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Regular Season Concludes this Weekend with Fall Season Championship, Final Postseason Spot Up For Gr

October 30, 2014 - North American Soccer League (NASL) News Release


NEW YORK (October 30, 2014) - As the North American Soccer League (NASL) Fall Season comes to a close this weekend, there is still a lot on the line for several of the league's teams. Two of the matchups with the most meaning will be joint NASL Matches of the Week on ESPN3, as Minnesota United FC visits the Carolina RailHawks and the San Antonio Scorpions host the New York Cosmos.

Visiting United will be looking to clinch the Fall Season Championship against a RailHawks team that is still vying for the final spot in The Championship, the league's four-team postseason tournament. Down in San Antonio, the Scorpions also have a shot at the Fall Season crown, but they will need a result against the Cosmos combined with a slip-up by the Loons in Carolina.

Week 17 of the Fall Season features three other matchups taking place in Fort Lauderdale, Tampa Bay, and Edmonton, and they will all be available for fans to watch live on NASLLive.com. Fans can purchase a monthly subscription at NASLLive.com now, allowing them to watch every single league matchup live, including the three matches in The Championship this November.

The first of two matches on ESPN3 this Saturday features the RailHawks, who sit just two points behind the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the race for the final qualifying berth into The Championship, hosting league-leading United at 7:30 p.m. ET at WakeMed Soccer Park. The big match will air locally on WRAL2 TV and 99.9HD-3 The Ticket.

Spring Season Champion United has already secured the #1 seed in the upcoming postseason, but they will be looking to add Fall Season Champion to their list of titles on Saturday night. The Loons, who are unbeaten against the RailHawks this year, enter the weekend up two points on the Scorpions in the Fall Season Standings. Carolina leads the all-time head-to-head series against Minnesota, however, the Loons took three points from the last matchup, winning it 1-0.

"Carolina is a hard-working team, and we've always matched up well in terms of it being a good game," said United head coach Manny Lagos. "They're always up to play us. This year we've played them twice at home, so we haven't gone there yet. It will be a tough road game for us because they have done really well at home over the last couple of years."

The other ESPN3 Match of the Week between the Scorpions and Cosmos will likely serve as a preview of one of The Championship Semifinals set for next weekend. Unless the Cosmos get blown out and the Strikers rout Ottawa on Saturday, the Scorpions and Cosmos will clash at Toyota Field on November 8.

Saturday's version of the matchup will see the Scorpions try and steal the Fall Season Championship from United. If Minnesota draws or loses against the RailHawks, the Scorpions would become Fall Season Champions with a win over the Cosmos on Saturday night. The match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT (8:30 p.m. ET) and will air locally on MeTV KSAT 12.2.

The overall series is even between the two teams, however, San Antonio has won its last two matches against New York this year. The last meeting took place on July 12, with the Scorpions winning, 3-1, at Hofstra University's James M. Shuart Stadium.

"We're going to San Antonio to compete," said Cosmos head coach Giovanni Savarese. "We understand they will most likely be our first postseason opponent and we're not taking this game lightly by any means. We want to finish the season strong and enter the postseason with momentum."

The Strikers also have a lot riding on their Week 17 matchup, playing for the final spot in The Championship against Ottawa Fury FC on Saturday. The South Florida side leads the RailHawks by two points going into its home game at Lockhart Stadium, and a win will put them into the postseason regardless of what Carolina does on Saturday. The match, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET, will air on the radio via TSN 1200 (Ottawa) and Sofloradio.com. The last time these two teams met, the Strikers posted a 2-1 win at TD Place in Ottawa.

"Our team has worked very hard to put itself in this position, particularly during the final portion of the season. We all realize the importance of this game, and we're very fortunate to have a healthy group of players that play unselfishly and work hard for each other," said Strikers head coach Gunter Kronsteiner. "They're a confident group with respect for all of the teams that they face. Every game presents a new challenge for us, and I'm sure that our team will be focused and ready to face Ottawa on Saturday night."

Elsewhere on Saturday, the Tampa Bay Rowdies will look to end their nine-game winless streak when they host Indy Eleven at Al Lang Stadium. The 7:30 pm ET kickoff will air locally on WTTA Great 38 TV. Indy, who is unbeaten in its last four matches, has yet to defeat the Rowdies this year. The previous encounter took place on July 19, with Tampa Bay earning a 2-1 win at IUPUI's Michael A. Carroll Stadium.

"With the way we've finished, nothing less than a win to close things out Saturday at Tampa Bay would be fitting for this group, in my mind," said Indy Eleven head coach Juergen Sommer. "We've shown that we won't be afraid to come out and be aggressive on the road, and we'll bring that attitude to Tampa for the finale."

Rounding on the 2014 Fall Season will be a Sunday afternoon affair between FC Edmonton and the Atlanta Silverbacks. The Eddies will set out to extend their home unbeaten streak to seven games against a Silverbacks team that hasn't won since August. The match will kick off at 2 p.m. MT (4 p.m. ET) at Clarke Stadium and it will air locally on CityTV.

FC Edmonton leads the series against Atlanta, however, the Silverbacks are unbeaten against the Canadian club in their last five encounters. The last meeting between the two sides came on July 19 at Atlanta Silverbacks Park and it was the hosts who won it, 1-0.

"We want to end this season on a high note and we've played well at home," said FC Edmonton head coach Colin Miller. "We're undefeated in six and we want to make it seven in our final match of the year."

NASL Fall Season Week 17 Schedule

Saturday, November 1

Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Indy Eleven

Al Lang Stadium; St. Petersburg, Fla. 7:30 p.m. ET

Carolina RailHawks vs. Minnesota United FC

WakeMed Soccer Park; Cary, N.C. 7:30 p.m. ET

Fort Lauderdale Strikers vs. Ottawa Fury FC

Lockhart Stadium; Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 7:30 p.m. ET

San Antonio Scorpions vs. New York Cosmos

Toyota Field; San Antonio, Tex. 8:30 p.m. ET

Sunday, November 2

FC Edmonton vs. Atlanta Silverbacks

Clarke Stadium; Edmonton, Alberta 4 p.m. ET

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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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