NASL Minnesota United FC

NSC Minnesota Stars Ready for Rematch with Fort Lauderdale Strikers

Published on May 6, 2011 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
Minnesota United FC News Release


BLAINE, Minn. (May 6, 2011) - After playing to a 1-1 draw in South Florida three weeks ago, the NSC Minnesota Stars and Fort Lauderdale Strikers are prepared to face off again. The 7:30 match Saturday evening will be the second of four meetings between the clubs this season, and it will serve as a measuring stick of how far the Stars have progressed in the first month of the season.

The Stars broke even on a three-game road trip to start the season, earning four points from a win, a draw and a loss. Despite the positive results, the Stars headed into their April 30 home opener with doubts lingering about the quality of their performances in their first three games. The team alleviated many of those concerns with a strong showing last Saturday, out-shooting Carolina 14-5 and scoring from the run of play for the first time since its first game of the season. Despite the game ending in a 1-1 draw, head coach Manny Lagos praised the team after the game, calling the performance the Stars' best of the season and something to build on moving forward.

"Our finishing wasn't there in the first half, and on another night we could have gone into halftime up by two or three goals. Our build up play was strong, our transition from defense into attack was quick, and all 11 guys out there played with the extra energy that being at home can give you," Lagos said. "That's what we're looking for, and the challenge for us is to bring that intensity to every game."

The Stars will look to need that intensity to flip the script on the Strikers, who out shot Minnesota 16-7 in Fort Lauderdale. One advantage for the Stars is a completely healthy front line, which gives Manny Lagos six solid options at forward Saturday night. After pairing Devin Del Do with Jeff Cosgriff to start the season, Lagos mixed things up last Saturday, giving last season's leading scorer Simone Bracalello his first start of the season, partnering him with Tino Nunez. The two forwards combined for 10 shots, and shortly after the RailHawks took a 1-0 lead, Nunez fed Bracalello for the game-tying goal. The Stars will also be bolstered by the return of Del Do, who missed last Saturday's game for personal reasons, and the good training form of Brian Cvilikas and Amani Walker.

At the other end, the Stars defense continues to jell after an offseason shake up. The unit was disappointed by its performance in a 3-1 loss at Puerto Rico, but center back Kyle Altman believes the new relationships in defense are coming along.

"We're starting to get an understanding of each other and talking things out on the training field," he said. "I feel like we're getting stronger with every game. We're just looking for that first shutout now."

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