Silverbacks Host Scorpions in 2014 Home Opener on Saturday

April 18, 2014 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
Atlanta Silverbacks News Release


In the club's first home game since last year's championship game, the Atlanta Silverbacks host the San Antonio Scorpions on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Atlanta Silverbacks Park.

"The last time we played in front of our home fans was last year's final, which was unfortunately a loss. I think it's safe to say that we've waited for this game for a long time now," said SIlverbacks Technical Director Eric Wynalda. "I don't think we've ever been more motivated as a team, and we hope we can get a win to share with our home fans on Saturday."

Both teams enter Saturday night's game on the heels of shutout losses. The Silverbacks fell, 4-0, to the New York Cosmos on the road last Sunday, while the Scorpions dropped a 2-0 result at home to Minnesota United FC last Saturday.

While the Silverbacks' loss didn't look good on paper, Wynalda's team actually outshot their opponents on Sunday. The Silverbacks totaled 20 shots, and put 12 of them on goal, forcing Cosmos goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer into some big saves. They couldn't find a way past Maurer, however, and a few defensive lapses at the other end didn't help when it came to the final result.

"We're really excited about this weekend's game, and we look forward to getting back on track after that poor result last Sunday. We'll be playing against a few familiar faces that are now with the Scorpions, so that makes it an interesting matchup," Wynalda said. "Without a doubt, though, we think we've fixed the problems that we had against the Cosmos and we look forward to making this right at the expense of the Scorpions."

For the Scorpions, their season opener took a turn for the worse early in the game when defender Julius James was sent off after just 24 minutes. It gave head coach Alen Marcina's side an uphill climb for the remainder of the game, and the man down proved to be too much to overcome.

Among Saturday's storylines is the return of midfielders Danny Barrera and Richie Menjivar, who signed for the Scorpions this offseason after helping the Silverbacks reach the league final last year. Both players were discovered by Wynalda, and learned a lot from the former U.S. Men's National Team star after playing under him at Cal FC, the amateur club that famously reached the fourth round of the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Many of Menjivar and Barrera's former Silverbacks teammates will be itching to get a win in front of the home crowd, which is expected to be a sellout by kickoff on Saturday. The Silverbacks return only eight players from last year's NASL Spring Season Championship-winning side, with the rest of the group being new faces.

Despite not being able to find the net in the season opener, Wynalda's club looked dangerous going forward against the Cosmos. Forwards Kwadwo Poku, Deon McCaulay, and Jaime Chavez all put themselves in quality scoring positions throughout the game, as did midfielders David Estrada and Junior Sandoval.

The Scorpions will be a formidable opponent for the Silverbacks, though. The club invested significant resources into their team this offseason, bringing in former Major League Soccer All-Star forward Eric Hassli, former FC Edmonton midfielder Shaun Saiko, and goalkeeper David Bingham and midfielder Sam Garza on loan from the San Jose Earthquakes of MLS. The group of impressive newcomers compliment an already strong unit led by Polish forward Tomasz Zahorski, who took the NASL by storm after joing the Scorpions prior to the fall season last year.

In terms of last season's head-to-head series, the Silverbacks did well for themselves. Wynalda's men took all six points from their two home games against the Scorpions last season, going along with a draw and a loss on the road in San Antonio. In total, the Silverbacks have won their last three home meetings against the Scorpions.

Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. this Saturday, and the game is presented by title sponsor People HRO. To purchase tickets to the game, call the Silverbacks Ticket Office at 404-969-4900.



North American Soccer League Stories from April 18, 2014


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central