photo by FC Edmonton
By FRANCO PANIZO
FC Edmonton's start to the season is becoming one they would like to quickly forget.
Edmonton dropped to 0-3-1 on the season after suffering a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to Minnesota Stars FC at Clarke Stadium in Edmonton, Canada on Sunday night. The Stars overturned a 3-2 deficit with Kentaro Takada providing the equalizer in the 68th minute and Devin Del Do scoring the winner in stoppage time in a game that was a rollercoaster of emotions for the hosts.
Minnesota's rally erased a great start and valiant comeback effort by FC Edmonton. Shaun Saiko scored early in front of the 1,273 spectators in attendance, but goals from Neil Hlavaty and Kyle Atlman's gave the Stars a 2-1 lead going into halftime.
FC Edmonton responded in the second half, as Paul Hamilton and Kyle Porter put the hosts ahead. That was not enough for Edmonton to get its first win of the season, however, as Takada equalized and Del Do knocked in a demoralizing header in the 92nd minute.
Here is a look back at the rest of the Week 3 action in NASL:
ISLANDERS REMAIN IN FIRST WITH WIN OVER CAROLINA
The Puerto Rico Islanders kept themselves atop the NASL standings on Saturday, defeating the Carolina RailHawks, 3-1, in front of 1,542 spectators at Bayamon Soccer Complex in Bayamon, PR. David Foley and Richard Martinez set the tone with goals four minutes apart midway through the first half, but an own goal by Jay Needham gave the RailHawks some hope. That was shortlived, however, as Nicholas Addlery scored his third of the season seven minutes later for the Islanders.
SCORPIONS GRAB LATE EQUALIZER VS. STRIKERS
The Ft. Lauderdale Strikers were seconds away from recording their first road win of the season, but a late goal by San Antonio Scorpions forward Hans Denissen changed that. The Scorpions and Strikers played to a 2-2 draw in front of 10,114 fans at Heros Stadium in San Antonio, TX on Saturday thanks to a last-gasp finish by Denissen. The forward's strike negated Andy Herron's second goal of the night, and sparked a fight between the two teams that resulted in four ejections. Pablo Campos scored the first equalizer for the Scorpions after Herron had broken the deadlock in the first half.
NAVIA GOAL SEES ATLANTA AVOID DEFEAT TO TAMPA
Reinaldo Navia came to the rescue of the Atlanta Silverbacks, scoring a late goal to give them a 1-1 draw with the Tamp Bay Rowdies at Atlanta Silverbacks Park in Atlanta, GA on Saturday night. Playing in front of a crowd of 3,261, the Silverbacks went down in the 70th minute after a goal from Daniel Antoniuk before Navia scored his third of the year three minutes before the death. The results now makes the Rowdies 1-1-2 on the year, while Atlanta has settled for three straight draws to start the season.
NASL Standings
1. Puerto Rico Islanders (3-0-1, 10 points, +7 GD)
2. Minnesota Stars FC (1-0-2, 5 points, +1 GD)
3. Ft. Lauderdale Strikers (1-0-2, 5 points, +1 GD)
4. Tampa Bay Rowdies (1-1-2, 5 points, 0 GD)
5. Atlanta Silverbacks (0-0-3, 3 points, 0 GD)
6. Carolina RailHawks (0-1-3, 3 points, -2 GD)
7. San Antonio Scorpions (0-1-2, 2 points, -4 GD)
8. FC Edmonton (0-3-1, 1 point, -3 GD)
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What do you think of FC Edmonton's woeful start to the season? Happy to see the Islanders remain in first place? Surprised that neither Florida team was able to seal the deal despite having late leads?
Share your thoughts below.