Keeping the Streak Alive in Atlanta

Published on September 14, 2015 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
Atlanta Silverbacks News Release


Minnesota snapped Atlanta's season-opening unbeaten streak with a 1-0 victory at NSC Stadium back in May. Loons forward Pablo Campos found the eventual winner just before halftime, giving the hosts a victory over the Silverbacks in the lone meeting between the clubs so far this year.

What to Watch:

1. Bunker down at Silverbacks Park. By kickoff on Tuesday, Atlanta will have built its home unbeaten streak to more than 100 days, a tally that dates back to the Spring Season. This week's dose of home games will test the streak with two more matchups in the NASL playoff race. Home form will be vital as the Silverbacks near the finish line, as five of the last eight games will be at home. If Atlanta can take care of business with a couple home wins this week, NASL's Championship picture could look much different when Week 12 comes to an end.

2. Stay healthy for the NASL home stretch. Ten days of rest followed Atlanta's injury-riddled outing against Carolina, in which Paul Black had to sit out because of a training injury and his replacement, Abdul Bangura, was forced to depart after suffering an early knock. The weekend bye was longest time between games and allows the Silverbacks to enter the double match week much closer to full fitness than if they'd played Saturday night. Adding Chris Christian and Jon Okafor back to the squad provides more depth, but staying healthy will be of utmost important in the final seven weeks of the regular season.

3. Locking down Ramirez will be essential. Loons forward Christian Ramirez has hit full stride as the NASL campaign progressed, including a seven-game scoring streak that fell just one game shy of a modern-era league record. His current eight-goal haul in 2015 doesn't quite put him on the prolific pace of his 20 from last year, but the 6-foot-2 striker's eight goals lead the way for a United side at the top of the league scoring charts with 40 goals. His matchups with Rauwshan McKenzie and Simon Mensing, two of Atlanta's defensive standouts, will be central to which way Tuesday's game swings.

Headlines:

Christian returns to Atlanta following USL loan | Chris Christian, the versatile 26-year-old defender who signed with the Club in preseason, returned last week from his loan to Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, the side currently leading United Soccer League's Western Conference. Christian started five times for Switchbacks FC, playing more than 400 minutes during his time in Colorado Springs.

Tactical Recap from AtlantaSilverbacksFC.com | It's been almost 10 days since the Silverbacks last took the field, but there are still lessons to be learned from the last outing against Carolina. Silverbacks Insider Corey Langley wrote about the important takeaways during the bye week.

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North American Soccer League Stories from September 14, 2015


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