LEAGUE RECAP | Three Sellout Crowds, Late Drama Make For Exciting Night Of NASL Spring Season Action

Week 4 of the North American Soccer League’s 2015 Spring Season saw three of four Saturday night games with sold-out stadiums -- Indy Eleven (10,524), Minnesota United FC (9,233) and Atlanta Silverbacks (5,511) -- and a combined five-goal outburst, as the Tampa Bay Rowdies came back to defeat intrastate rival Jacksonville Armada FC in the first meeting between the two Florida clubs.

In Saturday’s afternoon match, Fort Lauderdale sent Ottawa Fury FC to its second home defeat in four days, topping the Canadian side, 3-1.

The Cosmos, Silverbacks, and Indy Eleven each remain unbeaten after four matches, while the defending champions, the San Antonio Scorpions, had to travel to the Upper Midwest to secure its first point of the season after two defeats at home.

Tampa Bay Rowdies 3, Jacksonville Armada 2

In the first meeting between the two Florida teams, the Rowdies and the Armada FC each benefited from penalty kicks in the opening 13 minutes. Host Tampa Bay, playing in its first Coastal Cup match this season, went in front after Maicon Santos converted the spot kick after he was taken down by Lucas Trejo in the 12th minute. Two minutes later, Jacksonville’s Marco Flores was stopped from the spot, but tucked home the rebound left by goalkeeper Kamil Contofalsky to draw the game level.

Armada FC, played a controlled and skillful game, dictated play, and were rewarded in the 32nd minute when Jemal Johnson turned a misplay in the Rowdies’ defense into the second Jacksonville goal, scoring off his thigh. The Armada FC defense, which had not been tested in the game, coughed up a clearance to Martin Núñez, who scored from outside the 18-yard box, which beat Miguel Gallardo inside the near post. Tampa Bay turned the tide as the second half wore on, and the Armada FC seemed to wear out. In the 77th minute, Georgi Hristov’s cross found the head of Maicon Santos for the Rowdies’ third goal.

Atlanta Silverbacks 0, New York Cosmos 0

Lucky Mkosana got the start from coach Gio Savarese in place of Mads Stokkelien, who eventually came on as a late sub, but the first-place Cosmos could not solve the Silverbacks’ defense and had to settle for a point on the road. The Silverbacks were the first team this season to hold the Cosmos without a goal. The Silverbacks have never beaten the Cosmos in eight tries, including losing in the 2013 NASL Final. It was the first time the Silverbacks picked up any share of the points against the Cosmos since the first meeting in 2013. New York dominated play and possession and outshot the Silverbacks, 13-1, with six shots on target. The draw gives the Cosmos a two-point lead in the standings after four weeks of play.

Indy Eleven 1, Carolina RailHawks 1

Carolina’s Blake Wagner spoiled Indy Eleven’s bid for its second victory of the season when he scored the tying goal in the 85th minute. Indy, playing in front of another sellout at Carroll Stadium, took an early lead on Daniel Scott’s own goal after only 6 minutes of play. The draw leaves Indy level, on points, with Atlanta and Fort Lauderdale, trailing only the Cosmos.

Minnesota United FC 2, San Antonio Scorpions 2

Zourab Tsiskaridze gave defending champion San Antonio an early lead, scoring on a stunning 65-yard bomb, only one week after Indy Eleven’s Sergio Pena also scored from distance to earn NASL Play of the Week honors. But Minnesota, playing its first match at home at NSC Stadium in Blaine, fought back with a pair of goals -- the first by Pablo Campos in the 34th minute and the second by Christian Ramirez, his first of the season, on a penalty kick after Jonny Steele went down in the area in the 59th minute. The Scorpions salvaged a point, late in the game, when Minnesota ‘keeper Sammy Ndjock slammed Cesar Elizondo in the head, as he punched the ball clear. The referee pointed to the penalty spot, and Rafael Castillo slotted it home.

Fort Lauderdale Strikers 3, Ottawa Fury FC 1

In a matinee match in the capital of Canada, Ottawa’s bad karma carried over from its mid-week debacle against FC Edmonton in the Amway Canadian Championship when it yielded three late goals. Fort Lauderdale took the lead when José Angulo scored four minutes before the break. Marlon Freitas doubled the visitors’ lead when he scored in the 64th minute. Ottawa cut the lead in half when Rafael Alves brought the crowd to life with a goal in the 78th minute. Angulo, however, put the match on ice with an insurance tally in the 90th minute. Strikers goalkeeper Joe Nasco sustained a broken ankle early in the match and is most likely out for an extended period of time.