenders who can dribble and pass through pressure. However, it would go against recent MLS expansion trends if the club made an aging center back its first signing or even a centerpiece, despite an attractive profile.

Isn’t it fun to be talking about actual players?

Test time: Austin Bold will take the next step of players and staff getting tested for COVID-19 this week, assistant coach and goalkeeper Ryan Thompson said on Tuesday.

He said if the tests come back negative, the team will be able to start full-team training next week on a path to begin playing matches when the USL Championship restarts next month.

So far, some Bold players have had voluntary small group and individual training sessions at Circuit of the Americas, while others have been completing their weekly workout programs from home. Several players who were out of town return this week.

“This situation we’re in is very new to everybody so everybody is always going to feel like we haven’t done enough to prepare,” Thompson said. “We have to try our best to do what we can with what we have and the circumstances. Ultimately it’s going to come down to when game time comes around. That’s going to tell us if we’re ready or not.”

Shoot for Equality: Meanwhile, Thompson is using his platform to promote change with an upcoming charity event in partnership between his RTG Academy and FalseNin9 Soccer Development.

Thompson and FalseNin9 founder Greg Mulamba will donate the proceeds from a June 28 clinic to African American Youth Harvest Foundation, a local organization that addresses educational, economic and enrichment disparities in underserved, at-risk communities.

“I’ve been trying my very best to connect with the city, and I think there’s no greater time to do it than now,” said Thompson, a 35-year-old former Jamaica national team goalkeeper.

He said he formed the idea with his wife Janelle Thompson as the result of the ongoing conversation and protests against police brutality and systemic racism.

“Through my short time I’ve been (in the U.S.), I’ve been fortunate to be around people who are able to give me a helping hand and aid me on my journey,” he said. “But I’m also aware that not everybody is fortunate like me. The ones who aren’t fortunate, I want to be that one who is going to give that helping hand to mentor them, to guide them so that they can help one, two, three, four other people. My goal is to be part of the solution.”

The cost for the event is $100, and more information can be found at RTGAcademy.com.

Win or go home: Youth soccer is coming back, and for Sonny Guadarrama that means organizing. The Bold midfielder is putting his time and name into tournaments this week and next at SoccerZone South Austin.

One of them is a youth 3v3 competition for ages 8 and up on June 28. The cost is $50 per team for squads of up to five players, and matches will last 15 minutes. To get their money’s worth, though, kids had better bring their best. It’s single elimination.

“Either start scoring some goals and try to win the game, or you’re going to go home,” Guadarrama said of the SonnyG33 tournament.

To register, call 512-578-5344.