Jacksonville, New York look to gain on North Carolina

Published on October 13, 2017 under North American Soccer League (NASL) News Release


Jacksonville-North Carolina Clash Headlines Big Week In Postseason Race

Miami could clinch top seed; Jacksonville, New York look to gain on North Carolina

NEW YORK - Week 12 of the North American Soccer League (NASL) has already had its fair share of excitement when it comes to the postseason race. On Wednesday night, the San Francisco Deltas punched their ticket to The Championship, the league's four-team postseason tournament, when Dagoberto scored late in the contest to lift his club to a 2-1 victory over Indy Eleven at Kezar Stadium. The Deltas are still battling to clinch a home game in the semifinal round, but they can do so by clinching the Fall Season title. San Francisco currently sits in first place in that table.

The Deltas will continue their pursuit of the Fall title on Saturday night, remaining at home to face off against Puerto Rico FC. Indy, which has its postseason hopes hanging by a thread, returns home to play Miami FC on Saturday afternoon. Miami is tied on points with San Francisco in the Fall Season Standings.

The New York Cosmos, who are looking to get back to The Championship to defend their title, welcome FC Edmonton to MCU Park. The Cosmos currently sit in the spot that would give them the fourth and final postseason berth.

The weekend's action kicks off on Friday night when two postseason hopefuls - Jacksonville Armada FC and North Carolina FC - square off at Hodges Stadium. Jacksonville is tied on points with New York and can put pressure on the Cosmos with a win. North Carolina currently sits in third place in the Combined Standings with a five-point cushion.

Continue below for a preview of the remaining matchups in Week 12:

Jacksonville Armada FC vs. North Carolina FC

7:30 p.m. ET | Friday, October 13

Hodges Stadium | Jacksonville, Fla.

Watch | ESPN3 (National - U.S.), NASL.com (National - Canada; Globally except U.S.), News4Jax (Local - Jacksonville), This TV (Local - Orlando)

Jacksonville Armada FC is coming off a key road win over FC Edmonton last week. Ciarán Kilduff, who has been an important midseason signing, scored the lone goal in the win and has now scored four goals in eight games for the club. Picking up all three points is crucial for Jacksonville as a win closes the gap to just two points on North Carolina and potentially puts the club in control of its own destiny, depending on the New York Cosmos' result on Saturday.

North Carolina enters Friday night's contest on a three-game winning streak and the club is unbeaten in its last four overall. Steven Miller, who had the game-winner against Puerto Rico FC last weekend, has scored in back-to-back weeks for the club. A win for North Carolina would put the side on the cusp of clinching a postseason berth.

Indy Eleven vs. Miami FC

3 p.m. ET | Saturday, October 14

Carroll Stadium | Indianapolis, Ind.

Watch | ESPN3 (National - U.S.), NASL.com (National - Canada; Globally except U.S.), WISH-TV (Local - Indianapolis), CW South Florida (Local - Miami)

Indy Eleven's heartbreaking loss to the San Francisco Deltas on Wednesday has put the club's postseason hopes in doubt. Indy can ill afford to drop any more points, and even then it will need plenty of help from around the league. The Boys in Blue, though, will at least look for some personal revenge, having lost to Miami FC in all three previous meetings this year.

Miami is on the brink of clinching the top seed in The Championship, and just needs to grab three points against Indy to do so. The club was overmatched in a 3-0 loss last week to the San Francisco Deltas and will look to rebound with a strong performance against the Boys in Blue.

New York Cosmos vs. FC Edmonton

7 p.m. ET | Saturday, October 14

MCU Park | Brooklyn, N.Y.

Watch | beIN SPORTS En Español (National - U.S., Canada), beIN SPORTS CONNECT (National - U.S., Canada), MSG Networks (Regional - NY/NJ/CT/PA), MSG GO (Regional - NY/NJ/CT/PA)

The opportunity to reach the postseason rests squarely at the feet of the New York Cosmos. The club is currently holding onto the fourth and final place in The Championship, and the next two weeks will be critical to see if the club can play into November. New York hosts FC Edmonton before next weekend's visit to Jacksonville, where Giovanni Savarese's men will face off against an Armada FC side that currently sits a place below them in the Combined Standings. New York played to a 2-2 draw with Indy Eleven in its last contest, with Emmanuel Ledesma and Javi Márquez getting on the scoresheet.

FC Edmonton heads into Saturday's tilt playing the spoiler role. The club can dampen the Cosmos' chances at the postseason with a win at MCU Park. The Eddies did earn their first victory in club history in New York in the Spring Season and the club will look for a similar result, which would put an end to a three-game losing streak in the process.

San Francisco Deltas vs. Puerto Rico FC

8 p.m. ET | Saturday, October 14

Kezar Stadium | San Francisco, Calif.

Watch | Twitter (National - U.S., Canada)

The San Francisco Deltas have earned a postseason berth and now the club turns its attention to adding its first silverware. San Francisco sits in pole position in the Fall Season Standings. The club's coach, Marc Dos Santos, has won the Fall Season once before, doing so in 2015 when he reached The Championship Final with Ottawa Fury FC. In the most recent game for the Deltas, Brazilian veteran Dagoberto was the hero, scoring the game-winner in a 2-1 victory over Indy Eleven.

Puerto Rico FC visits the West Coast looking to end a three-game losing streak. The club has lost four of its last five games - all by a one-goal margin and fell to North Carolina FC, 1-0, in its last game.

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North American Soccer League Stories from October 13, 2017


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