Silverbacks' Winning Streak Snapped in Fort Lauderdale

May 10, 2014 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
Atlanta Silverbacks News Release


Fort Lauderdale, Fla. - The Fort Lauderdale Strikers are for real this season, and the Atlanta Silverbacks found that out the hard way on Saturday night, dropping a 4-0 result at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Midfielders Mark Anderson and Fafa Picault led a dominant performance by the Strikers (4-0-1), and a second-half red card from Silverbacks midfielder Alex Harlley didn't make it any easier for the visitors.

Silverbacks Technical Director named an unchanged lineup on Saturday night after leading the team to their second straight league win over Ottawa Fury FC last Saturday in Atlanta.

The game didn't take long to pick up, with the hosts demonstrating their intent immediately. In the 6th minute, Anderson curled a low free-kick goalwards from 35 yards out, forcing Silverbacks goalkeeper Eric Ati to be alert and tip it wide for a corner kick.

The next opportunity came from a free kick as well, but this time it was the Silverbacks (2-0-3) coming close to opening the scoring. After Strikers defender Stefan Antonijevic brought down Silverbacks forward Jaime Chavez right outside the penalty area, midfielder Jesus Gonzalez blasted a 22-yard effort towards goal, but Strikers goalkeeper Oka Nikolov was able to get a fingertip to the shot and tip it out for a corner kick.

The home side looked more energetic in the first half, and their hard work would pay off in the 23rd minute. A Strikers cross was intercepted in the penalty area by a Silverbacks defender, but the ensuing bounce would fall right to Strikers forward Martin Nu�=B1ez, who made no mistake from 10 yards out to give his team a 1-0 advantage.

The Strikers nearly made it 2-0 through Picault in the 35th minute. The former Tampa Bay Rowdies midfielder got on the end of a cross from about seven yards out, but Ati made himself big to stone Picault and keep his team within one goal.

Picault was in the middle of the action again, ending up on the end of a counter-attack in the 45th minute. Ati again was forced to make a big save, diving to his left to stop Picault's low effort from the top of the penalty area.

Wynalda made one halftime change, bringing in midfielder Kwadwo Poku in place of Junior Burgos. The Ghanaian made an immediate impact, crossing the ball ball for Chavez in the 47th minute. The Mexican-born forward came inches away from equalizing, but a Strikers defender cleared the ball away at the last moment.

The Silverbacks looked more energetic coming out of the locker room after halftime, but that didn't stop the Strikers from going 2-0 up. A quick throw-in by the Strikers went right to Anderson who took a touch and rifled a half-volley past Ati to make it 2-0 in the 51st minute. It was a spectacular strike from the Englishman, but he was given too much space by the Silverbacks back line.

As the second half wore on, it was clear that Wynalda switched to a more attack-heavy formation, and it nearly paid dividends in the 70th and 71st minutes. First, Chavez rolled an effort just wide of the far post from 10 yards out, and just seconds after, Poku missed an opportunity right on the doorstep, putting a cross from defender Mike Randolph just over the crossbar.

Despite the early second half pressure, it just wasn't the Silverbacks night. In the 73rd minute, substitute midfielder Alex Harlley was shown a straight red card, reducing the Silverbacks to 10 men. The one-man advantage gave the Strikers more space to work with, and in the 84th minute, they would take advantage of it. Silverbacks defender Bobby Reiss committed a foul right outside the Silverbacks penalty area, giving the Strikers a chance at goal from 19 yards out. Strikers midfielder Carlos Salazar would make no mistake, curling it into the side netting for a 3-0 lead.

Adding insult to injury, Gonzalez took down Picault in the penalty area in the 90th minute, giving the Strikers a chance to make it 4-0. Picault would finish the job, depositing it into the corner of the net to put icing on the cake for the Strikers.

The Silverbacks remain on the road for their next game, visiting the Carolina RailHawks on Saturday, May 17 at WakeMed Soccer Park. The game can be seen live online at NASLLive.com.



North American Soccer League Stories from May 10, 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