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Carolina RailHawks Aim To Defend Their Fortress Against Fort Lauderdale Strikers

April 17, 2014 - North American Soccer League (NASL) News Release


NEW YORK (April 17, 2014) - Carolina RailHawks will host the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in this week's North American Soccer League 'Match of the Week' that will be broadcast live on ESPN3 on Saturday, April 19 at 7:30 pm ET.

ESPN's live multi-screen sports network is accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and streamed on televisions through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold members and Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV.

Soccer fans around the world will also be able to 'Watch Every Match Live' throughout the 2014 North American Soccer League season including Week 2 venues of April 19 in Atlanta, Carolina, Edmonton, Indianapolis and Ottawa at www.NASLLive.com.

Currently just two points shy from first-place, the RailHawks will put their 16-game unbeaten streak (combined NASL and U.S. Open Cup matches) at WakeMed Soccer Park on the line against the Strikers, who are in three-way tie but third on goal difference on the leader board.

Strikers coach G-nter Kronsteiner said on Saturday's match-up against RailHawks: "First of all, this will be a real challenge for us. Carolina hasn't lost a game at home in a long time. To have such a long streak is amazing; they have all my respect. But we're in good shape and we keep getting better and better. This game will be a good measure of where we are at this point."

The race to Spring Championship commences on Saturday afternoon as Canada's newest NASL team, Ottawa Fury FC hosts their first match taking on one of the current league-leaders, Minnesota United FC, at Carleton University's Keith Harris Stadium at 3 pm ET. The encounter will be live locally on Rogers TV and TSN 1200 Radio.

"Minnesota is one of the three favorites to win the league," said Fury FC coach Marc Dos Santos. "We know very well our opponent and will make sure we are ready when they come visit us. My group of players are very motivated and focused to make the life of teams very difficult in Ottawa. We want to honor our fans in our first-ever home game."

Another of the league's expansion club hosting on Saturday will be Indy Eleven, as it welcomes the Tampa Bay Rowdies at IU Michael A. Carroll Stadium, which was the venue of last week's crowd of more than 11,000 that saw the home side drawing 1-1 against the RailHawks.

"They're a big, physical team," said Indy Eleven coach, Juergen Sommer, on the Rowdies, who have one been one of the best road teams in the NASL the past two seasons. " They seemed to play direct quite a bit on Saturday and maybe that's in line with them being at home and in their comfort zone. Every team is a new team for us, but the same goes for the teams we're playing early on."

The first-ever meeting between the Indy - Tampa Bay will be shown live locally on MyINDY TV-23 at 7:30 pm ET

Another Saturday evening match-up has a pair of teams looking to end their current streaks when the Atlanta Silverbacks meet the visiting San Antonio Scorpions at Atlanta Silverbacks Park at 7:30 pm ET.

Silverbacks have lost five consecutive games, while Scorpions have dropped their last four matches. Both are searching for their first victory of the Spring Season.

"We continue to do what we've been doing," said Scorpions coach Alen Marcina. "We just want to do a little bit better job in front of the goal and put a couple of goals away. We have the talent, we have the system in place, we just have to go and take three points against Atlanta."

Rounding out Saturday's Week 2 encounters, the defending champion New York Cosmos put their 12-game unbeaten streak on the line as they travel to Canada to take on FC Edmonton at Clarke Stadium at 9 pm ET and will be shown on tape delayed on Sunday, April 20, 3:30 pm ET on City TV.

"There is a terrific tradition when it comes to the New York Cosmos and it's always a huge occasion when they come to town," said FC Edmonton coach Colin Miller. "We will be well prepared for them and we're all excited for the big crowd that will be there to cheer us on."

By subscribing to either a 30-day pass or a season access pass at www.NASLLive.com, soccer fans can tune in to the drama of opening day and access all 135 matches during the 2014 NASL Spring and Fall Seasons.

Throughout the month of April, the NASL is offering a 10-day free trial to enjoy the weekly broadcasts as the league's 10 teams battle to reach the postseason and compete in The Championship for the coveted Soccer Bowl trophy.

A 30-day subscription to NASL Live costs $4.99, while a Season Pass is available for $29.99 and will expire on November 30, 2014. Following the 10-day free trial, users will be charged for whichever option they select at sign up and will have an option to cancel the subscription before a charge is made to their credit card. In order to qualify for the free trial, users must register prior to April 30, 2014.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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