Strikers Open 2016 Season against Miami FC at Lockhart

Published on January 14, 2016 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
Fort Lauderdale Strikers News Release


FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The North American Soccer League (NASL) today released its 2016 schedule, revealing the full lineup of Spring Season and Fall Season matchups for its sixth season.

The Fort Lauderdale Strikers will open the season at home against expansion side Miami FC on Saturday, April 2, at Lockhart Stadium in what could be the start of an intense local rivalry.

"We are extremely excited to launch our new rivalry with Miami FC at Lockhart on opening day," said Strikers CEO Sean Guerin. "Our fans will be happy to witness two home matches against each of our longtime rivals, New York and Tampa Bay, as well as the debuts of two more expansion sides in Rayo OKC and Puerto Rico FC. As the league grows, so does our schedule, as we add an extra two games to our regular season slate."

Strikers head coach and general manager Caio Zanardi will be coaching his first competitive match at the helm of Fort Lauderdale against Italian legend and newly crowned head coach Alessandro Nesta in Miami FC's debut.

Season tickets are on sale now on Strikers.com/JoinTheClub. Individual tickets to 2016 matches will go on sale at a later date.

"It's incredible when you realize that we're less than 80 days away from the start of what will be our most exciting season yet," said NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson. "Our clubs have made unbelievable progress this offseason, and with some of the signings and announcements being made across the league, the talent on the field is going to be at an all-time high."

Each club will play each other once in the Spring Season, hosting five clashes at home and playing the other five away for a grand total of 10 matches. In the Fall Season, when expansion side Puerto Rico FC joins the fold, each club will play each other twice - once home and once away - for a total of 22 matches.

The league's split-season competition, which led to an exciting postseason race down the stretch last year, will culminate with The Championship. As the league's four-team postseason tournament, The Championship features both the Spring Season Champion and Fall Season Champion, as well as the two other teams with the best combined records from the Spring and Fall Seasons.

Last year, top-seeded New York (Spring Season Champion) prevailed over the No. 2 seed, Ottawa (Fall Season Champion), with a 3-2 win in The Championship Final. Minnesota and Fort Lauderdale also qualified for the postseason, earning the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds respectively.

The Strikers are currently in the midst of the 2016 Florida Cup. The team faced German Bundesliga side FC Schalke 04 on January 10 and will take on Copa Sudamerica champions Independiente Santa Fe this Sunday, January 17, at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Fla. Lockhart Stadium will be the host site for Fluminense and Internacional on January 20. The venue will also host the international friendly between the Strikers and Corinthians on January 23. Tickets are on sale at Strikers.com/FloridaCup.

To view the 2016 NASL Schedule in its entirety, visit Strikers.com/Schedule.

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North American Soccer League Stories from January 14, 2016


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