NASL Minnesota United FC

MN Stars FC to take on NASL contender Puerto Rico Islanders at home

Published on July 3, 2012 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
Minnesota United FC News Release


BLAINE, Minn. (July 3, 2012) - Minnesota Stars FC will face the North American Soccer League second-place challenger Puerto Rico Islanders at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 4, at NSC Stadium in Blaine, Minn. This will be the first meeting in the 2012 season between the Stars and Islanders - a team who has controlled first place in the NASL for the majority of the season.

Advance tickets for Wednesday's match start at just $6 for youth age 17 and younger and $12 for adults. Tickets are available on mnstarsfc.com or by calling (763) 792-7355. The City of Blaine's annual fireworks display will follow the game, with NSC Stadium the heart of the display and the best seat around. Stars fans will have an upper hand on seating, getting early access to the stadium to claim a place to sit.

The match will also be streamed for free on the Stars' website, as well as nasl.com/live.

The Stars were respectable against the Islanders in 2011 but lost the season series as Puerto Rico finished second in the league. The Stars turned in a win, a draw and two losses against Puerto Rico, including a memorable 2-0 win at NSC Stadium in May that marked one of the team's best performances in the first half of the season.

"We have a lot of respect for Puerto Rico and what they've achieved not only in our league, but in regional competition over the years. We certainly know you have to not only play well against them, but prepare well in training because they have a lot of players who can hurt you," Stars head coach Manny Lagos said. "The short week of training after flying back from Tampa is a tough challenge for us, but I think we've embraced the adversity we're facing right now as well as the heat wave here, and we're excited to get back out there to give our fans a good performance on the Fourth."

The Stars will look to regain their footing after staggering in the last month. Minnesota has only won a single match since May 19, a 2-1 victory against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the last home match at NSC Stadium. Last Saturday, despite a record-breaking performance by Minnesota goalkeeper Matt VanOekel, the Stars dropped a 2-0 decision to the Tampa Bay Rowdies on the road in St. Petersburg, Fla.,. allowing the Rowdies to leap-frog the Stars into third place in the league standings.

Puerto Rico has faced no such difficulty in the 2012 season, and remained cemented as the league leaders until late June when the club was dethroned by San Antonio. In the 2012 season, Puerto Rico has the strongest record at home, but has been dealt two of their three overall losses while on the road. The team tied FC Edmonton 0-0 on Sunday afternoon in Alberta. A hurdle perhaps facing Puerto Rico is fatigue, as the Islanders have concurrently been competing in the Caribbean Football Union Club Championship, finishing third in the tournament and qualifying for the group stage of the next edition of the CONCACAF Champions League.

Depending on the result of Tuesday night's game in Cary, N.C., between the Carolina RailHawks and Atlanta Silverbacks, the Stars will enter the match in either fourth or fifth place in the standings with 20 points. Five points behind league-leading San Antonio, Minnesota will look to take a full three points off the only NASL team the Stars have not faced yet this season.

Minnesota hopes to regain its place among the top three clubs in the NASL - a position the side has held all season until now - in front of a strong home crowd on Independence Day in Blaine. The team could be buoyed by the return of Amani Walker, who tallied three goals and three assists before sustaining an Achilles' tendon injury on May 29 that ruled him out for the past month. In Walker's absence, the Stars' goals have primarily flowed through Simone Bracalello, who has scored five goals across all competitions, including three in league play.

Saturday could also mark the return of Lucas Rodriguez. After starting the team's first three games, the left-winger has been out of action since being subbed off on April 22 against FC Edmonton. Rodriguez was diagnosed shortly thereafter with a sports hernia and had surgery to repair it in May.

Wednesday's match kicks off a run of four straight home games for the Stars. The Stars face Atlanta and its new head coach, US soccer legend Eric Wynalda, on Saturday night at 7:30, then play two games during the Schwan's USA Cup at the National Sports Center. The Stars have a chance at revenge against the Rowdies on Thursday, July 12, and close out their homestand Wednesday, July 18 against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers.

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