NASL Announces 2015 Spring Season Fixtures
The North American Soccer League (NASL) announced its schedule for the 2015 Spring Season, which will kick off on Saturday, April 4.
Each of the 11 NASL clubs will play a 10-game Spring Season schedule consisting of five home games and five away games. The winner of the Spring Season, which will run through Saturday, June 13, will earn one of the league’s four postseason spots.
“We’re all filled with great anticipation ahead of the kickoff of the NASL’s fifth year,” said Commissioner Bill Peterson. “The competition during last year’s Spring Season was intense, and Minnesota United FC captured the title at the very end. We’re expecting a similar level of excitement in 2015.”
Headlining the season-opening matchups is a classic rivalry clash that dates back to the NASL Golden Era. The New York Cosmos, whose roster now includes Spanish legend Raúl, will visit the Fort Lauderdale Strikers at Lockhart Stadium in a high-profile season opener on April 4. The Strikers enter the 2015 season with high hopes after recently announcing the addition of Brazilian legend Ronaldo to their ownership group. Raúl and Ronaldo were teammates at Real Madrid from 2002-2007.
“I think our current structure with the Spring and Fall Seasons makes a lot of sense given the number of teams we have in the league,” said Cosmos head coach Giovanni Savarese. “I like the setup and the emphasis on the importance of each game in the Spring Season.”
The league’s most recent expansion team, Jacksonville Armada FC, will play its inaugural game at home in Week 1 of the 2015 Spring Season, hosting FC Edmonton at Community First Park on April 4.
“The Jacksonville market has welcomed Armada FC with open arms, and we know that the fans are anxious to fill the stadium and support their team on April 4,” Peterson said. “We’re expecting big things in Jacksonville as they enter their first NASL season.”
The 2014 NASL Champions, the San Antonio Scorpions, will open the Spring Season at Toyota Field, where they captured the league crown in front of their home fans last month. The Scorpions will host the new-look Tampa Bay Rowdies, who are now under the direction of head coach Thomas Rongen.
“Every game will be important, and playing against San Antonio in their first home game after winning the championship will be special,” Rongen said. “It’s a short season, so it’s going to be crucial to get off to a good start. Picking up wins at home and pairing them with some good results on the road will keep you in the running to win the Spring Season.”
The two other season-opening matchups will feature the Carolina RailHawks hosting Ottawa Fury FC and the Atlanta Silverbacks welcoming Indy Eleven. Defending Spring Season Champion Minnesota United FC will open 2015 with a bye.
The league will operate under the exact same competition format as last year, with the Spring Season Champion and Fall Season Champion accounting for the top two seeds in The Championship, the league’s four-team postseason tournament. For the teams that did not capture either the Spring or Fall title, the remaining two postseason spots will go to the sides that accumulated the most combined points over the course of the Spring and Fall Seasons.
“Our competition format is a byproduct of the number of teams we have in the league at this time,” Peterson said. “The schedule will balance out when we reach 16 or 17 teams, but in the meantime, we think the Spring Season will always be a dog fight and something that will be extremely fun for all of our fans to watch.”
The Fall Season schedule will be announced in early January.
To view the full 2015 Spring Season schedule, click here.
