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Searching for their first victory in front of a home crowd this season, the Atlanta Silverbacks host the Puerto Rico Islanders Saturday night at Silverbacks Park in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Silverbacks have endured a difficult start to the 2012 season, with just one win from the first twelve games. The difficulty continued last weekend with a 2-0 loss to the Carolina RailHawks in front of a sellout crowd of 6,000 at Silverbacks Park.

The Islanders also suffered a home defeat, falling 2-0 to the San Antonio Scorpions at the weekend. The loss was tough to swallow for the Islanders, who relinquished top spot in the NASL standings to the visiting side.

Just a few days later, in the CFU Club Championship semifinals, the Islanders lost 4-1 to Trinidad and Tobago’s W Connection, setting up a third place clash with Antigua Barracuda with a spot in the 2012-13 CONCACAF Champions League up for grabs. The Islanders then defeated Antigua Barracuda FC to clinch a spot in the Champions League for the fifth successive season.

Against opposition that will have played four matches in the space of a week, the Silverbacks have a massive opportunity to pull off an upset and secure a first home win their fans are desperately awaiting.

Atlanta Silverbacks vs. Puerto Rico Islanders

Saturday, June 23, 2012— 7:30 P.M. EDT

Silverbacks Park

Atlanta, GA

Webcast: NASL on ustream

TV: Azteca Atlanta CH 4

2012 Series:  Islanders, 1-0-0, 3pts

2011 Series:  Islanders, 3-0-1, 9pts 

                                                Atlanta                                 Puerto Rico

Head Coach                        Alex Pineda Chacón        Adrian Whitbread

2012 Records                     8^th: 1-5-6, 8pts                   2^nd: 6-2-3. 20pts.

Last Five Games                L D W L  L                              L D W W L

Goals Leader                      Reinaldo Navia (6)           David Foley (5) 

Assists Leader                   Ciaran O’Brien (4)            Jonathan Faña (5)

QUICK FACTS

Atlanta

• The Silverbacks are still looking for their first home victory (0-3-3).
• Reinaldo Navia, the NASL Player of the Month for April, is tied for the league lead with six goals.
• Atlanta has given up more goals than any other NASL team this season, conceding 25 times in 12 matches.

Puerto Rico

• The Islanders have won just one of four matches on the road this season.
• Jonathan Faña is joint-league-leader in assists this season with five.
• Goalkeeper Richard Martin has conceded just 0.82 goals per game.