Quest for Soccer Bowl Trophy Begins this Saturday in Minnesota and San Antonio
Published on November 6, 2014 under North American Soccer League (NASL) News Release
NEW YORK (November 6, 2014) - Four teams will begin their fight for the historic Soccer Bowl trophy and the title of 2014 North American Soccer League (NASL) Champion when The Championship, the league's four-team postseason tournament, kicks off its semifinal round this Saturday in Minnesota and San Antonio.
Top-seeded Minnesota United FC - the 2014 Spring Season Champion and owner of the best overall record - will host the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, who booked their postseason ticket with a result against Ottawa Fury FC in their final Fall Season game last weekend. The 2014 Fall Season Champions, the San Antonio Scorpions, will welcome the New York Cosmos to Toyota Field for a second straight weekend.
Both semifinal matchups will air on ESPN3 and NASLLive.com, and each will feature additional national and local broadcast coverage. Here is a quick look at the two single-elimination semifinal matchups:
#1 Minnesota United FC vs. #4 Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Saturday, November 8 - 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET) NSC Stadium - Blaine, Minn. Broadcasts: ESPN3, NASLLive.com, KSTC45-TV #2 San Antonio Scorpions vs. #3 New York Cosmos Saturday, November 8 - 7:30 p.m. CT (8:30 p.m. ET) Toyota Field - San Antonio, Tex. Broadcasts: ESPN3, NASLLive.com, ONE World Sports, KSAT12.2-MeTV
After a banner year that saw them finish with a league-best 55 points over the Spring and Fall Seasons, United has a target on its back going into The Championship. The top-seeded Loons didn't quite finish the Fall Season the way they would have liked, surrendering a five-point lead in the Fall Season Standings with just two matches to play and winning only one of their final five regular season affairs.
United enters Saturday's match against the Strikers will several things going its way, however. The Loons won all three of their meetings with the Strikers this year, and Fort Lauderdale will have to deal with the elements this Saturday at NSC Stadium, where the temperature at kickoff is likely to be under 40 degrees.
"I think Fort Lauderdale has had a great season. They've had a great run and pushed really hard and I think they deserve to be here," said United head coach Manny Lagos. "We know it's going to be a great challenge for us to deal with the intensity that they've been playing with, but we're also excited because we've worked really hard this year and we've earned the top seed."
The NASL's top two scorers will be on display in Minnesota on Saturday, with United forward Christian Ramirez (20 goals) and Strikers forward Fafa Picault (12 goals) looking to provide their respective teams with an offensive spark.
Unbeaten in their last seven matches, the Strikers are unquestionably the hotter of the two clubs heading into Saturday's encounter. Midfield duo Mark Anderson and Pecka might be playing their best soccer of the year at the moment, while Picault and fellow forward Aly Hassan have had a knack for scoring goals when the Strikers have needed them most.
"I am very proud of our team for the way they finished the season, however, no one in our club is satisfied with just qualifying for The Championship," said Strikers head coach Gunter Kronsteiner. "We know that we will be facing an outstanding team on Saturday night. We are playing with a lot of confidence right now, and I know that we will be prepared to play our best on Saturday night in order to accomplish our next goal."
Down in San Antonio, the Scorpions will host the Cosmos for the second time in seven days. The two teams met in the Fall Season finale at Toyota Field last Saturday, and the match couldn't have ended any better for the Scorpions and their fans. With the match scoreless deep into second-half stoppage time, defender Adrian Cann found the net to give the Scorpions a dramatic 1-0 win and more importantly, the 2014 Fall Season Championship.
"Coming off an exciting conclusion to the regular season and winning the Fall Season Championship, the guys are now fully focused on the next task at hand," said Scorpions head coach Alen Marcina. "They're committed to playing with dedication and tenacity against an extremely talented and determined New York side. We're pleased to be playing in The Championship Semifinals in front of our home crowd. The team will be ready to embrace the moment and match the intensity, energy, and passion of our fans."
The loss didn't sit well with the Cosmos, but lucky for them, they get a shot at redemption this weekend. The Scorpions are certainly the team that is playing better at the moment, with four wins in their last six matches. The Cosmos haven't been losing many games lately, but they also haven't been winning many. New York has tied four of its last six games, and beyond that, they haven't had any success against the Scorpions this year. The Cosmos dropped all three of their contests against San Antonio in 2014.
"In the postseason, the slate is wiped clean and everyone has a fresh start," said Cosmos head coach Giovanni Savarese. "We are facing a difficult challenge this weekend in San Antonio, but we're just one game away from the Final and the guys are going to be prepared for this match."
San Antonio boasts a strong midfield led by NASL veteran Walter Restrepo, Colombian maestro Rafael Castillo, and El Salvador international Richard Menjivar, who played against New York in last year's league final as a member of the Atlanta Silverbacks. As always, the Cosmos boast a strong group of players, with Spanish legend Marcos Senna and former U.S. international Danny Szetela patrolling the midfield.
Depending upon the results in The Championship Semifinals, the Final could be held in Minnesota, San Antonio, or New York. The highest-seeded finalist will host the title game the weekend of November 15-16. The matches will feature standard overtime rules, with the teams playing two 15-minute overtime periods if the score remains tied after 90 minutes. If the matches remain tied after the pair of overtime periods, a penalty shootout will decide the result.
North American Soccer League Stories from November 6, 2014
- Quest for Soccer Bowl Trophy Begins this Saturday in Minnesota and San Antonio - NASL
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