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Week 12 Action Picks Back Up After Midweek Thriller In New York

North Carolina, New York, and Jacksonville look to close gap on Miami
NASL Staff (@naslofficial} | Jun 8, 2017

Photo credit: Miami FC

Week 12 of the NASL Spring Season got underway with a midweek clash between the New York Cosmos and FC Edmonton in Brooklyn. The Eddies came away with a surprising result, earning a 4-2 comeback win at MCU Park – their first road victory against the Cosmos in club history.

New York, which no longer has a game in hand, failed to close the gap on Miami FC, but head coach Giovanni Savarese’s men now have a chance to rebound at home against North Carolina FC on Saturday afternoon. With the Cosmos’ loss, Miami still has a five-point lead atop the table and is coming off a 1-0 win against Jacksonville Armada FC. Miami will head north of the border to take on the Eddies, who they have yet to lose to or even concede a goal against in four meetings.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Puerto Rico FC will aim to build momentum after picking up its first win, remaining at home against the San Francisco Deltas, who are unbeaten on the road to date. Indy Eleven will be seeking its first win of the season when the club welcomes Armada FC to Carroll Stadium.

Continue below for a preview of each Saturday matchup:

New York Cosmos vs. North Carolina FC
4 p.m. ET | Saturday, June 10
MCU Park | Brooklyn, N.Y.
Watch | ESPN3 (National – U.S.)*, NASL.com (National – Canada), MSG Networks (Regional – NY/NJ/CT/PA), MSG GO (Regional – NY/NJ/CT/PA), Spectrum SportsChannel (Regional – North/South Carolina), WRAL2 (Local – Cary/Raleigh)

After playing on Sunday, the Cosmos meet North Carolina FC once again. New York has certainly had the better of the matchup, winning six straight games against North Carolina, including last weekend’s 1-0 result that saw Juan Guerra score the winner. New York, though, is coming off a tough loss on Wednesday when it fell, 4-2, to FC Edmonton. The Cosmos will now have to utilize their depth after Guerra and Darrius Barnes picked up red cards and the club has four players – Dejan Jaković, David Ochieng, Irvin Herrera, and Richard Menjivar – away on international duty.

North Carolina’s attack had been brimming with confidence, but the club’s run of scoring in each game to start the year came to a halt against the Cosmos. It was the club’s defense and goalkeeper Brian Sylvestre that were called into action more in the contest. Sylvestre kept North Carolina in the game, making five saves to add to his league-leading total of 45 on the year.

Puerto Rico FC vs. San Francisco Deltas
7:30 p.m. ET | Saturday, June 10
Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium | Bayamón, P.R.
Watch | beIN  SPORTS (National – U.S., Canada), beIN SPORTS CONNECT (National – U.S., Canada), WAPA 2 (National – Puerto Rico)

Puerto Rico FC is coming off its best performance of the season, defeating FC Edmonton, 3-0. Giuseppe Gentile, who has been in great form, is the reigning NASL Player of the Week after tallying a goal and an assist in the victory. Honduran international Jairo Puerto, who recently scored in a friendly for his national team, scored his first goal for Puerto Rico as well. The clean sheet was the first of young goalkeeper Austin Pack’s career.

The San Francisco Deltas may not have won in their last game, but Marc Dos Santos will like the fight shown by his men. The club overturned a 2-0 deficit in the waning moments of their meeting with Indy Eleven to earn a draw. It was the second time the club played Indy to a draw at Kezar Stadium. On the road, though, is where the Deltas have been at their best. The club is unbeaten in five games and heads to Puerto Rico for the first time. Cristian Portilla, who scored from a corner kick last weekend, has been instrumental in the midfield, while Kyle Bekker, who had an assist in the draw, has been hitting his stride in recent games.

Indy Eleven vs. Jacksonville Armada FC
7:30 p.m. ET | Saturday, June 10
Carroll Stadium | Indianapolis, Ind.
Watch | ESPN3 (National – U.S.), NASL.com (National – Canada), MyINDY (Local – Indianapolis)

Indy Eleven was on track to get its first win last weekend, but the club conceded two late goals to earn a seventh draw in 10 games. Defender Lovel Palmer and midfielder Brad Ring scored the goals for the Boys in Blue in the 2-2 draw with the San Francisco Deltas. Indy, which recently saw its record home unbeaten streak come to an end, will look to rekindle its best form at Carroll Stadium, starting this weekend against Jacksonville Armada FC.

Jacksonville had a chance to move into first place, but fell, 1-0, to Miami FC in a battle of Florida rivals. Armada FC played to a 1-1 draw in its last meeting with Indy, with Jonathan Glenn scoring his first goal for the club in the contest. With the gap widening at the top between the club and league-leading Miami, Jacksonville can ill afford to drop points, making the clash in Indy crucial for the club’s Spring Season title chances. Zach Steinberger, who scored five times in May, will look to lead the charge against one of his former clubs, where he spent 12 games and scored two goals while on loan in 2015.

FC Edmonton vs. Miami FC
9 p.m. ET | Saturday, June 10
Clarke Stadium | Edmonton, Alberta
Watch | ESPN3 (National – U.S.), NASL.com (National – Canada), Facebook Live (National – Canada), CW South Florida (Local – Miami)

FC Edmonton heads into its clash with Miami looking to do what they’ve not done in four meetings: score a goal and find points. The Eddies lost 2-0 on their trip to Miami at the end of April. After a tough 3-0 loss on Saturday to Puerto Rico FC, the Eddies boosted their confidence on Wednesday. Edmonton went to New York and earned three points with a stunning result. Tomi Ameobi scored twice as Sainey Nyassi and Jake Keegan added goals in a 4-2 win over the Cosmos.   

In 2017, there hasn’t been much slowing Miami FC down. The club is unbeaten in seven games, winning five of them. Miami is also unbeaten on the road this season, winning four in a row. Dylan Mares provided the difference in the club’s recent game, scoring the lone goal in a win over Jacksonville Armada FC. Miami currently has a five-point lead going into the weekend. 

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