AFTER THE WHISTLE | The Mike Revels In Another Indy Home Win
Photo credit: Indy Eleven/Trevor Ruszkowski
In soccer, there's an old adage of winning games at home, while earning draws on the road should lead to very good things. Indy Eleven, sitting second in both the Fall Season and Combined Standings, picked up a dominant win in front of the club's supporters over the New York Cosmos and extended a lengthy home unbeaten streak that was started last year.
Here are some key storylines from the action in Week 13:
No Breakdowns At The Mike: Indy Eleven went to New York at the end of an August and was outplayed in a midweek contest with the Cosmos, earning a 3-0 loss. Fast-forward to Week 13 of the Fall Season and it was a much different story at Michael A. Carroll Stadium. Still chasing a chance at the double – winning the Spring and Fall Season titles – Indy scored three times to best the Cosmos and jump up into second place in both tables. Justin Braun and Dylan Mares each added a goal and an assist, while Eamon Zayed moved within two goals of league leader Christian Ramirez with his 13th tally of the year. Since the end of last Fall Season, the Eleven has now run off a streak of 16 games unbeaten at home. In the latest win, the club also ended the Cosmos’ nine-game unbeaten run.
Hat Trick For 100: Tampa Bay Rowdies forward Georgi Hristov made his 100th regular-season appearance and he couldn’t have asked for a better night. Facing off against rival Fort Lauderdale, Hristov scored three times against the Strikers and thrusted the Rowdies towards a potential postseason berth. The club is now just a point behind Minnesota United for fourth place in the Combined Standings. The Bulgarian forward is in his fourth season for the Rowdies and claimed the NASL Golden Ball (league’s MVP) in 2013. This year, Hristov has a team-leading eight goals to go along with three assists.
On The Road: The Cosmos’ struggles on the road in 2016 were evident again against Indy. New York was unable to find much rhythm and conceded three times to the home side. The 3-0 defeat was only the third time the Cosmos have lost by a three-goal margin – 3-0 to the Carolina RailHawks on Aug. 17, 2013, and 4-1 to Ottawa Fury FC last September. The road was also unkind to Minnesota United, which also conceded three goals, in a 3-1 loss to Ottawa. It was the second consecutive defeat to Ottawa and cut the Loons’ hold on fourth place in the Combined Standings to a slim one point. FC Edmonton, which is also near the top of the Fall Season and Combined Standings, dropped to third in both tables after a 1-0 loss to Carolina. FC Edmonton has not won at WakeMed Soccer Park since a 3-0 win on May 6, 2012.
There was some joy in Week 13 for teams on the road, though. The Rowdies claimed the key win against the Strikers, which boosted their stock in the postseason chase. Also, last Friday night, Puerto Rico FC earned a first win away from home with a 1-0 result against Miami FC when Jackie Marrero’s free kick skimmed the head of Miami forward Pablo Campos and into his own net.
In The Thick Of It: After the results over the weekend, several teams improved their chances in the race to The Championship, the NASL’s four-team postseason tournament. The Rowdies moved to within a point of fourth place, while the RailHawks are now three points back of a potential postseason seed. Ottawa, although there’s plenty of work to do for the Canadian side, is now seven points off the pace for fourth after back-to-back wins over Minnesota. Indy increased its chances of claiming the No. 1 overall seed in The Championship, but still needs to make up ground on the Cosmos to do so.
FC Edmonton’s loss dampened the club’s chances of claiming the Fall Season title, but the side is currently still in a very healthy position in the Combined Standings. The Strikers and Miami FC also took a hit in the race with losses.
