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NASL Games To Watch Early In Fall Season

Here are a few of the standout games in the early going of the 2016 Fall Season
Jack Bell (@JackBell} | Jun 27, 2016

Photo credit: Indy Eleven/Matt Schlotzhauer

The 2016 Spring Season went down to the wire with Indy Eleven ultimately earning the club's first trophy. That competitive and thrilling nature should carry over as league play shifts to the Fall Season after a two-week break. The Fall Season will also mark the debut of the NASL's 12th club, Puerto Rico FC. 

Here are a few key games in the early part of the second half of the NASL campaign: 

Indy Eleven at Puerto Rico FC (Saturday, July 2): New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony, who is headed to Brazil to play for the U.S. in the Olympics, brings professional soccer back to the Caribbean island as the owner of the NASL’s newest team. And what better way to inaugurate a new project than to face the freshly minted champions of the league’s Spring Season in Indy Eleven at Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium in Bayamón.

FC Edmonton at Rayo OKC (Saturday, July 2): The NASL’s third U.S.-based TV partner, CBS Sports Network, goes on the air with the first of 12 league games (four in July, four in August, two in September and two in October) the digital cable and satellite network will beam live to viewers. The full CBS Sports Network schedule is here. The Eddies won three of four to close out the Spring Season to finish a single point behind Indy Eleven and New York. Rayo OKC will be seeking the club’s second home win at Miller Stadium.

Carolina RailHawks at Minnesota United (Saturday, July 2): These two teams met in the Spring Season opener back in April at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C., and Carolina’s 2-1 victory set the team off and running on a four-game winning streak. Now, the return match at NSC Stadium in Blaine, Minn., brings the teams together again. The Loons finished only two points off the pace in the Spring Season and were frustrated by a three-game losing streak that ultimately cost the club a shot at first place before finishing the Spring Season with a victory over Miami FC.

Puerto Rico FC at Jacksonville Armada FC (Saturday, July 9): Puerto Rico plays its first league match on the U.S. mainland against an Armada FC squad that has been bolstered by the return of its Haitian internationals and the signing of two Swedish internationals. Jacksonville was without the services of Pascal Millien and Mechack Jérôme before and during Copa América Centenario. Coach Tony Meola added some firepower during the break between seasons with the acquisition of Alexander Andersson and Nicklas Maripuu, and also strengthened the defense by obtaining Canadian international defender Karl Ouimette on loan from the New York Red Bulls of MLS.

New York Cosmos at Miami FC (Saturday, July 9): The defending NASL Champions return to FIU Stadium for the second time this year, the site of New York’s only road win of the Spring Season. The Cosmos’ 1W-0D-4L record away from Shuart Stadium hurt the club’s chances to repeat as Spring Season winners, especially after New York yielded late goals in losses at Indy Eleven and at Minnesota.

Fort Lauderdale Strikers at Tampa Bay Rowdies (Saturday, August 6): These two Florida teams are hardly strangers with a rivalry stretching back to the NASL Legendary Era. In the past couple of years the two clubs have exchanged a dizzying number of players and both teams were primed for the Fall Season after surging late in the Spring Season. For the Rowdies, the English veteran Joe Cole has commanded the midfield and provided a spark. The Strikers came on strong late in the Spring Season with Diego Restrepo bringing stability in goal and Ramón Núñez igniting the revitalized offense.

Indy Eleven at Ottawa Fury FC (Saturday, August 6): The two sides that have won the last two season championships (Ottawa Fury FC won the Fall in 2015, Indy Eleven took the Spring Season in 2016) square off in early August. The teams settled for a 1-1 draw in Indy's home opener in 2016. This matchup continues to be of intrigue with several players from Ottawa's squad that reached The Championship Final a year ago have just helped Indy earn the club's first piece of silverware. The contest at TD Place will be the latest installment of the two clubs that joined the NASL in 2014. 

Indy Eleven at New York Cosmos (Wednesday, August 31): Indy’s come-from-behind 2-1 win against New York directly impacted the Spring Season. The win helped power the Boys in Blue to the Spring Season title as the Cosmos, who finished on points with Indy, fell just short of repeating as Spring Champions on the third tiebreaker, head-to-head record. The Indy victory also snapped a six-game draw streak and the teams will face off for the first time in the Fall Season during a late August tilt at Shuart Stadium. 

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