By JOHN BOSCHINI
For about 20 minutes the Atlanta Silverbacks looked ready to provide the biggest shock of the NASL season.
An early goal gave last-placed Atlanta a surprising 1-0 lead over the Carolina Railhawks but then it all went wrong for the Silverbacks as Carolina scored five unanswered goals. Etienne Barbara scored his 14th goal of the season, Nick Zimmerman bagged a brace and the Railhawks extended its winning streak to a staggering nine games.
The Montreal Impact hoped to add some breathing room at the bottom of the table against its traditional punching bag FC Edmonton but the Edmontonians got revenge with a 1-0 win. Kyle Porter scored in just the fifth minute and managed to weather the Impact's offensive pressure for the victory.
The Fort Lauderdale Strikers and the Puerto Rico Islanders cemented their place in mid-table with a 1-1 draw. Jonathan Fana scored his seventh goal of the season, good for second in the NASL, and Fort Lauderdale extended its unbeaten streak to six games.
Here is a look back at all the action in the NASL.
Carolina RailHawks 5, Atlanta Silverbacks 1
A double from Zimmerman, along with goals from Barbara, Chris Nurse and Brad Rusin more than canceled out a 10th minute goal from Matt Horth. Carolina was already ahead 3-1 by halftime and two second-half goals from Nick Zimmerman and Brad Rusin turned a comfortable victory into a rout.
The match ended with Carolina registering 11 shots on goal to a paltry four for Atlanta. Zimmerman also became the third Railhawks player to score multiple goals in a game this season.
Fort Lauderdale 1, Puerto Rico Islanders 1
After a defensive opening 75 minutes, an offensive push from both teams resulted in Fort Lauderdale and Puerto Rico splitting the points.
Jonathan Fana opened the scoring for Puerto Rico, with Martin Nunez delivering the equalizer for Fort Lauderdale. Despite Fort Lauderdale sitting in fifth place, Matt Glaeser leads the NASL in GAA with a minuscule 0.57 average.
FC Edmonton 1, Montreal Impact 0
FC Edmonton is now solidly into second place, building a five-point lead over Minnesota with a narrow victory over Montreal. The Impact's disastrous 2011 continues, winning only twice all season.
Porter's goal in the fifth minute was all Edmonton needed. Montreal goalkeeper Evan Bush kept the Impact in the game by saving a Chris Kooy penalty in the 20th minute but it ended up not mattering as the Impact managed only two shots on goal.
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What did you think of this weekend's action? Impressed with Carolina's victory? Is Montreal in serious trouble? Who benefits more from the Fort Lauderdale and Puerto Rico draw?
england should come acalling soon. imagine him paired with rooney!
if it were based on performance, the next MLS expansion teams would probably be PR and Carolina.
i think so. i seriously hink this yrs railhawks may be thr best div 2 US soccer team… EVER!
TOTALLY agree. Railhawks would probably make the MLS playoffs and maybe upset someone with their current NASL squad. sucks NASL teams couldnt participate in the US open cup this year.
Well, a lot of “the Railhawks” will likely be going to MLS at season’s end. But, enjoy the run and hope our scouting department can bring in some more good guys to replace ’em. Hopefully, Carolina has established itself as a place where a good player can springboard his career on towards MLS (or equivalent / better).
Carolina is the real deal! I’m looking at Heinemann, Horst, and Paladini in MLS and thinking that Carolina may lose some more of their players after this season. It would be nice if the Railhawks were going to MLS instead of Montreal, but that’s life.
I’ve been telling you, we all need to start drinking the Kool Aid. Matty Horth is the best player on Atlanta. 6’3″ forward was a great find from a small DIII school, Gordon College. Great job Silverbacks scouting department!