LEAGUE RECAP | Cosmos Remain Unbeaten, United Jumps To Second Place To Highlight Week 8 Action
The NASL Spring Season Championship picture is becoming clearer with each new week, and on Saturday night, it was the New York Cosmos and Minnesota United FC making positive moves in the standings.
The first-place Cosmos remained unbeaten with a 3-0 victory over the NASL’s defending champions, the San Antonio Scorpions, while Minnesota United leapfrogged Jacksonville Armada FC and the Tampa Bay Rowdies to move into second place. The Loons are still six points behind the Cosmos, but they have a match in hand as well as a date with New York next week.
Elsewhere on Saturday, the Carolina RailHawks claimed a 1-0 road victory against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, while Ottawa Fury FC sent their fans home happy with a 1-0 win of their own against Indy Eleven.
Here is a full rundown of the Week 8 matches:
New York Cosmos 3, San Antonio Scorpions 0
The unbeaten New York Cosmos increased their lead in the NASL Spring Season standings with a convincing 3-0 win over the San Antonio Scorpions at Shuart Stadium on Saturday night. Spanish icon Raúl opened the scoring with a well-taken penalty in the first half, and Rovérsio and Leo Fernandes found the net in the second interval to help the Cosmos stay unbeaten in 2015.
Minnesota United FC 3, Jacksonville Armada FC 2
Minnesota United FC won its third straight match on Saturday night, knocking off fellow Spring Season Championship contenders Jacksonville Armada FC, 3-2, at a sold-out NSC Stadium. Goals from Pablo Campos and Tiago Calvano had the Loons up a pair midway through the second half, but Jacksonville didn’t go down without a fight. Pascal Millien cut the Minnesota lead in half to make it 2-1, and after Miguel Ibarra found the net for the Loons, a goal from Armada FC’s Jemal Johnson set the stage for a nervy finish. The hosts were able to finish the match off, though, moving up to second place in the Spring Season standings.
Carolina RailHawks 1, Fort Lauderdale Strikers 0
South African midfielder Tiyi Shipalane scored for the second straight week, helping the Carolina RailHawks snap a six-game winless streak in a 1-0 win over the Fort Lauderdale Strikers at Lockhart Stadium. With the victory, RailHawks head coach Colin Clarke became the first to reach 50 wins in the NASL Modern Era. The Strikers created numerous scoring chances, and nearly equalized in the final moments through forward Jose Angulo, but it wasn’t to be as the hosts fell to their second-straight loss.
Ottawa Fury FC 1, Indy Eleven 0
In front of their largest crowd of the season, Ottawa Fury FC claimed a dramatic 1-0 victory over visiting Indy Eleven at TD Place on Saturday afternoon. Second-half substitute Nicki Paterson blasted a shot home from 12 yards out in the 88th minute, giving Fury FC its first win since April 25. In addition to dropping the result, Indy lost its leading scorer, midfielder Sergio Peña, to an injury in the second half.
FC Edmonton 4, Atlanta Silverbacks 2
Wanting to bounce back after two successive home defeats, FC Edmonton did just that in another high-scoring affair at Clarke Field. Jamaican international Lance Laing opened the scoring in the 41st minute, and three second-half goals sealed the win for the Eddies. Ritchie Jones, Daryl Fordyce, and Kareem Moses all put their names on the scoresheet. John Smits made a number of key saves, including a double-save sequence in the fourth minute of the match. The Silverbacks would find the goals that their attacking initiative deserved. Jamie Chavez scored in the 76th minute, just 10 minutes after being subsitutued onto the pitch, and Christopher Christian headed the ball and a deflection from Fordyce turned the ball into the net. The goals, however, weren't enough for the typically staunch defensive side, as the Eddies picked up their second win of the season and moved out of last place in the Spring Season standings.
