NASL Action Heats Up in Week 14
Week 14 of the NASL Fall Season prepares to kick off as five teams aim to make final playoff pushes for postseason play. The New York Cosmos remain atop the Fall Season and Combined Standings following a road win over the Carolina RailHawks on Wednesday.
Soccer News: The New York Cosmos continue to hold the advantage in both the Fall Season and Combined Standings following a midweek win over the Carolina RailHawks in the North American Soccer League (NASL) Fall Season. The race to The Championship, the NASL’s four-team postseason tournament, remains wide open as Week 14 prepares to kick off.
Miami FC, fresh off a midweek win, heads to Al Lang Stadium to take on the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the opening match of the weekend. Minnesota United looks to get back on track after seeing their hold on fourth place shrink in recent weeks.
Four contests are scheduled for Sunday as Puerto Rico FC carries a two-game winning streak into its matchup with Ottawa Fury FC. Indy Eleven travel to take on FC Edmonton as both sides look to move within striking distance of the Cosmos. New York welcome the Fort Lauderdale Strikers to Shuart Stadium as the Cosmos have a chance to tie their own league record for most games unbeaten in a row at home. Concluding Week 14, the Carolina RailHawks and Rayo OKC aim to improve their odds in the postseason chase when the clubs meet at Miller Stadium.
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Miami FC
7:30 p.m. ET | Saturday, October 1
Al Lang Stadium | St. Petersburg, Fla.
Watch | ESPN3 (National – U.S.), NASL.com (National – Canada), BHSN 1147 (Local – St. Pete/Tampa Bay), *International outlets
The Tampa Bay Rowdies host Miami FC at Al Lang Stadium in a crucial match with both teams tied on 35 points in the Combined Standings – one point behind Minnesota for fourth place and a playoff berth. The Rowdies (5W-4D-6L, 19 points Fall; 9-8-8, 35 Combined) cruised past Fort Lauderdale in a 4-1 win last Saturday. Georgi Hristov scored a first hat-trick on the night as the Rowdies continued their strong home streak, losing just once in their last nine games.
Miami (8-4-4, 28 Fall; 9-8-9, 35 Combined) recorded a big win at home on a goal from Vincenzo Rennella in the closing minutes to top Ottawa Fury FC 2-1 on Wednesday. Miami climbed to second place in the Fall Season Standings as they sit six points behind the Cosmos.
Minnesota United vs. Jacksonville Armada FC
8 p.m. ET | Saturday, October 1
NSC Stadium | Blaine, Minn.
Watch | ESPN3 (National – U.S.), NASL.com (National – Canada), MY29 (Local – Twin Cities)
Minnesota United (5-5-6, 20 Fall; 10-6-10, 36 Combined) enters Saturday night’s matchup in search of all three points after dropping consecutive games against Ottawa Fury FC. The Loons’ will be looking to pick up points against Jacksonville, a side they have never lost to, in order to increase their fourth place lead in the Combined Standings that has shrunk to just one point. The clubs played out a scoreless draw in their last meeting, which was held at Community First Park. The Loons earned a 2-0 victory in the last matchup at NSC Stadium.
Jacksonville (2-7-7, 13 Fall; 3-11-12, 20 Combined) travels to Minnesota on a three-game unbeaten streak – all draws – led by Charles Eloundou. The Cameroonian forward has scored three times in Armada FC’s last four matches. Jacksonville picked up a point in a scoreless draw versus FC Edmonton on Wednesday night, but will have to be at their best when that take on the league’s goal-scoring leader, Christian Ramirez.
Ottawa Fury FC vs. Puerto Rico FC
2 p.m. ET | Sunday, October 2
TD Place | Ottawa, Ontario
Watch | ESPN3 (National – U.S.), NASL.com (National – Canada), Rogers TV (Local – Ottawa), WAPA 2 (National – Puerto Rico)
Ottawa’s (5-5-7, 20 Fall; 7-8-12, 29 Combined) recent unbeaten streak was halted on Wednesday night after a late goal from Miami FC that ended Fury FC’s streak in a 2-1 loss. Forward Giuseppe Gentile continued his scoring run in the defeat and now has a goal in the last three matches. Ottawa earned a point on the road in their last meeting with Puerto Rico FC during a scoreless draw.
