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Match Notes: Atlanta Visits Minnesota on Match Day 6

May 8, 2015 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
Atlanta Silverbacks News Release


ATLANTA - Riding a six-match unbeaten run, dating back to the 2014 finale, the Atlanta Silverbacks (1-0-4, 7 points) visit the winless Minnesota United FC on May 9 (8 p.m. ESPN3). Atlanta head coach Gary Smith guides his team to NSC Stadium, home of the 2014 Spring and Combined season champions.

He does so with a stout and proven defense that blanked the league's most productive offenses in Match Days 4 and 5. The Silverbacks silenced the New York Cosmos at Atlanta Silverbacks Park on April 25 before shutting out the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in Fort Lauderdale on May 2.

Silverbacks goalkeeper Steward Ceus returned from preseason knee surgery to make his debut against New York. He subsequently earned consecutive NASL Team of the Week recognitions for his 11 saves in the two games.

Box-to-box midfielder Michael Reed makes a homecoming of sorts, returning to the Club he called home for three seasons before joining Atlanta in February. The shifty and intelligent midfielder has played all 450 minutes for the Silverbacks - joining an elite list that features just one other non-backline player.

Head-to-head, the Loons lead the all-time series 8-3-4 (W-D-L) with a plus-5 goal differential. Atlanta swept United in the 2013 Fall season, outscoring Minnesota 4-1.

The teams kickoff on Saturday at 8 p.m. (ESPN3). Atlanta will then return to Atlanta Silverbacks Park on May 16 to host the Jacksonville Armada at 7:30 p.m.

5 Things To Watch

The NASL's last two Spring Season champions face off Saturday night when the Atlanta Silverbacks take on Minnesota United FC at National Sports Center Stadium. Atlanta's second consecutive road match is set to kick off at 8:00 p.m.and will air on ESPN3.

Here are five things to watch as the Silverbacks begin the second half of the NASL spring.

Will reversed Spring Season roles continue?

Minnesota comes into Saturday's match in much different shape than last season's results may have suggested. United won the 2014 Spring Season and Woosnam Cup for leading the combined table, before falling on penalties in the NASL semifinals. At the other end, the Silverbacks finished the combined season at the bottom of the table.

Through the first half of the Spring Season, Atlanta's unbeaten run has placed the Silverbacks into a tie for third place, while winless United sits second from bottom with three points - all from draws. An unforgiving schedule early surely didn't help United capture early form. After a Week 1 bye, three of the first four matches came on the road, and the Loons didn't play at NSC Stadium until April 25 against San Antonio.

With four points separating the clubs, Saturday could lift the Loons from early disappointment if they can hand the Silverbacks the first loss of the season. On the other hand, a road win by Atlanta would further solidify the clubs' early role reversals in the Spring Season.

Corralling Minnesota's talented attackers

Don't let the table or early results fool you: the Loons still have impressive talent, especially in a front line boasting two NASL Golden Boot winners in Christian Ramirez and Pablo Campos and a U.S. national team player, Miguel Ibarra. Ramirez, Campos, and Ibarra have each tallied a goal for United, but the league's best attack from a year ago (47 goals scored) hasn't experienced quite the same success to begin 2015. United's four goals - two from penalties - tie them with the Silverbacks and Ottawa Fury at the bottom of the NASL scoring chart.

Atlanta's confident defense - second in goals allowed with three - might not be the best place to search for scoring form, though. Opposing attacks haven't breached the Silverbacks defense since April 18, and goalkeeper Steward Ceus has earned two consecutive Team of the Week nods since returning from a knee injury. Because Atlanta has shown an ability to grind out tough defensive games, the battle in the Minnesota attacking third will be the most fierce part of the game.

Reed returns to Minnesota as key in Silverbacks midfield

Former United midfielder Michael Reed found a quick home and instant fit in Atlanta when he signed for the Silverbacks this year after three years in Minnesota. Alongside fellow central midfielder Dominic Oppong, Reed's tireless range in the center of the pitch has been crucial to the Silverbacks' robust defensive performances.

Reed will be the second Silverbacks player to play against his former team this season. Former Cosmos attacker Hans Denissen featured for Atlanta in the clubs' scoreless draw in April. Former Carolina RailHawks youth player Ferrety Sousa was also on the Silverbacks' bench for the April 18 trip to Cary, N.C.

Goalkeeping competition for the Loons

San Antonio midfielder Zourab Tsiskaridze made waves with his 65-yard free-kick goal a couple weeks ago, but his goal may have also ignited a goalkeeping duel for United. The man Tsiskaridze beat, Loons goalkeeper Sammy Ndjock, started the first three games, but United head coach Manny Lagos replaced him following the 2-2 draw between the 2014 NASL semifinalists. Mitch Hillenbrand stepped in for Ndjock last weekend for the match at Edmonton FC, while Ndjock was an unused substitute for the first time this season. Hillenbrand's first start of the season resulted in a second-consecutive 2-2 draw for United.

Similar to the Fort Lauderdale game, it's unclear who will start against the Silverbacks in goal. It will be a vote of confidence in whoever gets the nod from Lagos in goal. Against a Silverbacks attack that hasn't scored in two games, both sides need a good performance in the Atlanta attacking third.

Rivals in (and out of) competition

While the Spring Season table remains this close, it's important to keep an eye on the other fixtures elsewhere in the league. At the top of the table, New York enters the weekend three points clear of second-place Tampa Bay. The Cosmos will look to push the lead with the league's only Sunday match, a home contest against eighth-place Edmonton (2:00 p.m., ESPN3). One point ahead of the third-place Strikers and Silverbacks, the Rowdies will travel to Ottawa (3:00 p.m., ESPN3) in efforts to keep pace with New York and gain ground on the Strikers and Silverbacks.

Any points from the Silverbacks will lift them over the Strikers, as Fort Lauderdale's Spring Season bye falls this week. Still level on points in third place following last weekend's scoreless draw, another week where Atlanta's direct competition will be idle may help the Silverbacks gain ground over their third-place counterparts.

With an eye toward the near future, Jacksonville Armada's match against Indy Eleven at Community First Park (7:30 p.m., ESPN3) could temporarily solve the fifth-place deadlock - which also includes Carolina. If the Armada secure a home result, it would set up an intriguing Week 7 meeting with Atlanta at Silverbacks Park.

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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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