NASL Action – Week 4 Recap
While Miami FC was the only North American Soccer League (NASL) club to get a victory over the weekend, one of the three draws that took place stole the show in Week 4 of the Fall Season.
The New York Cosmos and Indy Eleven treated the 6,110 fans in attendance at Brooklyn’s MCU Park on Saturday night to a thrilling 3-3 draw that went back and forth until the end. Mexican legend Gerardo Torrado scored his first two NASL goals for Indy Eleven in the draw.
Puerto Rico FC took a point from its road tilt in Edmonton on Sunday to remain atop the Fall Season Standings, while Miami FC grabbed another road win in Jacksonville to pull even on points with the Caribbean side.
The San Francisco Deltas continued piling up points with a draw at home against North Carolina FC on Saturday night.
Below is the NASL recap of each matchup from the weekend:
New York Cosmos 3, Indy Eleven 3
The New York Cosmos and Indy Eleven put on a show on Saturday night, playing to a 3-3 draw at MCU Park in Brooklyn.
Mexican star Gerardo Torrado scored his first two NASL goals inside the opening 15 minutes for Indy Eleven, but it was a late goal from the Cosmos’ Juan Guerra that prevented the visitors from taking all three points.
Not known for scoring goals, Torrado came up with two impressive finishes in the early going to give Indy a dream start. Midway through the first half, the Cosmos pulled one back through an unlikely source, center back Dejan Jakovic.
Down 2-1 going into the second half, New York didn’t waste any time leveling the score. Argentine forward Pablo Vranjican headed home a rebound in the 50th minute to give the Cosmos some energy in the second half.
The Boys in Blue were hardly daunted, as David Goldsmith found Eamon Zayed for the go-ahead goal just three minutes after Vranjican’s equalizer. The big Irishman ran onto an inch-perfect pass from Goldsmith and calmly dispatched a shot past Cosmos goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer.
New York made sure it got at least something from the game, however. Venezuelan international Juan Guerra’s header narrowly eluded Indy goalkeeper Jon Busch in the 84th minute for a dramatic equalizer.
San Francisco Deltas 1, North Carolina FC 1
North Carolina FC managed to secure its first point against the San Francisco Deltas on Saturday night, grinding out a 1-1 draw at Kezar Stadium in historic Golden Gate Park.
The visitors had goalkeeper Brian Sylvestre to thank for the result, as the Florida native came up with save after save to give North Carolina a chance to take something from the game.
The 6-foot-5 goalkeeper denied Karl Ouimette from point-blank range in the ninth minute before coming out to make a kick-save on Tom Heinemann in the 20thminute.
San Francisco was causing problems for the North Carolina defense on set pieces, and eventually one of them led to a goal. Jackson got on the end of a corner kick and his shot was forced home on the doorstep by Patrick Hopkins to give the Deltas a 1-0 lead in the 60th minute.
After North Carolina’s Lance Laing smashed home a penalty kick to tie the game in the 72nd minute, San Francisco had a great opportunity to take all three points late in the contest. Jackson’s bending shot towards the far post was saved by Sylvestre, and then the North Carolina goalkeeper got up quickly to dive and stop Maxim Tissot’s follow-up shot. The tremendous double-save effectively sealed the draw for the visitors.
San Francisco was causing problems for the North Carolina defense on set pieces, and eventually one of them led to a goal. Jackson got on the end of a corner kick and his shot was forced home on the doorstep by Patrick Hopkins to give the Deltas a 1-0 lead in the 60th minute.
FC Edmonton 1, Puerto Rico FC 1
Puerto Rico FC came back from a goal down to earn a 1-1 draw against FC Edmonton at Clarke Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Eddies made the breakthrough just before halftime thanks to a goal from Ben Fisk, but Conor Doyle’s second-half header preserved Puerto Rico’s undefeated Fall Season record.
Tomi Ameobi was the catalyst on the game’s opening goal. The Eddies forward took a pass from Fisk, pushed the ball through the legs of a Puerto Rico defender, dribbled it towards goal, and laid it off for Fisk to do the rest.
Down 1-0, Puerto Rico answered early in the second half. Doyle was left wide open in the middle of the box, and that’s where he headed Giuseppe Gentile’s cross off the post and into the net.
The Eddies pushed for a late winner, but a goal-line clearance from Phanuel Kavita and a late save from Trevor Spangenberg kept the draw intact for Puerto Rico.
Jacksonville Armada FC 0, Miami FC 1
Miami FC won its third straight game – and second on the road – with a 1-0 result over Jacksonville Armada FC at Hodges Stadium on Sunday night.
Jaime Chávez scored his second game-winning goal of the week, finding the net late in the first half to give Miami three points.
Jacksonville tested Miami goalkeeper Daniel Vega early when J.C. Banks’ cross found its way through traffic and forced a diving save from the Argentine.
A free kick from Miami’s Richie Ryan smashed the post in the 23rd minute, putting Jacksonville on notice. Fast forward to the 41st minute, and Chávez would give Miami the lead. The veteran forward latched onto Ariel Martinez’s pass and fired a well-placed shot past Armada FC goalkeeper Caleb Patterson-Sewell to make the score 1-0.
Second-half efforts from Jacksonville’s Zach Steinberger and Derek Gebhard were both thwarted, leaving Jacksonville with its third loss in four games.
Source: NASL Press Release
