Strikers' Mark Anderson Wins NASL Player Of The Week

Midfielder Mark Anderson’s game-winning goal against the Carolina RailHawks helped the Fort Lauderdale Strikers secure the biggest result of Week 13 of the North American Soccer League (NASL) Fall Season. For his performance, Anderson was recognized with the league’s Player of the Week award on Monday.

The Strikers’ 1-0 win over the RailHawks on Saturday put them right back in the hunt for one of the three remaining spots in The Championship, the league’s four-team postseason tournament. Anderson, a native of Durham, England, found the net for the fifth time this season in the 59th minute, earning the Strikers three crucial points that put them just two below the RailHawks in the Combined Standings.

“I’m honored to get that accolade, but it’s not just for me - it’s for my teammates too,” Anderson said.  “Darnell (King) put it on a plate for me to finish it and it helped me make up for missing the penalty earlier in the game. I kept my head in it, and the boys just reacted well and told me to forget about the penalty and go do what you know you can do, and hopefully I did that.”

With just three minutes remaining, the game was delayed due to lightning in the area. It resumed 35 minutes later, with Anderson’s goal eventually standing as the game-winner. With the victory, the Strikers extended their home unbeaten streak to six games. The Strikers are just two points below the final spot in The Championship, which is currently held by the RailHawks. The Strikers also have a game in hand on Carolina.

“I think when you miss a penalty, it can bring you down, but Mark scoring the winning goal shows that he has the necessary confidence to be a very good player for us,” said Strikers Head Coach Gunter Kronsteiner. “He played a very good game, but it was not only him - the whole team played a solid game. We didn’t allow Carolina to have too many chances, and we got the victory at home.”

Anderson joined the Strikers after an impressive showing at the NASL Combine in 2012. Since then, he has made 58 regular season appearances with Fort Lauderdale, scoring 18 goals in the process. He also was a member of the NASL Best XI in his first year with the team.

Prior to signing with the Strikers, Anderson played for PDL’s Baton Rouge Capitals in 2010.  In college, he enjoyed a very successful soccer career at Barry University from 2008-2010, tallying 59 goals and 32 assists in 74 games. Anderson was named 2011 Daktronics DII National Soccer Player of the Year and 2011 Capital One Academic All-America of the Year for DII men's soccer.

In his native England, Anderson played for Roseberry Sports College. He was a prolific scorer, averaging more than a goal per game in 2007 and was awarded the Sportsman of the Year Award twice (2006, 2007).

A former youth scholar at Sunderland AFC, Anderson also represented Great Britain at the 2011 World University Games in Shenzhen, China, scoring twice to lead them to the finals, where the team earned the silver medal.