Soccer News: Four Teams Set To Battle For Soccer Bowl Glory In The Championship
Minnesota United FC and San Antonio Scorpions will host matchups in The Championship Semifinals.
The North American Soccer League (NASL) Fall Season came to an end on Sunday afternoon, with FC Edmonton topping the Atlanta Silverbacks, 2-1, at Clarke Stadium. With regular season play in the rearview mirror, four NASL teams will compete in The Championship, the league’s four-team postseason tournament, starting on Saturday, November 8.
The Championship will feature a pair of single-elimination semifinal matchups, and the highest-seeded semifinal winner will then host The Championship Final the following weekend. Here are next weekend’s postseason matchups:
#1 Minnesota United FC vs. #4 Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Saturday, November 8 – 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET)
NSC Stadium – Blaine, MN.
Broadcasts: ESPN3, NASLLive.com, KSTC45-TV
#2 San Antonio Scorpions vs. #3 New York Cosmos
Saturday, November 8 – 7:30 p.m. CT (8:30 p.m. ET)
Toyota Field – San Antonio, TX.
Broadcasts: ESPN3, NASLLive.com, ONE World Sport, KSAT12.2-MeTV
The final weekend of the Fall Season was filled with drama, as the Scorpions captured the 2014 Fall Season Championship on Saturday night with a last-gasp winner from defender Adrian Cann. The Strikers were the other big winners in Week 17, claiming the final spot in The Championship with a 1-1 draw against Ottawa. Below is a full recap of all five Week 17 games:
San Antonio Scorpions 1, New York Cosmos 0
With just seconds left in a scoreless match, it looked like the Scorpions were going to come up short in their quest for a trophy. That was until Cann found the ball at his feet in the middle of a pack of players in the penalty area. The Canadian defender fired a left-footed shot into an open net, sending Toyota Field into absolute pandemonium. The 1-0 victory gives the Scorpions momentum going into next weekend’s semifinal match against this same Cosmos team.
“Hats off to our guys because they came together for one common goal tonight,” said Scorpions head coach Alen Marcina. “We have achieved one of our goals and we have one more left to achieve. It’s going to be an entertaining semifinal next weekend. We’re going to enjoy this tonight and get back to work tomorrow.”
Fort Lauderdale Strikers 1, Ottawa Fury FC 1
After 45 minutes of play, the Strikers postseason hopes weren’t looking so good. The Carolina RailHawks, who trailed the Strikers by two points entering Saturday, led United 1-0 at halftime, while the Strikers trailed Ottawa Fury FC by the same score after one half of play. A red card early in the second half for Fury FC’s Mauro Eustaquio helped the Strikers find their way, and in the 86th minute, forward Aly Hassan found the net to even the score at 1-1. The goal, combined with a United comeback in Carolina, was enough to give the Strikers the postseason shot they were hoping for.
“It was a good goal for me and for the team. Fafa [Picault] laid it off to me and I got the job done by finishing it into the net,” Hassan said. “It was a hard-fought match. We went down early, and we knew we had to score to get a result, so the team worked hard and did what we set out to do.”
Carolina RailHawks 2, Minnesota United FC 2
Down two points going into the final weekend, the RailHawks were always going to need the stars to align for them to earn a trip to the postseason. After forward Nacho Novo scored midway through the first half, the RailHawks were in a favorable position, but then United’s main scoring threat made an appearance. Forward Christian Ramirez scored his league-leading 20th goal of the year to level matters at 1-1. The RailHawks climbed back on top through midfielder Nazmi Albadawi, but an own goal by defender Connor Tobin ensured a 2-2 score – a result that wasn’t good enough to send the RailHawks through to The Championship.
“I thought we were exceptional in the first half, and I thought we did very, very well,” said RailHawks head coach Colin Clarke. “We knew it was going to be a tough second half against the wind. We didn’t start the second half well, and we gave too many easy balls away to give them all the momentum and paid for it.”
Tampa Bay Rowdies 2, Indy Eleven 2
Even though it was the only match without title or postseason implications, the clash between the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Indy Eleven on Saturday night went down to the wire. After midfielders Evans Frimpong and Don Smart found the net for Tampa Bay and Indy respectively, the visitors looked as if they would snatch all three points, going ahead through Brazilian forward Jhulliam in the 88th minute. Rowdies forward Amani Walker answered right back, however, evening the score at 2-2 with a last-gasp strike to clinch a share of the points in the 2014 Fall Season finale.
“Our fans have been tremendous. We lost seven times at home, which is unheard of. It’s not good. That’s the reason why we had the season we had,” said Rowdies head coach Ricky Hill. “But they come out every time we play and I’m disappointed that we weren’t able to give them more happy nights this season.”
FC Edmonton 2, Atlanta Silverbacks 1
FC Edmonton may have come up short on their goal of making the postseason, but the Canadian side ended its season on a high note, topping the visiting Atlanta Silverbacks, 2-0, at Clarke Stadium. First-half goals from forwards Tomi Ameobi and Michael Nonni gave the Eddies a comfortable lead going into halftime, but the Silverbacks picked it up in the final 45 minutes.
Silverbacks forward Shaka Bangura scored his first NASL goal midway through the second half, but it wasn’t enough in the end. The win gave the Eddies a third place finish in the Fall Standings, which will be something positive to build on going into the 2015 season.
NASL Fall Season Week 17 Scores
San Antonio Scorpions 1, New York Cosmos 0
Fort Lauderdale Strikers 1, Ottawa Fury FC 1
Carolina RailHawks 2, Minnesota United FC 2
Tampa Bay Rowdies 2, Indy Eleven 2
FC Edmonton 2, Atlanta Silverbacks 1
