After The Whistle | Spring Season Title Is Up For Grabs
Photo credit:FC Edmonton
That Championship Sprint: ​Three clubs – New York, FC Edmonton, and Carolina – have played eight games; the rest have played seven.
The Cosmos (5W-0D-L3, 15 points) could win their final two games (vs. Rayo OKC; at Fort Lauderdale) and still fail to nail down the automatic berth in the The Championship Semifinals, which goes with finishing first in the Spring Season. The Eddies (4-2-2, 14) face the same equation as New York, but against two Florida teams (at Miami FC; vs. Fort Lauderdale).
Below the top two there is a three-way logjam on 13 points among Minnesota United (4-2-2), Indy Eleven (3--4-0), and Carolina (4-1-3). The RailHawks (at Jacksonville; vs. Indy) must win their last two to stay in the hunt. The Loons (vs. Tampa Bay; at Rayo OKC; vs. Miami FC) and Indy (at Jacksonville; at Miami FC; vs. Carolina) could each finish atop the standings if they can sweep all nine points still on the table and get help.
The next four teams – Fort Lauderdale (2-3-2, 9), Tampa Bay (2-3-2, 9), Rayo OKC (2-2-3, 8), and Ottawa Fury FC (2-2-3, 8) – have no margin for error.
Cosmos Depth:​ Since the dual retirement of the Spanish stars Marcos Senna and Raúl, most of what we have heard from the New York is how this year’s roster is deeper and more talented, back to front. That assertion was tested Sunday evening.
Coach Giovanni Savarese gave the Bolivian international Yasmani Duk his first start for the Cosmos, taking the place of Jairo Arrieta (who started the previous seven games) up front. Duk, who leaves this week to join his national team as it prepares for Copa América Centenario, scored the Cosmos’ first goal at the end of a quick and impressive four-pass combination. Ruben Bover, who had missed five games because of an injury, came on after only four minutes for the injured Niko Kranjcar (groin), was active from the moment he stepped on the field, and scored the eventual game-winner five minutes before halftime.
Savarese is certain to use all his human resources over the next two weeks, facing a crowded schedule that begins with an international friendly against SD Eibar of Spain’s La Liga on Wednesday in Las Vegas; a home game against Rayo OKC on Saturday; a U.S. Open Cup game against Jersey Express on June 1; and then close out the Spring Season at Fort Lauderdale on June 4. Cosmos players and coaches will get to sit back and watch events unfold on the season’s final weekend.
Eddies Don’t Slip Up: ​FC Edmonton and visiting Carolina played on a wet, slippery surface at Clarke Field on Sunday, and the Eddies emerged in sole possession of second place, unbeaten in their last five league games, with two straight wins. Next week’s game at Miami FC, which was off last weekend, will bring to a close a busy month of May for Edmonton of five league games and two matches in the Amway Canadian Championship.
“There were very, very tired legs out there as you could see towards the end,” Edmonton coach Colin Miller said. “They [the players] kept going – the character within the group is there, which is absolutely fabulous.”
Indy Starts Its Engine:​ Before its four-goal outburst on Saturday night, Indy Eleven had scored a modest six goals in six games. But on Saturday, Indy dispatched the first-place Loons, 4-2. Before the Minnesota game, the Eleven had not scored more than two goals in a game, playing two 0-0 draws and a pair of 1-1 draws. Indy scored twice in the first half, but looked to be tottering precariously as Minnesota fought back to even the score with 20 minutes to play. Goals by Justin Braun and Nicki Paterson gave the Eleven the win, three points, and a legitimate shot at finishing first.
