Aztecs On Tour: Košice 2025
- British Football Coaches Network
- Jul 27
- 6 min read
On the 27th of June 2025, these nine men flew to the city of Košice in Slovakia to compete in the Rosso Cup.
Hot off their recent triumph as NFL T3.2 South Champions, and a trip to Manchester to become NFL T3.2 National Runners-up, the Aztecs flew to the continent for a crack at some more silverware. After a disastrous start to the group stage, the dream of European success quickly dwindled, but the memories made from this trip will last a lifetime.
Making the squad was Ben Codd, Jason Page, Liam Beasley, Joe Monday, Will Ingram, Enrique Mbela, Nick Oliversen, and Stephanos Christoforou, lead by player manager Will Wilson, in the tragic absence of captain John Rix. This was the first time the men's team had been abroad, and in a trip full of firsts, this was the first time a player had ever been held back at the airport. Rix was denied entry at Stansted, as his passport was invalid, thanks to a recent EU law change. It brought John and the team no solace that several other passengers were also denied entry.
Half of the team, already on the transport to the plane, were convinced it was a joke when the other players brought news of John's departure. The joke was over when the plane doors were locked, and John shared photos in the group chat of his National Express coach trip to London Victoria.
Košice is a relatively small, quiet city, in the east of Slovakia, very close to the borders of Hungary and Ukraine. The locals were very welcoming, and treated the Aztecs, especially Enrique Mbela, as celebrities. Word had clearly spread regarding Henry's goal scoring exploits in the previous season, being ranked as the nineth top goal scorer in all of English men's futsal.
Following an afternoon of exploring, the team were eager to get the games underway. In perhaps the best Aztecs kit ever, the boys showed up for their Friday night friendly in Čaňa to find a group of locals who had heard the Aztecs were in town, and fancied a game. This friendly before the friendly, against a Select Čaňa team became our first official match in Slovakia. The Aztecs took to the court, immediately showing their class. The play was as slick as those new shirts. But much like how John Rix was missing from the team, the goals were missing from the moves, and the Aztecs found themselves 1-0 down and unable to hit the back of the net. The response was immediate, when Will Wilson received the ball from kick-off, ushered the team forward, and exploited the space that had opened up, before unleashing a shot into the top corner from the halfway line.
What was supposed to be a two-minute "bucket list" cameo for the non-playing coach with a knee injury, became an "Alright, boys! Let me show you how it's done!" moment, when the club's founder entered the history books as the first goal scorer in Slovakia, and the first men's player to score abroad. Rumour has it, the team were missing their shots on purpose, just to give him this moment. It would be believable too, as the Aztecs went on to find the net ten times, winning 10-4 in the end.
The second friendly was a much closer affair, but the tiredness became obvious. A long day of travelling, little to no sleep, and having already played a game, the Aztecs lost 6-3 to FK Nadozd. A good attacking display, but with plenty of defensive errors, at least the boys had a good run out, learned the level of the tournament, and had several players enter The List after scoring in one of the two games.
Full coverage of the Aztecs at the Rosso Cup can be found at this playlist here. Regrettably, while the first two games involved testing the camera equipment, there is no angle that does justice to the superb goal scored by Will Ingram. Easily one of the best goals scored in an Aztecs shirt. With his back to goal on the right wing, facing pressure from behind, he brought down a wayward pass on the chest, cut inside, beat a defender, and then smashed the ball top corner from distance.
Keeping the fans up to date at home was Ben Codd, presenting for Aztecs TV.
It's fair to say that the group stages didn't go too well. The Aztecs lost the first four games without scoring a goal. It would appear that much of the goal allowance had been spent the night before.
Kuko Team 1 v 0 Aztecs
Nova Era 2 v 0 Aztecs
Inter Košice 2 v 0 Aztecs
Gambler Plus EV 2 v 0 Aztecs
Mathematically out of the group by the third game, the Aztecs had nothing to lose when playing against Gambler Plus EV from Poland. Even with the pressure off, the team could not penetrate the forcefield that had surrounded the opposition goal.
It wasn't until the final game, against FK Nadozd from the evening before, that the Aztecs really turned it on. Ironically, this was against the team we felt was the best in our group. The boys displayed more discipline and organisation, and were 3-0 up. Ben Codd and Nick Oliversen, who were desperate to join The List, had finally got their goals. The lead began to slip away, as two dodgy goals brought the game back to 3-2, and tempers began to flare, as FK Nadozd interpreted any action by an Aztecs player as an invitation for a fight.
With only seconds to go, Slovakian celebrity Enrique Mbela was scythed down in the D. The ball fall to Ben Codd who completed his hat-trick, only to be dismayed upon hearing the referee's whistle, who had not played advantage, and awarded the penalty. With the game still at 3-2, and a goal surely solidifying the win, Will Wilson had a stroke of genius. "Why not let the goalkeeper who has never scored a goal in his life take this very important penalty?" Much to the shock and horror of his Aztecs teammates, proven penalty takers stepped aside, as Liam Beasley approached the opposition goal. The finish was never in doubt, as his weak shot placed centrally was parried into the side net by the opposition goalkeeper, making the game 4-2, and sealing the win for the Aztecs.
This coaching masterstroke meant that not only had all nine men's players in Slovakia scored a goal, but this was also the first time an Aztecs team abroad saw a goal from every player in the squad. The yelling and confrontation at the end of the game, aimed at us by our Slovakian opponents, showed that perhaps they did not appreciate how big this moment was in Aztecs history. Not only did they feel aggrieved to have lost, but the goalkeeper scoring a last second penalty to win the game, added salt to their wounds. Unfamiliar with the concept of Aztecs On Tour, it's easy to see how they found have failed to see the significance.
The Aztecs were by far the best dressed team at the tournament, with the red and white halved shirts being a popular choice among the squad for the first trip abroad. The Adidas shirts were the same template as the recent Woking home shirt, which was given to us by accident from the kit supplier. We were allowed to keep it, and the boys decided it should go to whoever scored the most goals in Slovakia. Congratulations to Joe Monday, former Woking player, and Woking fan, who won the Woking shirt that looks exactly like the Aztecs shirt, to enter his vast collection of Woking shirts.
Relive the action!
Goal Scorers: Will Wilson, Stephanos Christophorou (3), Joe Monday (4), Jason Page, Enrique Mbela (4), Will Ingram (1), Ben Codd (2), Nick Oliversen, Liam Beasley.
While some of the goals may be controversial regarding who got the final touch before the ball crossed the line, we consider the above list to be accurate.
Regardless of goals, the team had a great time in Slovakia. We were made to feel very welcome, the tournament was good fun and good quality, and Košice was a very interesting place to visit. We owe a huge thanks to Rosso for inviting us to the Rosso Cup, and will consider a trip to Slovakia each summer going forward as a staple of the Aztecs season.
Ďakujem Košice. Uvidíme sa budúci rok!
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