While Ottawa’s unbeaten run ended on Wednesday, Puerto Rico (3-8-6, 17 Fall; 3-8-6, 17 Combined) is in the midst of their own. The club is unbeaten in five matches and has picked up back-to-back wins for the first time in club history following a 2-1 victory over the Fort Lauderdale Strikers during the week. Tyler Rudy scored his second goal of the season, while Bljedi Bardic scored the game-winner with a strike from distance. Puerto Rico is unbeaten in four matches away from Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium.
FC Edmonton vs. Indy Eleven
4 p.m. ET | Sunday, October 2
Clarke Stadium | Edmonton, Alberta
Watch | ESPN3 (National – U.S.), NASL.com (National – Canada), City TV (Local – Edmonton)
FC Edmonton (7-6-3, 27 Fall; 12-8-6, 44 Combined) picked up a vital point on the road in a scoreless draw versus Jacksonville Armada FC on Wednesday. The club has not scored in five straight matches, which has dropped the club in both the Fall Season and Combined Standings. The Eddies have fallen to fourth place in the Fall Season, but maintain their third position in the Combined table. FC Edmonton’s defense has kept three clean sheets in the last four games and goalkeeper Matt VanOekel recorded an NASL record with his 14th clean sheet. The club heads back home after two consecutive road games to face off against Indy Eleven in a crucial swing game for both sides.
Indy (8-3-5, 27 Fall; 12-9-5, 45 Combined) heads to Edmonton after a 3-0 victory over the New York Cosmos last Saturday. Eamon Zayed recorded his 13th goal of the 2016 campaign, while Dylan Mares tallied a goal and an assist on the night. Indy Eleven edged FC Edmonton 1-0 in their last matchup at the beginning of the Fall Season.
New York Cosmos vs. Fort Lauderdale Strikers
4 p.m. ET | Sunday, October 2
Shuart Stadium | Hempstead, N.Y.
Watch | ONE World Sports (National – U.S.), ONEWorldSports.com (National – U.S., Canada), SFL-TV (Local – Fort Lauderdale), *International outlets
The New York Cosmos (10-4-3, 34 Fall; 16-4-7, 52 Combined) extended their lead atop the Fall Season and Combined Standings with a 2-0 victory over the Carolina RailHawks on Wednesday night. Adam Moffat and Ruben Bover scored on the night to bounce back from the club’s 3-0 loss to Indy Eleven. The Cosmos ended the RailHawks’ nine-game home unbeaten streak with the victory. New York can tie their own home unbeaten record with a result on Sunday, as the Cosmos are currently unbeaten in their last 17 matches at Shuart Stadium.
The Fort Lauderdale Strikers (4-5-7, 17 Fall; 8-8-10, 32 Combined) are coming off a tough loss to Puerto Rico FC on Wednesday in a 2-1 result. After two recent losses, the side’s chances to make the postseason took a hit as the Strikers sit only four points out of fourth place in the Combined Standings. Fort Lauderdale heads into Sunday unbeaten against the Cosmos in 2016 after a 2-1 win in the Spring Season and a scoreless draw in September.
Rayo OKC vs. Carolina RailHawks
7 p.m. ET | Sunday, October 2
Miller Stadium, Yukon, Okla.
Watch | beIN SPORTS (National – U.S., Canada), beIN SPORTS CONNECT (National – U.S., Canada), TWC SportsChannel (Regional – North/South Carolina), WRAL2 (Local – Cary/Raleigh)
Rayo OKC (4-7-5, 19 Fall; 7-10-9, 31 Combined) hosts the Carolina RailHawks on Sunday with the club turning around their season in prior weeks.. Rayo OKC are unbeaten in their last four matches and has an outside chance of reaching The Championship as they sit five points back of fourth place. Michel scored his team-leading 10th goal from the penalty spot for the sixth time this campaign in Rayo OKC’s 1-1 draw against Jacksonville Armada FC last weekend.
The RailHawks (5-4-7, 18 Fall; 9-6-11, 33 Combined) will be looking to regain their form after a midweek 2-0 loss to the Cosmos that ended the club’s nine-game home unbeaten run. Carolina currently sit just three points back of Minnesota United for fourth place in the Combined Standings.
