Silverbacks off to Best-Ever Start

May 4, 2015 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
Atlanta Silverbacks News Release


ATLANTA - The Atlanta Silverbacks will carry an unbeaten run into the second half of the Spring Season after fighting to a scoreless road draw against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, one of the teams that entered Match Day 5 tied with the Silverbacks for third place.

For the second match running, neither the Silverbacks (1-4-0) nor their previously high-scoring opponents could find a breakthrough, and the 0-0 at Lockhart Stadium pushes Atlanta's run to six NASL games, dating back to last year's finale.

Five matches without a loss to open the season is the longest stretch to begin a Spring Season in the Club's NASL history. Seven points from five matches also equals the initial output of the 2013 Atlanta squad, which eventually won the Spring title.

Silverbacks head coach Gary Smith spoke following the match about the need to stay in a promising position in the Spring table, and the road point did the job: Knotted at seven points apiece in third place, the Silverbacks and Strikers trail the first-place New York Cosmos by four points and the second-place Tampa Bay Rowdies - who drew Carolina - by a point. The Strikers (Week 6: Idle) take precedence over the Silverbacks on a goals-scored tiebreaker to slot Atlanta into fourth as we head to the second half of the Spring Season.

UP NEXT: AT Minnesota United FC

Saturday, May 10 -- 8:00 p.m., ESPN3

Atlanta's third road match of the Spring Season brings the Silverbacks north to Minnesota United FC (0-3-1, 3 points) to face the winless Loons, which have yet to break through this season despite possessing talent like 2014 Golden Boot winner Christian Ramirez and U.S. National Team midfielder Miguel Ibarra. Both teams will be hungry for three points, albeit for slightly different reasons: Minnesota cannot afford to dig themselves much deeper, and the Silverbacks could use a win to reward promising displays and continue the pursuit of New York and Tampa Bay.

Week 5 Rewind

Atlanta Silverbacks 0, Fort Lauderdale Strikers 0

RECAP * It's been 188 minutes of game action since the Silverbacks last conceded a goal. Not since Carolina chased the game in Week 3 has Atlanta's defense (0.6 goals allowed/game) let one into the net. * Silverbacks goalkeeper Steward Ceus has kept two consecutive clean sheets since making his competitive Atlanta debut against the Cosmos. The 6-foot-6 shot-stopper protected his net with four saves against the Strikers, bringing his total to 11. * Tying for the fourth time in the Spring Season, the Silverbacks are already within one draw of their total for the entire 2014 season. * Hans Denissen 's 41-minute substitute appearance became his longest on-field spell as an Atlanta player. He replaced Jaime Chavez in the 59th minute and completed the game. * Six players have played every available minute for the Silverbacks, and they're all first-year players in Atlanta: Michael Reed , Kyle Miller , Rauwshan McKenzie , Simon Mensing , Paul Black , and Kyle Porter .

New York Cosmos 1, Ottawa Fury FC 0

Highlights

Playing in Brooklyn for the first time, the New York Cosmos maintained their first-place status with an early Lucky Mkosana goal- his first of the year- that carried the Cosmos through to another victory and put them three points clear at the top of the table. New York goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer, a former Atlanta player, kept another clean sheet for the league-leaders, their fourth in five games. The Cosmos will return to action - and to Shuart Stadium - Sunday against FC Edmonton, while Ottawa will host second-place Tampa Bay.

Carolina RailHawks 1, Tampa Bay Rowdies 1

Highlights

Carolina's Nacho Novo's 8th-minute opener (assisted by Ty Shipalane) lasted just more than 10 minutes as the difference. In the 19th minute, Rowdies midfielder Martin Nunez volleyed home Georgi Hristov's cross to equalize for Tampa Bay, and the 1-1 scoreline held for the remainder of the match at WakeMed Soccer Park. The Rowdies' away point preserves Tampa's one-point advantage over the third-place Strikers and Silverbacks, but it also meant New York's lead at the top of the table grew to three points. Despite a single point from two home matches, the RailHawks are just two points out of second place and still have Spring Season games left to play against Fort Lauderdale and the Cosmos.

Jacksonville Armada FC 2, San Antonio Scorpions 1

Highlights

San Antonio's early slide in the Spring Season carried through Match Day 5 with a 2-1 loss at Jacksonville Armada FC, which played the first-ever NASL game at Community First Park. Early fireworks came in the form of goals in the first 10 minutes - Jacksonville's Pascal Millien (4') and San Antonio's Omar Cummings (8', his third). A stoppage-time winner from Jacksonville striker Alhassane Keita lifted the Armada to their second win of the season, moving them into fifth place with a game in hand over the entire top four. Winless at the halfway mark, the Scorpions have already suffered more defeats in 2015 (3) than they experienced during last year's entire Spring Season (2), and they'll host Carolina on Match Day 6 with hopes of turning things around.

FC Edmonton 2, Minnesota United FC 2

Highlights

Week 5's only Sunday game resulted in the third draw of the weekend, a 2-2 afternoon affair at Clarke Field. Edmonton's Lance Laing scored a free kick in the 51st minute and and assisted Tomi Ameobi with 20 minutes to play, giving the Eddies a one-goal advantage that lasted until Minnesota's Jamie Watson converted an equalizing spot kick in the 85th minute. Eddies forward Daryl Fordyce received a red card following the late penalty. Minnesota, the Silverbacks' next opponent, failed to climb any higher than 10th in the table with the draw, which kept the Loons winless through their first four matches.

Spring Season Week 6

Saturday, May 9

Ottawa Fury FC vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies - 3:00 p.m.

Jacksonville Armada FC vs. Indy Eleven - 7:30 p.m.

Minnesota United FC at Atlanta Silverbacks - 8:00 p.m.

San Antonio Scorpions vs. Carolina RailHawks - 8:30 p.m.

Sunday, May 10

New York Cosmos vs. FC Edmonton - 2:00 p.m.



North American Soccer League Stories from May 4, 2015


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