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USSF D-2 Minnesota United FC

NSC Minnesota Stars Continue Playoff Push Saturday against Portland

August 19, 2010 - U.S. Soccer Federation D-2 (USSF D-2)
Minnesota United FC News Release


BLAINE, Minn. (August 19, 2010) - The NSC Minnesota Stars continue their playoff push Saturday night against the Portland Timbers. The teams will meet for the fourth time this season at 7 p.m. at NSC Stadium on the campus of the National Sports Center.

With only six games left to play in their regular season, the Stars can stick the "must-win" tag on every game, but their three remaining home matches stand out as particularly important.

"With a limited number of games left, we need to collect points," Stars defender and assistant coach Kevin Friedland said last Saturday after a 1-0 defeat at home against Vancouver. "We have to get out of the slump of ties and now a loss and turn some of those ties into wins."

A full three points against Portland would beat that slump - the Stars haven't won since a 1-0 victory against FC Tampa Bay on July 10 - and would keep the Stars in control of their own fate as the 12-team USSF Division 2 Pro League winds down its inaugural season.

"One of the great things about our league is that every team is in the playoff picture right now," Stars head coach Manny Lagos said. "What's important for us is to maintain control over how our season plays out. At the end of the year, we don't want to be relying on other teams to get results to benefit us, and a win would go a long way toward making sure that happens."

The Stars are 1-1-1 against the Major League Soccer bound Timbers in 2010. In the series so far, the away team has come away with at least a point in every match. The Stars beat Portland 1-0 at PGE Park on June 17 before losing 2-0 in Blaine two days later. Most recently, the teams tied 1-1 in Portland on Aug. 11.

"We like our chances, definitely," Friedland said. "We've played well against them twice this year, and we're excited to have a chance to make up for that loss at home back in June."

The Stars will also be honoring the Armed Services Saturday. Service personnel who show their military identification will be given free admission to the game. The Stars will also be collecting school supplies at the gates to benefit The Caring Tree, a Bloomington-based charity that provides school supplies to Minnesota children in need. Tickets for Saturday's game are available online at NSCMinnesota.org/tickets or by calling (763) 792-7355.

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U.S. Soccer Federation D-2 Stories from August 19, 2010


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