Scorpions, Cosmos Cruise In Fall Season Week 9 Action
The San Antonio Scorpions headlined an exciting weekend of North American Soccer League (NASL) Fall Season action, topping one of the league's hottest teams, FC Edmonton, by three goals at Toyota Field. The New York Cosmos also earned an important victory, further solidifying their status as a contender in the race to The Championship, the league's four-team postseason tournament.
New York Cosmos 2, Fort Lauderdale Strikers 0
The New York Cosmos shook off their disappointing result in Indianapolis last week, posting a convincing 2-0 victory over the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in a NASL Golden Era rivalry matchup at Shuart Stadium in Hempstead, N.Y. Forward Danny Mwanga opened his Cosmos scoring account in the 17th minute, forcing the ball just inches over the goal line past Strikers goalkeeper Kamil Contafalsky. Spanish star Marcos Senna doubled the Cosmos' lead at the half-hour mark, finding the net from the penalty spot. The pair of first-half goals was all the Cosmos needed to earn their first home win of the NASL Fall Season.
"I think we always had the confidence. I think it was the three points that we needed more than anything else," said Cosmos Head Coach Giovanni Savarese. "We knew the importance of this game, and I think the difference tonight was our team was able to understand tactically what we needed to do and we performed very well."
Indy Eleven 2, Atlanta Silverbacks 1
Indy Eleven recorded its first win since July 27, topping the Atlanta Silverbacks, 2-1, at a sold-out Atlanta Silverbacks Park on Saturday night. First-half goals from Jermaine Johnson and Blake Smith gave the visitors a two-goal advantage before Silverbacks midfielder Blair Gavin pulled one back for the home side just seconds before halftime. Indy Eleven could have increased their lead on the other side of halftime, but midfielder Kléberson saw his penalty kick denied by Silverbacks goalkeeper Eric Ati. Despite the Silverbacks' late push for the equalizer, Indy Eleven held on to earn their third road win of the Fall Season.
"Our defenders worked extremely hard tonight with the offensive threat that Atlanta posed," said Indy Eleven Head Coach Juergen Sommer. "We had some of our midfielders step back and defend, but it's a credit to Atlanta, who really pushed us to the physical extremes tonight. Our guys dug their heels in, defended well, and we're very pleased with the result."
Minnesota United 1, Tampa Bay Rowdies 1
Minnesota United FC extended its home unbeaten streak to 10 games, playing to a 1-1 draw against the Tampa Bay Rowdies at NSC Stadium. The league's leading scorer, Christian Ramirez, found the net for the 14th time this year, beating Rowdies goalkeeper Matt Pickens with a penalty kick in the 14th minute. The Loons looked like they were on their way to earning three points, but Rowdies forward Georgi Hristov struck midway through the second half to clinch an important road point for the visitors.
"There were a lot of different ways we could've finished this game off and we didn't quite do it," said Minnesota United FC Head Coach Manny Lagos. "It's been three frustrating games, and two where we played really good soccer and haven't gotten three points. I'm proud of how the guys played, the effort they put in, and just the fight overall."
San Antonio Scorpions 3, FC Edmonton 0
Rounding out the results on Saturday night was a 1-0 victory for the San Antonio Scorpions over FC Edmonton. Midfielder Rafael Castillo got the Scorpions off to a perfect start, finding the net midway through the first half. After the Eddies picked up a pair of red cards in the second half, the home side added two more goals through midfielders Billy Forbes and Trevin Caesar. It could have been a larger margin in favor of the Scorpions, but forward Tomasz Zahorski's penalty kick was saved by FC Edmonton goalkeeper Lance Parker. The Scorpions are now unbeaten in their last eight games at home, while the Eddies' loss snapped their three-game winning streak.
"The guys put in a complete performance, and that was the challenge before the game - do it for 95 minutes," said Scorpions Head Coach Alen Marcina. "I think that was our best effort all year. Edmonton is a very good team - one of the hottest in the league - and fortunately we got the three points."
Carolina RailHawks 2, Ottawa Fury FC 2
The Fall Season Week 9 finale featured a dramatic finish at TD Place in Ottawa on Sunday afternoon. Substitute forward Oliver scored just seconds before the final whistle, earning Ottawa Fury FC a point in a 2-2 draw with the Carolina RailHawks.Forward Tom Heinemann opened the scoring midway through the first half, finishing off a perfect pass from midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic to give Fury FC a 1-0 lead. The visiting RailHawks then went up a goal following strikes from midfielders Danny Barrera and Tiyi Shipalane in the 61st and 65th minutes respectively.
It looked as if the visitors would bring all three points back with them to North Carolina, but Oliver snuck a header inches over the goal line to clinch a breathtaking 2-2 draw.
NASL Fall Season Week 9 Scores
New York Cosmos 2, Fort Lauderdale Strikers 0
Indy Eleven 2, Atlanta Silverbacks 1
Minnesota United FC 1, Tampa Bay Rowdies 1
San Antonio Scorpions 3, FC Edmonton 0
Ottawa Fury FC 2, Carolina RailHawks 2
NASL STANDINGS
