The first full weekend of action in the 2017 NASL Spring Season produced a dose of revenge and a landmark win for one of the league’s new members.
For the second weekend in a row, the New York Cosmos and Miami FC squared off, this time in south Florida, with yet another shutout delivered by the road team. Out West in San Francisco, the Deltas earned a historic victory at Kezar Stadium, while the Jacksonville Armada pulled off a positive result after making one of the longest trips in North American soccer.
Below is a complete recap of each of the four games played across the NASL from the past weekend:
Cosmos get revenge on Miami FC
Second-half goals from Danny Szetela and Ayoze handed the Cosmos their first win of the season, and the team earned a bit of revenge after Miami FC went into their home stadium and came away with a 3-0 victory a week ago.
Szetela opened in the scoring in the 58th minute with a diving header from close range in the middle of the penalty area. What turned out to be the game-winning goal was followed up by a stoppage time strike from Ayoze, who blasted a penalty into the top-left part of the net. Both teams left Week 3 with four points in the Spring Season, but Miami holds a slight edge over the Cosmos in goal differential.
Deltas earn first win at Kezar Stadium
The Thomas Heinemann-led attack of the San Francisco Deltas put together the top attacking performance of the weekend in front of the home fans at Kezar Stadium. Heinemann was the catalyst of the strikeforce on Saturday, as he powered home tallies in the 45th and 90th minutes of the 3-1 win over North Carolina FC.
The visitors took the lead first in the 23rd minute by way of Tiyi Shipalane, but Heinemann’s flick from close range right before the halftime whistle gave the Deltas plenty of momentum. Pablo Dyego put the Deltas ahead for good in the 82nd minute and Heinemann finished off the night with a 90th-minute goal.
Armada stay top with win in Canada
The first-place Jacksonville Armada remained perfect in the Spring Season with a 1-0 win on the road in Alberta against FC Edmonton. Zach Steinberger drew first blood in the eighth minute, and that goal was good enough to hand the Armada their second consecutive victory.
Caleb Patterson-Sewell recorded three saves in the shutout win for the Armada, who also beat the Eddies in Week 2 at home by a 1-0 scoreline.
Puerto Rico, Indy share the spoils
The only draw of the NASL weekend came out of Puerto Rico, as Puerto Rico FC and the Indy Eleven played to a 1-1 tie at Estadio Juan Ramon Loubriel. The home side took the lead first in the 19th minute on a strike from Hector Ramos, but a 45th-minute equalizer from Eamon Zayed forced Puerto Rico to settle for a second draw at home to start the Spring Season.