By COLE KELLOGG

After securing a point on the road against the league-leading Ottawa Fury last weekend, the Tampa Bay Rowdies will have to repeat those heroics to get a result against the New York Cosmos on Saturday.

The Rowdies were able to come back from a two-goal deficit last Saturday, but Stuart Campbell’s men will be hoping for a better defensive showing early against the New York juggernauts.

FC Edmonton will host Minnesota United, needing a victory to propel itself back into the top four after two straight losses. United, on the other hand, is surging with three straight wins.

The Ottawa Fury travel to San Antonio, knowing that a road loss to the Scorpions could see them lose their top spot in the table. The Fury will hope for a return to winning form after drawing their past two matches.

Elsewhere around the league, the Atlanta Silverbacks will fight to keep their playoff position at the home of the Carolina RailHawks, and two struggling teams will face off as Indy Eleven hosts the Jacksonville Armada.

Here’s a closer look at this weekend’s NASL action:

Carolina RailHawks vs. Atlanta Silverbacks (Friday, 7:30 p.m., WatchESPN)

The Carolina RailHawks are in dire need of a result after recording four straight losses.

The RailHawks have allowed 12 goals in those four games. A lone bright spot in that run has been Nazmi Albadawi, who scored a brace last time out against the Cosmos. Colin Clarke’s team will be without Daniel Scott, who drew a red card last match, and defender Futty Danso, who has been called up by the Gambian national team.

The Atlanta Silverbacks have won four out of their last seven games, coming into form at just the right time. Junior Burgos has been important recently, scoring the game-winner last week against FC Edmonton. Look for an impact from Jaime Chavez, who leads the team in goals and assists with five apiece.

Indy Eleven vs. Jacksonville Armada (Satuday, 7:30 p.m., WatchESPN)

Indy Eleven were absolutely torn to shreds last weekend in a 7-1 loss to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. Coach Tim Regan couldn’t use that to light a fire under his men, though, as they fell again midweek 1-0 to Minnesota United.

A 2-0 win against the Rowdies three weeks back is the only one in the last nine games for the struggling team. Dane Richards, on loan from the New York Red Bulls, has impressed during his time with the team, scoring three goals in eight starts.

The Jacksonville Armada have won two of their last four and sit just three places out of the playoff picture. The side has only allowed one goal in their last four matches, but their offense hasn’t quite clicked since a 3-0 win over the RailHawks in early August.

The team will look to Alhassane Keita, Akeil Barrett, and Jaime Castrillon to break the deadlock and get back to their scoring form from early in the fall.

Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. New York Cosmos (Saturday, 7:30 p.m., WatchESPN)

The Tampa Bay Rowdies will continue a rough fight to make it to the postseason as they host the New York Cosmos.

Under new coach Stuart Campbell, the team showed resiliency to come from behind and draw first-place Ottawa Fury on the road. Look for Maicon Santos and Georgi Hristov to lead the line on Saturday night as the Rowdies try to get back into the playoff conversation.

The Cosmos have won five of their last seven matches now, clearly back to full form after going winless in the first four games of the Fall Season. Leo Fernandes has been a difference-maker recently, with Andres Flores Meija and Lucky Mkosana also putting in great performances to lead the Cosmos to victory in recent weeks.

Gio Savarese’s men will no doubt look to take advantage of the Fury’s recent struggles and fight for three points and the top of the table.

San Antonio Scorpions vs. Ottawa Fury (Saturday, 8:30 p.m., WatchESPN)

With just one win in seven matches, the San Antonio Scorpions are in need of a victory at home this weekend. That being said, the Scorpions are facing the Ottawa Fury at the best possible time.

The Fury are winless in their last three matches after a five-match win streak in the beginning of the season. Marc Dos Santos’ men are surely feeling the pressure to win on the road this weekend to stay a few points ahead of the surging Cosmos.

Scorpions fans can look to Omar Cummings, who has 10 NASL goals this season, and assist-man Billy Forbes to challenge the Fury defense this weekend.

Sinisa Ubiparivoic and Tom Heinemann are the two to look out for in the Fury attack, with both men maintaining solid form despite the team’s recent poor results.

FC Edmonton vs. Minnesota United (Sunday, 4 p.m., WatchESPN)

Things could go from bad to worse for FC Edmonton this weekend as the Canadian team hosts the third-place Minnesota United.

The Eddies have now lost two games in a row, failing to score in both matches. In early August, the Eddies secured a point on the road in Minnesota thanks to a second-half equalizer from Tomi Ameobi. While Ameobi and Edmonton attacker Lance Laing have seen their form drop off in the last month, this weekend’s do-or-die situation could be just the shock to the system that these players need.

Minnesota United have posted three straight wins to put themselves in contention to finish the fall season on top. Daniel Mendes and Justin Davis have both scored twice during that run, with Ibson and Christian Ramirez also being in top form. United is three points behind the Fury and just one behind the Cosmos after their midweek 1-0 win over Indy Eleven.