PREVIEW | Eddies, Rowdies Can Bolster Postseason Push With A Victory

FC Edmonton venture into the largest match of its NASL season against the fourth-place Tampa Bay Rowdies on Sunday, September 13 at Clarke Field. Currently trailing the Rowdies by five points, this weekend’s match is pivotal for the Eddies as they chase for a spot in The Championship, the NASL’s four-team postseason tournament.

The Eddies waited until the final moments of their match against Minnesota United FC last weekend to register a game-tying marker, with Daryl Fordyce converting on his third free kick of the match to push the Eddies to a 1-1 draw. The last-minute effort needed to secure a point was made even more impressive by the fact that Edmonton was forced to play a man down for 65 minutes following a red card to midfielder Michael Nonni. The 10-man squad was aided by the play of goalkeeper Matt VanOekel, who came up big on multiple occasions with several match-saving saves.

The Rowdies come into town with confidence after handing the New York Cosmos just their second defeat of the season by a score of 2-0. The reshuffling of their coaching staff last month appears to have put the squad on the right path, with the team steadily improving under newly appointed head coach Stuart Campbell. On the pitch, forward Maicon Santos has led the squad on offense this season with seven goals and a pair of assists, while teammate Georgi Hristov leads the NASL in assists with nine. Former Eddies forward Corey Hertzog has also contributed three goals through 21 appearances.

“Tampa Bay is a talented side, they always have been,” FC Edmonton head coach Colin Miller said. “They are coming off a very good result against the Cosmos and they’ll be on a bit of a high at the moment. We’ve always had some real good games against Tampa, there isn’t much between the two teams.”

The two sides have split their season series leading up to Sunday’s match. The Rowdies defeated the Eddies in their first meeting of the season on June 6 by a 2-1 scoreline, receiving goals from Darwin Espinal and Brian Shriver. The visiting Eddies received their lone marker from Lance Laing in the 65th minute in a losing cause.

The team’s second meeting of the season on July 18 was a different story. A depleted Eddies roster put forth an impressive performance in the absence of multiple regular starters and walked away with a 1-0 victory thanks to a Tampa Bay own goal.

“They are one of the flagship clubs in the NASL,” Miller added. “The Tampa Bay Rowdies, the New York Cosmos or the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, these are real household names when it comes to the original NASL. It’s a game the guys will be up for and they know the significance of needing the three points in the standings. It should be a very entertaining game.”