NASL Week 11 Sunday Summary
Published on June 16, 2013 under North American Soccer League (NASL) News Release
(MIAMI, Fla, June 16, 2013) - Costa Rican midfielder Cesar Elizondo was the hero for the Carolina RailHawks for the second time in the space of five days as his goal rescued a precious point in a 1-1 draw away to FC Edmonton on Sunday.
Elizondo struck two minutes from time to cancel out a Michael Cox strike in a game of few chances. On Wednesday night, his extra time goal set Carolina on the path to a famous 3-1 U.S. Open Cup victory over Chivas USA.
The draw means Carolina missed out on a chance to reclaim top spot in the NASL standings back from the Atlanta Silverbacks, themselves late 1-0 winners in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday night.
For FC Edmonton, failing to win at home ruled them out of contention to host the Soccer Bowl in November, but keeps the hopes of the Tampa Bay Rowdies alive. The team that wins the 2013 Spring Season will earn the right to host the NASL championship game in November against the winner of the Fall campaign.
It was a late, late show in the North American Soccer League on Saturday night as the race to host Soccer Bowl 2013 took a dramatic twist and turn in the closing minutes of two games played in Florida.
Atlanta Silverbacks midfielder Richie Menjivar kept his nerve to slot home a last minute penalty to earn his side a 1-0 victory away to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and send Brian Haynes' side top of the NASL standings.
Defending champion Tampa Bay battled back to equalize late in front of 4,595 fans against the San Antonio Scorpions, only to lose 2-1 to an 88th minute Hans Denissen strike, meaning the Rowdies have still not won at home this season in league action. Carolina's failure to win at FC Edmonton means the Rowdies are still alive in the Soccer Bowl race.
The Fort Lauderdale Strikers and FC Edmonton both knew they needed to win going into the weekend and are eliminated from the opportunity to host Soccer Bowl with a defeat and draw respectively.
North American Soccer League Stories from June 16, 2013
- RailHawks Draw on the Road with FC Edmonton - North Carolina FC
- Eddies can't hang on to lead; draw with the RailHawks 1-1 - FC Edmonton
- NASL Week 11 Sunday Summary - NASL
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.
