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Regular Season Comes to Thrilling Conclusion with Seeds up for Grabs

October 30, 2015 - North American Soccer League (NASL) News Release


New York Cosmos vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies
New York Cosmos vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies
(New York Cosmos)

NEW YORK (Oct. 30, 2015) - The race to The Championship is going down to the wire and the final place and seeds will be determined this weekend. Ottawa Fury FC and the New York Cosmos are vying for the No. 1 seed, while a pair of Florida clubs, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and Tampa Bay Rowdies, seek the final postseason spot.

The Cosmos-Rowdies matchup could potentially serve as a semifinal preview, depending on how results shake out, and the match will get underway this Saturday at 7 p.m. (all times Eastern).

So far, the Cosmos, Fury FC, and Minnesota United have all punched a ticket to the postseason, but await their opponent in The Championship Semifinals. Ottawa and New York will host at least one game in the postseason.

No. 1 and No. 4 seeds still up for grabs

Read below for a full match preview of all five contests this weekend:

Carolina RailHawks vs. Indy Eleven

7:30 p.m. | Friday, Oct. 30

WakeMed Soccer Park | Cary, N.C.

Watch | ESPN3 (National - U.S.), NASL.com (National - Canada)

The RailHawks and Indy may have already started to look towards next season, but both sides will want to go out with one last strong performance in 2015. Carolina (5W-3D-11L, 18 points Fall; 8-8-13, 32 Combined) will already get a glimpse at its new beginning with new ownership in attendance, but will head into this match a bit disappointed after a late-season surge had the club back in the race to The Championship until a pair of losses to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Indy (5-5-9, 20 Fall; 8-9-12, 33 Combined) has been playing the role of spoiler recently, defeating Minnesota United and the Strikers in successive weeks. Full of confidence, the Eleven will look to add one more win in a row to close out its campaign on a strong note at WakeMed Soccer Park.

Atlanta Silverbacks vs. Ottawa Fury FC

4 p.m. | Saturday, Oct. 30

Atlanta Silverbacks Park | Atlanta, Ga.

Watch | ESPN3 (National - U.S.), OttawaFuryFC.com (National - Canada), Rogers TV (Local - Ottawa)

The role of spoiler has shifted from Indy to Atlanta, where the Silverbacks (6-6-7, 24 Fall; 7-11-11, 32 Combined) can dent Fury FC's chances at clinching the top seed in The Championship. Ottawa (13-5-1, 44 Fall; 15-10-4, 55 Combined) has only lost once in 24 matches and are unbeaten in its last 11 games on the road (an NASL record). Fury FC is expected to rest some players, and will be without Mauro Eustaquio after he picked up his fifth yellow card last weekend, but can clinch the No. 1 seed in The Championship with a win - or a draw depending on other results.

Atlanta has been a tough team to break down all season, but will be without key defender Simon Mensing, who is out due to yellow card accumulation. The Silverbacks have been impressive at home, only losing three matches in Atlanta all season, and will provide a stiff test for visiting Ottawa before the Canadian side's focus shifts to the postseason.

New York Cosmos vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies

7 p.m. | Saturday, Oct. 31

Shuart Stadium | Hempstead, N.Y.

Watch | ONE World Sports (National - U.S.)

The Rowdies (5-5-9, 20 Fall; 10-9-10, 39 Combined) have moved back into a position where clinching a postseason berth rests solely in their hands. Tampa Bay, though, will still have to get over one more hurdle - defeating the Cosmos. A win guarantees the Rowdies the fourth and final spot in The Championship, but a draw may be good enough, if Fort Lauderdale loses to Jacksonville.

It's an important game for the Cosmos (9-6-4, 33 Fall; 14-11-4, 53 Combined) also. New York could be fighting to claim the top seed in the postseason, which will give the club home-field advantage throughout its postseason run. The match has other significance with Spanish stars Raúl and Marcos Senna playing their final regular-season match.

Minnesota United vs. San Antonio Scorpions

8 p.m. | Saturday, Oct. 31

NSC Stadium | Blaine, Minn.

Watch | ESPN3 (National - U.S.), NASL.com (National - Canada), KSTC-45TV (Local - Twin Cities), KSAT 12.2 MeTV (Local - San Antonio)

Minnesota knows it will be in the postseason and that it will play on the road, but needs to wait on its opponent. The Loons (11-5-3, 38 Fall; 14-10-5, 52 Combined) close out the regular season at home and can continue momentum towards The Championship. The high-flying Minnesota attack hosts the Scorpions (4-6-9, 18 Fall; 7-9-13, 30 Combined), who have had trouble conceding (50 goals this year). Christian Ramirez leads Minnesota with 12 goals, while Pablo Campos, Daniel Mendes, and Ibson have each tallied six times.

Despite the defending champions being unable to defend their title, the Scorpions have developed a rivalry with the Loons and will no doubt want to send Minnesota into the postseason on the back of a loss.

Jacksonville Armada FC vs. Fort Lauderdale Strikers

4 p.m. | Sunday, Nov. 1

Community First Park | Jacksonville, Fla.

Watch | ESPN3 (National - U.S.), NASL.com (National - Canada), CW17 (Local - Jacksonville), SFL-TV (Local - Fort Lauderdale)

The Strikers have claimed the Coastal Cup, the competition between all three Florida-based sides, and will want to take another leap over their Florida rivals. Depending on the Rowdies result, a win - or a draw - over Florida rival Jacksonville could boost Fort Lauderdale into the postseason over Tampa Bay. The Strikers (7-6-6, 27 Fall; 10-8-11, 38 Combined) have control of their fate, but a loss over Indy last weekend dropped them a point behind Tampa Bay in the race to The Championship.

Jacksonville (5-4-10, 19 Fall; 8-7-14, 31 Combined) has been impressive at home - only losing twice at Community First Park - in its first season in the NASL. While the Armada FC cannot reach the postseason in its inaugural year, it may still have a part to play in The Championship picture. Nonetheless, Jacksonville will want to punctuate its year with a win on the final weekend.




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New York Cosmos vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies
New York Cosmos vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies
   

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