Men’s NASL Soccer News Update: Minnesota United FC Looks to Extend Home Unbeaten Streak Against Atlanta Silverbacks in NASL Match of the Week on ESPN3
Contenders for remaining spots in The Championship meet in Tampa Bay and Fort Lauderdale as the NASL Fall Season hits its home stretch – Christian Ramirez and Miguel Ibarra lift United past Fort Lauderdale to reclaim first place in Combined Standings.
With just five weeks to go in the North American Soccer League (NASL) Fall Season, the time is now for teams to make their moves in the race to clinch one of the three remaining spots in The Championship, the league’s four-team postseason tournament. With one match already out of the way in Week 13 of the Fall Season, there are five more ahead this weekend. Headlining that group of matches is Saturday’s NASL Match of the Week, which will feature Minnesota United FC hosting the Atlanta Silverbacks on ESPN3 at 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET).
Outside of the matchup at NSC Stadium in Minnesota, the Week 13 slate features four other Saturday clashes taking place in Fort Lauderdale, New York, San Antonio and Tampa Bay. Fans can purchase both fall season and monthly subscriptions atNASLLive.com now, allowing them to watch every single league matchup live.
United has already secured its spot in The Championship as the NASL Spring Season winner, and Manny Lagos’ side will look to continue its banner year on Saturday when the Silverbacks come to town. United’s 11-game home unbeaten streak will be on the line this weekend, and the hosts will be facing a Silverbacks team that is coming off its fifth consecutive loss. The Silverbacks fell to Ottawa Fury FC, 2-0, on Wednesday night at TD Place.
Atlanta has gathered three points in each of its last two trips to Minnesota, however, United leads the overall series against the Silverbacks. The previous encounter between these two sides took place at Atlanta Silverbacks Park on July 26 and ended in a 1-1 draw. Saturday’s game will air locally on KSTC-45, in addition to being available on ESPN3 and NASLLive.com.
Perhaps the two matchups that will have the biggest impact on The Championship picture are the clashes in the Sunshine State. The Fort Lauderdale Strikers welcome the Carolina RailHawks to Lockhart Stadium, while the Tampa Bay Rowdies host FC Edmonton at Al Lang Stadium. Both matches will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET, and depending on the results, they could complicate or clarify the outlook for the remaining spots in The Championship.
The RailHawks, who are currently fourth in the NASL Combine Standings, have won their last two encounters against the Strikers. Fort Lauderdale, however, is just four points away from the last qualifying berth into The Championship, and they’re unbeaten against Carolina at Lockhart Stadium. The last time both teams met was this past Spring Season when the RailHawks posted a 4-1 victory over the Strikers at WakeMed Soccer Park on April 19. Saturday’s game can be heard on Sofloradio.com and seen on NASLLive.com.
“Saturday’s match is going to be another important one for us,” said RailHawks Head Coach Colin Clarke. “We haven’t been able to get a good result in Fort Lauderdale since I’ve been here. It will be nice to go down there and get three points against a team competing with us for the third and fourth spot in The Championship.”
The Rowdies are looking to end their three-game winless streak when they face a solid FC Edmonton team at Al Lang Stadium on Saturday. The Eddies, who are five points below the final spot in The Championship, are looking to extend their unbeaten streak against the Rowdies to seven games. The previous meeting took place two weeks ago at Clarke Stadium, and the Canadian side emerged victorious with a 1-0 win. Saturday’s game can be seen locally on WTTA Great 38.
“This match against Tampa is a very important fixture for us,” said FC Edmonton Head Coach Colin Miller. “We played them not too long ago, so there won’t be any big surprises. Everyone knows what has to be done on Saturday, so we’re all looking forward to a good match.”
The Rowdies, who are a single point behind the Eddies in the NASL Combined Standings, are also feeling the pressure and need a good result on Saturday.
“FC Edmonton is definitely one of our closest rivals for the final berth into The Championship,” said Rowdies Head Coach Ricky Hill. “We played them here earlier and they got a point from us in the first game of the season. Now, we have a chance to get all three. It’s important that we get that winning feeling back. We want our home field to be an advantage for us from now until the end of the year.”
Elsewhere on Saturday evening, the New York Cosmos, who are in the third place in the Combined Standings, return home to take on Indy Eleven at Hofstra University’s James M. Shuart Stadium. The 8 p.m. ET encounter can also be seen on ONE World Sports.
The two sides are meeting for the third time in 2014. The first two encounters ended in draws – most recently a hard-fought 2-2 draw at IUPUI’s Michael A. Carroll Stadium on August 30.
“This weekend, we are beginning a crucial late-season homestand,” said Cosmos Head Coach Giovanni Savarese. “Indy Eleven has proven to us twice this year that they are a quality team and better than their record shows. We’ll need to be prepared for a tough challenge.”
Rounding out Week 13 of the Fall Season on Saturday is a tilt between Ottawa Fury FC and the San Antonio Scorpions. Fury FC will be playing its third game in seven days when they visit the Scorpions at Toyota Field. The 7:30 pm CT (8:30 pm ET) kickoff will be televised locally on MeTV KSAT 12.2 and will air on the radio in Canada via TSN 1200.
The Scorpions, who are currently second in the Combined Standings, are looking to edge closer to guaranteeing themselves at least a spot in The Championship. They take on Fury FC for the third time this year, however, it will be the first meeting between the two sides at Toyota Field. The previous match between the two sides took place on August 17, and ended in a 1-1 draw at TD Place.
NASL Fall Season Week 13 Schedule/Results
Wednesday, October 1
Ottawa Fury FC 2 Atlanta Silverbacks 0
Saturday, October 4
Fort Lauderdale Strikers vs. Carolina RailHawks
Lockhart Stadium; Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 7:30 p.m. ET
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. FC Edmonton
Al Lang Stadium; St. Petersburg, Fla. 7:30 p.m. ET
New York Cosmos vs. Indy Eleven
Hofstra University’s James M. Shuart Stadium; Hempstead, N.Y. 8 p.m. ET
Minnesota United FC vs. Atlanta Silverbacks
NSC Stadium; Blaine, Minn. 8 p.m. ET
San Antonio Scorpions vs. Ottawa Fury FC
Toyota Field; San Antonio, Tex. 8:30 p.m. ET
2014 NASL FALL SEASON STANDINGS
Tiebreakers: 1. Goal Differential – 2. Total Goals – 3. Head-To-Head Record – 4. Away Goal Difference – 5. Away Goals Scored
