Photo by Minnesota United FC
By AARON CRANFORD
Some NASL teams have already hit the midway point in the 2015 Spring Season, and with an automatic berth into the end-of-the-year playoffs on the line, the race for first is only going to heat up as summer approaches.
Week 6’s most intriguing affair features Minnesota United FC and the Atlanta Silverbacks. The Silverbacks underwent a complete overhaul during the offseason, but they’ve surprisingly played structured, staying unbeaten after five games and only conceding three goals this season.
On the other hand, the Loons were slow coming out of the gate, and as a result, Minnesota United finds itself sitting second to bottom in the table.
Meanwhile, the weekend’s final match pits the New York Cosmos against FC Edmonton, and with the Eddies’ attack causing havoc in recent weeks, the Cosmos’ sturdy defense may be in for a big test on Sunday.
Here is a closer look at this weekend’s NASL action:
OTTAWA FURY FC VS. TAMPA BAY ROWDIES (Saturday, 3 p.m.)
After losing their second consecutive game Saturday against the New York Cosmos, Fury FC head home in the hopes of turning their fortune around. While Tom Heinemann and Paulo Junior have spurred the Canadian club’s attack on in recent weeks, the latter had to exit early Saturday with an injury.
However, the Rowdies have issues of their own to deal with. Tampa Bay midfielder Georgi Hristov, who is tied for the league lead in assists, will miss out after picking up a red card, and Maicon Santos will possibly spend time out after injuring his hamstring Saturday. With both sides possibly missing key components, the weekend’s opening match should be a close one.
JACKSONVILLE ARMADA FC VS. INDY ELEVEN (Saturday, 7:30 p.m.)
The SBI NASL Team of the Week enters Week 6 without having to leave the state of Florida, and Saturday, it’ll be looking to continue its undefeated home campaign against Indy Eleven.
Indy Eleven is one of the last three unbeaten sides in NASL and also has a game in hand on most of the teams above them in the Spring Season table. Even with two losses on the year, Armada FC sit in the same position as Indy with six points. And with a speedy attacking front, led by Jemal Johnson and Akeil Barrett, the Indianapolis side may be in for a long night in Florida.
MINNESOTA UNITED FC VS. ATLANTA SILVERBACKS (Saturday, 8:00 p.m.)
The Silverbacks played to a scoreless draw in back-to-back weeks, but despite their inability to find the back of the net, they have remained undefeated after five games. The Silverbacks can thank their lucky stars to have Steward Ceus in net, as the goalkeeper has come up big in recent games.
However, now that U.S. Men’s National Team midfielder Miguel Ibarra has dipped his toes in the water, tallying his first goal of the season Saturday, the Loons will be hoping that he and the attacking front can recapture their 2014 scoring form. Minnesota United led the entire league in goals scored last year, with 47 scored across both the spring and fall campaign.
SAN ANTONIO SCORPIONS VS. CAROLINA RAILHAWKS (Saturday, 8:30 p.m.)
Omar Cummings had the highlight of Week 5 for NASL by netting a scissor-kick against Armada FC, but again, the Scorpions were not able to put everything together and suffered a 1-2 defeat to the expansion side. The defending champions are not playing anything like their former selves, but a win at home could be the spark they need to turn things around.
The RailHawks will hope to pounce on San Antonio’s run of poor form, and with Nacho Novo — tied for the league lead in goals scored with three — back in the lineup, the Cary side should feel a little more confident heading west.
NEW YORK COSMOS VS. FC EDMONTON (Sunday, 2:00 p.m.)
The FC Edmonton attack has been one of the most prolific out of any NASL team to date, scoring 5 goals in their last two games. The Cosmos defense has been nothing short of impenetrable, conceding no goals in their last three matches and only one in all five of their matches.
Something’s got to give, and the Eddies will be hoping the dynamic wing play of Lance Laing, the SBI NASL Player of the Week, and Sainey Nyassi can breakthrough Cosmos goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer and New York’s sturdy back line in the weekend’s final match.