5 THINGS | Important Weekend For Postseason Places Beckons
The curtain on the NASL regular season is nearly drawn, but the race for The Championship has many twists and turns left in it. Minnesota can clinch a postseason berth, while the battle for the No. 4 seed remains incredibly tight.
Here are the five key things to keep an eye on with top-of-the-table clashes kicking off in an important weekend of action:
1. Top-Six Tussles: A chance to separate from the pack in the race to The Championship presents itself this weekend with all top six teams clashing against each other. The Tampa Bay Rowdies (4W-3D-9L, 15 points Fall; 9-7-10, 34 Combined) welcome league-leading Ottawa Fury FC to Al Lang Stadium, Minnesota United hosts the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, and the New York Cosmos matchup with FC Edmonton (7-4-5, 25 Fall; 9-7-10, 34 Combined) in New York. New York and Ottawa have already clinched a postseason berth, the Loons can clinch with a draw against the Strikers, while Fort Lauderdale remains in control of its destiny with the Eddies and Rowdies in the mix.
2. Fight For The Top: The top overall seed for The Championship, the NASL’s four-team postseason, has become a three-horse race. Fury FC (11-4-1, 37 Fall; 13-9-4, 48 Combined) sits atop the Combined Standings with a one-point lead as Minnesota (9-5-2, 32 Fall; 12-10-4, 46 Combined) and New York (7-6-4, 27 Fall; 12-11-4, 47 Combined) lurk just behind. The Cosmos are in second with the Loons in third, and all three sides are capable of earning the No. 1 seed in the postseason, which brings home-field advantage throughout The Championship.
3. Fort Lauderdale Repeat: Last season, Fort Lauderdale went on a magical run down the stretch, going unbeaten in its last seven regular-season games and adding a postseason win on the road to reach the final. While the clock struck midnight with a 2-1 loss to San Antonio in The Championship Final, the Strikers (6-5-4, 25 Fall; 9-7-9, 34 Combined) are in a position to return to the postseason. A repeat performance in more ways than one will have the Strikers one step closer to The Championship. Fort Lauderdale is the only side to beat Minnesota at NSC Stadium, defeating the Loons, 3-2, on June 13. Fort Lauderdale also proved victorious in a penalty-kick shootout last year in Minnesota for its postseason win.
4. Safe Hands: Cosmos goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer made a number of key saves in New York’s 3-0 win over the Atlanta Silverbacks on Wednesday, with a spectacular double save among them. The shutout was his 10th of the season, and he has a 1.00 goals against average (GAA) on the season. Along with Maurer, who is in the running for the Golden Glove, Minnesota’s Sammy Ndjock has had a strong season with six shutouts and a 1.00 GAA also. Ottawa shot-stopper Romuald Pesier has had a banner year and is in pole position for the award, though, with a league-leading 13 clean sheets and a mere 0.77 GAA, starting every match for Fury FC this season.
5. NASL Internationals: While the race for The Championship heats up, 11 NASL players will join their senior national teams for upcoming friendlies and World Cup qualifiers. Those players are: Shawn Nicklaw (Guam); Pascal Millien, Mechack Jérôme, Steward Ceus, and James Marcelin (Haiti); Sainey Nyassi and Futty Danso (Gambia); Andrés Flores and Richie Menjivar (El Salvador); Nana Attakora (Canada); and Lance Laing (Jamaica). In addition, four NASL players reached the semifinals of the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Championship: Darwin Espinal (Honduras); Hanson Boakai, Mauro Eustaquio, and Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé (Canada). Haji Wright and Alexis Velela (U.S.) begin their FIFA U-17 World Cup journey next Saturday.
