Strikers to Open Their 2014 Season at Home against Newcomer Ottawa Fury FC
Published on December 19, 2013 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
Fort Lauderdale Strikers News Release
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (December 19, 2013) - The Fort Lauderdale Strikers will open the 2014 Spring Season at home against the Ottawa Fury FC on Saturday April 12, 2014. The 2014 NASL Spring season will consist of 9 games in nine weeks, ending on Sunday, June 8th. The league then breaks to align with the FIFA World Cup and will continue in the Fall. The winner of the first half of the NASL season will qualify for and earn the right to host NASL Soccer Bowl 2014.
The Strikers will host 4 home games in the Spring, taking on Ottawa in the opener, Indy Eleven on April 26th, Atlanta Silverbacks on May 10th, and closing out their home schedule against their rivals New York Cosmos on May 31st. The team will travel to play the Carolina Railhawks on April 19th, FC Edmonton on May 3rd, Minnesota United on May 17th, Tampa Bay Rowdies on May 24th, and then close out the season against San Antonio Scorpions on June 7th.
"The shortened Spring season will be tough, but we are looking forward to having our core players and coaching staff back and challenging for the top spot in the Spring," said Tom Mulroy, President of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. "We are looking forward to welcoming the new franchises, Ottawa and Indy, to our historic stadium, and of course are excited to have the New York Cosmos back in South Florida."
Virginia Cavalry FC's decision to defer its inaugural season until 2015 means the ten clubs participating in 2014 must each play a nine-game season, with an unavoidable uneven balance between each club's total number of home and away games. Having considered adding a tenth game and factored in several components including stadium availability, cold weather climate challenges and participation in domestic cup competitions, NASL owners agreed to the nine-week 2014 schedule.
"The owners showed short-term sacrifice in favor of consistency and respect for the global game by sticking to a one-match versus each team Spring Schedule," said Aaron Davidson, Chairman of the NASL Board of Governors and President of Traffic Sports, ownership group of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. "We analyzed and understand the consequential imbalance of home games in the spring, but felt that it was more important to ensure the balance of the competition with everyone playing each other once rather than adding a random tenth match."
"The fact is that our Spring 2014 season will be one of the most intense and competitive competitions in global sport with nine matches determining the spring champion and host of NASL Soccer Bowl 2014. The coaches and players know that they can't play for draws whether they are playing away or at home because winning the championship will likely come down to one or two points. I'm excited to see our teams leave it all out on the field in this sprint to the Spring Championship ahead of the World Cup break."
"The NASL Owners are taking a long view to decisions that we have to make in relation to the 2014 Spring Season," said NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson. "During the course of building our league we will inevitably face scheduling challenges, but the decision to remain true to the global soccer standard of not playing during the World Cup and each team playing each other an equal number of times during the season demonstrates the vision and conviction of our owners."
2014 Fort Lauderdale Strikers Schedule (All dates and kickoff times subject to change)
Date Home Team
Away Team Time (ET)
Saturday, April 12 Fort Lauderdale Strikers Vs. Ottawa Fury FC 7.30pm
Saturday, April 19 Carolina RailHawks Vs. Fort Lauderdale Strikers TBC
Saturday, April 26 Fort Lauderdale Strikers Vs. Indy Eleven 7.30pm
Saturday, May 3 FC Edmonton Vs. Fort Lauderdale Strikers TBC
Saturday, May 10 Fort Lauderdale Strikers Vs. Atlanta Silverbacks 7.30pm
Saturday, May 17 Minnesota United FC Vs. Fort Lauderdale Strikers TBC
Saturday, May 24 Tampa Bay Rowdies Vs. Fort Lauderdale Strikers 7.30pm
Saturday, May 31 Fort Lauderdale Strikers Vs. New York Cosmos 7.30pm
Saturday, June 7 San Antonio Scorpions Vs. Fort Lauderdale Strikers TBC
To see the complete 2014 NASL Spring Season Schedule visit www.NASL.com
2014 season tickets are on sale now at discounted off-season rates starting at just $135 general admission. Call 954.606.0400 for more information or visit www.strikers.com.
North American Soccer League Stories from December 19, 2013
- San Antonio Scorpions Announce 2014 Spring Schedule - San Antonio Scorpions
- Rowdies Offseason Roster Moves for the 2014 Season Underway - Tampa Bay Rowdies
- FC Edmonton Open Spring Campaign Against NASL Champions - FC Edmonton
- Rowdies 2014 Home Opener Set for April 12 against FC Edmonton - Tampa Bay Rowdies
- Strikers to Open Their 2014 Season at Home against Newcomer Ottawa Fury FC - Fort Lauderdale Strikers
- Minnesota United FC Announces 2014 Spring Schedule - Minnesota United FC
- 2014 NASL Spring Schedule Announced - Tampa Bay Rowdies
- RailHawks 2014 Spring Season Schedule Announced - North Carolina FC
- NASL Announces 2014 Spring Season Schedule - NASL
- Cosmos Title Defense Begins April 13 - New York Cosmos
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