By COLE KELLOGG
The league-leading Ottawa Fury have the week off from NASL action, but Marc Dos Santos’ men won’t sleep well knowing several teams are hot on their trail.
FC Edmonton and the Atlanta Silverbacks will each have the opportunity to gain footing on the Ottawa Fury in the eighth week of NASL action. The Eddies take on the Fort Lauderdale Strikers at home, while the Silverbacks play Indy Eleven in Atlanta.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies will try to bounce back from a disappointing result on Wednesday in Indianapolis, even though head coach Thomas Rongen was fired one day before hosting Minnesota United on Saturday evening.
The New York Cosmos head to Carolina as they try to get into the top four with a victory against the RailHawks.
Elsewhere this weekend, the Jacksonville Armada will go for their third straight win as the team head to San Antonio to play the Scorpions.
Here’s a closer look at this week’s action:
ATLANTA SILVERBACKS vs. INDY ELEVEN (Saturday, 7:30 p.m., WatchESPN)
After a 2-0 Wednesday victory at home over the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Indy Eleven will be looking for back-to-back wins for the first time this fall as they head to Atlanta.
Second-half strikes from Dane Richards and Erick Norales gave Tim Regan’s men just their second win since spring.
The last time these two sides faced off, the Silverbacks posted a 1-0 victory on the road thanks to a 15th-minute goal by Pedro Mendes. Since that result on the first day of August, the Silverbacks have gone 1-1-1. Mendes has been on fire, scoring three goals in those three matches.
CAROLINA RAILHAWKS vs. NEW YORK COSMOS (Saturday, 7:30 p.m., WatchESPN)
After a slow start for the Cosmos, Gio Savarese’s men have gotten into gear over the past month in the league. The team has won three of their last four games, with the most recent being a 2-1 home victory over the San Antonio Scorpions.
In a crazy period of first-half stoppage time, Leo Fernandes headed in a long-range effort from Raul, and Brad Rusin knocked a ball into his own net for the Cosmos’ go-ahead goal right after halftime.
Fernandes has two other goals in the last four matches, and Hunter Freeman has tallied twice himself in that time.
While the Cosmos are on an upward trajectory, the Carolina RailHawks have gone four matches without a win. The RailHawks have allowed nine goals in that time, while only scoring two.
TAMPA BAY ROWDIES vs. MINNESOTA UNITED (Saturday, 7:30 p.m., WatchESPN)
After parting ways with coach Thomas Rongen on Friday, the Tampa Bay Rowdies are looking to finally progress.
Under Rongen, the Rowdies had a record of 2-5-1 since the start of the Fall Season. After a midweek loss to Indy kept the team at the bottom of the table, ownership decided it was time for a change.
The side, still without an NASL appearance from Freddy Adu, have found former MLS player Maicon Santos to be a savior to the team’s attack. Santos scored three goals in two games against the Jacksonville Armada and the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, earning the Rowdies a win and nearly another draw.
Minnesota United have not been able to string together a run of positive results as of late, but three wins and four draws have given the team a fourth-place position in the league table. Look out for Christian Ramirez to find himself on the scoresheet against the struggling Rowdies defense, as the attacker has scored in each of the last seven NASL matches for United.
SAN ANTONIO SCORPIONS vs. JACKSONVILLE ARMADA (Saturday, 8:30 p.m., WatchESPN)
The bottom of the table will take on a mid-table expansion side Saturday in San Antonio, as the Scorpions will look to move up with a win against the Jacksonville Armada.
The Scorpions have just won in seven matches this fall, a 3-0 victory over the Rowdies in the second week. Since then, Alen Marcina’s men have only secured two points. The team’s last result was a brutal 2-1 loss to the Cosmos off of the Brad Rusin own goal.
Jacksonville suffered a hard opening to the fall season, but have bounced into relevancy with back-to-back home wins. The team recorded a 3-0 win over the RailHawks before a narrow 1-0 victory against the Silverbacks last weekend. Jaime Castrillon scored twice in those games.
FC EDMONTON vs. FORT LAUDERDALE STRIKERS (Sunday, 4 p.m., WatchESPN)
FC Edmonton will try to assert themselves as a Canadian force this weekend with the absence of the Fury. Four wins and three draws has placed the Eddies in the second spot in the table, although the Fury are far ahead with four points plus a game-in-hand.
Edmonton is undefeated in its last three matches, recording two wins and scoring six goals in that time. Tomi Ameobi has scored a goal in each of the team’s last three matches.
Fort Lauderdale have only recorded two victories this fall, and both of them have come against the Rowdies.
Last weekend, goals from Stefano Pinho and James Marcelin gave the Strikers all three points. Just before that, a second-half brace from Walter Ramirez helped Fort Lauderdale to a 3-3 draw with the New York Cosmos.