Silverbacks Head North of the Border to Play FC Edmonton

May 23, 2014 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
Atlanta Silverbacks News Release


Embarking on their longest road trip of the season, the Atlanta Silverbacks are looking to get back on track in league play when they visit FC Edmonton on Saturday at 9 p.m. ET at Clarke Stadium in Alberta, Canada.

The last two games have been a rough ride for the Silverbacks, who were outscored 6-0 in road losses to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and Carolina RailHawks. Thankfully for technical director Eric Wynalda's side, Saturday's game in Edmonton will mark the end of a tough midseason stretch away from home. Upon their return from Canada, the Silverbacks will round out the NASL Spring Season with a pair of home games against Minnesota United FC and Indy Eleven.

The Silverbacks sit one point ahead of FC Edmonton in the league standings, but that stat is a bit deceiving. The Canadian side has actually picked up four of their five points in the last two games, earning a hard-fought draw against the San Antonio Scorpions last weekend and a win over Indy the weekend prior to that.

"Traveling to Edmonton is never easy, and I think their team is really starting to find itself in recent weeks. We're going to have to be at the top of our game to get a result there," Wynalda said. "We need to get back on track and we need to start getting some confidence in front of goal. Putting some balls into the back of the net will alleviate a lot of the problems we have been having over the last few games."

Forwards Daryl Fordyce and Frank Jonke have started to find their form in recent weeks, and the FC Edmonton back line has been much improved over the last two games, conceding just one goal. Perhaps their most impressive result of the season came in last week's 0-0 draw in San Antonio. Colin Miller's side was reduced to 10 men in the 27th minute when central defender Mallan Roberts was shown a straight red card. Playing a man down for more than 60 minutes, the Canadians stood tall to earn a tough point on the road.

While FC Edmonton seems to be trending upwards, the Silverbacks are simply trying to recapture the form that saw them notch two straight wins against the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Ottawa Fury earlier this season. Forwards Jaime Chavez and Deon McCaulay and midfielder Junior Sandoval all had two-game scoring streaks at some point this season, but none of the three has been able to find the net the last two weeks.

Perhaps just as concerning for Wynalda's side is the amount of goals conceded. The Silverbacks are tied with Indy for the most goals conceded this season, letting 14 into the net in just six games. One positive when it comes to the Silverbacks back line is that they will be facing a FC Edmonton side that has only scored four goals all season long.

Even when struggling in past NASL seasons, the Silverbacks have been able to find form at Clarke Stadium. Two seasons ago, the Silverbacks won both times they traveled to Edmonton, and last year, they earned a draw there as well. The two teams have had a history of physical, tightly-contested battles, with last year's season series being split down the middle. Each team earned a win and two draws against the other last season.

FC Edmonton's roster features a few familiar faces for Silverbacks fans. Midfielders Horace James and Milton Blanco were both a part of the Silverbacks' run to the title game last season, and have since taken their talents north of the border. Blanco has been out with a hand injury since the second week of the season, while James has seen plenty of action, albeit mostly off the bench as a substitute.

Saturday's game in Edmonton will precede the club's mid-week encounter against Chattanooga FC in the U.S. Open Cup, and Wynalda knows how important momentum will be going into that game.

"This is a very big week for us. We play all the way out in Edmonton and then come back to prepare for Chattanooga FC mid-week," Wynalda said. "Both games are very important to us, and the second one could get us our long-awaited shot at hosting a MLS team at Silverbacks Park. I'm going to have my guys focused and hungry going into this stretch of games."

Kickoff is at 9 p.m. ET (7 p.m. local time) and the game can be seen live online at NASLLive.com. Fans that would like to watch the game together are encouraged to head to the Elder Tree Public House in East Atlanta for the team's Official Away Game Viewing Party.



North American Soccer League Stories from May 23, 2014


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