North Carolina, Puerto Rico Among Clubs Taking Advantage Of Fresh Start

Photo credit: Puerto Rico FC

If the results from the first two weeks are any indication, the NASL Fall Season is firmly up for grabs. Clubs have put their Spring Season records behind them and confidence has been renewed for the sides that sat near the bottom of the table in the first half of the year.

Week 3 of the Fall Season gets underway on Friday night when FC Edmonton hosts the New York Cosmos at 9 p.m. ET. The Eddies are coming off a victory at Indy Eleven, while the Cosmos dropped their last contest to the San Francisco Deltas.

The remaining games in Week 3 will all kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday night. Puerto Rico FC and the Deltas square off on the island after each earned wins last weekend, while Miami FC welcomes Indy to Riccardo Silva Stadium with hopes of shaking off a slow start to the Fall campaign. North Carolina FC, the early leader in the Fall Season, plays host to Jacksonville Armada FC.

A preview of each matchup can be found below:

FC Edmonton vs. New York Cosmos
9 p.m. ET | Friday, August 11
Clarke Stadium | Edmonton, Alberta
Watch | ESPN3 (National – U.S.), NASL.com (National – Canada), Facebook Live (National – Canada)

FC Edmonton cooled off one of the hottest teams in the NASL, Indy Eleven, last weekend. The Eddies scored three goals at Carroll Stadium and will carry that confidence back with them to Edmonton. Dustin Corea struck twice and Albert Watson chipped in with a goal as well in the 3-1 victory. Midfielder Ben Fisk has provided the creative spark with three assists in his last four games, and last weekend alone, he orchestrated five scoring chances against the Boys in Blue.

The New York Cosmos got off to a dream start in their contest against the San Francisco Deltas last weekend after Pablo Vranjicán opened the scoring in the third minute of play. New York, though, was unable to take any points away from its clash on the West Coast after conceding twice late in the first half in a 2-1 loss. The Cosmos defeated the Eddies, 1-0, in their last road meeting in Alberta.  

Puerto Rico FC vs. San Francisco Deltas
7:30 p.m. ET | Saturday, August 12
Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium | Bayamón, P.R.
Watch | beIN SPORTS en Español (National – U.S., Canada), beIN SPORTS CONNECT (National – U.S., Canada), WAPA 2 (National – Puerto Rico)

Puerto Rico FC recorded its first win since early June when the club defeated Jacksonville Armada FC, 1-0, in Week 2. Conor Doyle scored the winner for the Caribbean side after getting on the end of a cross from Giuseppe Gentile. Marco Vélez was recently named the club’s head coach after guiding the team on an interim basis during the latter part of the Spring Season. He will surely hope the win last weekend is just the start of more positive results for Puerto Rico, which has lost both of its previous contests against this Saturday’s opponent, the San Francisco Deltas.

The Deltas knocked off the New York Cosmos, 2-1, in their most recent game, and they were once again led by Tommy Heinemann. The veteran forward converted the eventual game-winner from the penalty spot for his sixth goal of the year. In the victory, Brazilian newcomer Dagoberto made his first start and earned an assist when his free kick was volleyed home by defender Patrick Hopkins, who hadn’t scored for the club prior to last Saturday. San Francisco will look to replicate its last trip to Puerto Rico, which ended with a 3-1 win in June.

Miami FC vs. Indy Eleven
7:30 p.m. ET | Saturday, August 12
Riccardo Silva Stadium | Miami, Fla.
Watch | beIN SPORTS (National – U.S., Canada), beIN SPORTS CONNECT (National – U.S., Canada), CW South Florida (Local – Miami)

The Spring Season Champions have gotten off to a slow start and will hope to turn things around this weekend. After a stunning Spring Season campaign, Miami FC has lost its first two league games in the second half of the year. The club did show its fight to score twice late and erase a two-goal deficit last weekend against North Carolina FC, but a let-off immediately after scoring the tying goal saw the club fall, 3-2, at home.

Indy Eleven was on a strong run, but the club’s unbeaten streak ended at six games after a 3-1 loss to FC Edmonton. Nemanja Vukovic scored the club’s lone goal in the contest with a perfectly-placed free kick into the top corner. The club will now turn its attention to picking up its first win in Miami (0W-1D-2L). The two clubs will be meeting for the first time since Miami ended Indy’s lengthy home unbeaten streak in May. 

North Carolina FC vs. Jacksonville Armada FC
7:30 p.m. ET | Saturday, August 12
Sahlen’s Stadium | Cary, N.C.
Watch | ESPN3 (National – U.S.), NASL.com (National – Canada), WRAL2 (Local – Cary/Raleigh), CW (Local – Jacksonville)

North Carolina FC has started the season well, and its positive form out of the gate was underlined by its 3-2 defeat of Miami FC last weekend away from home. With two assists, Steven Miller shined in the victory to lead the club past the Spring Season Champions. The matchup with Jacksonville this weekend offers a chance for former Armada FC players Jonathan Glenn, who scored in North Carolina’s recent win, and Danny Barrow to play against their former club. North Carolina defeated Jacksonville, 3-1, the last time the two clubs met in Cary. Lance Laing scored twice in the victory.

Jacksonville will try to bounce back this weekend after suffering a tough loss to Puerto Rico. Forward Brian Shriver will line up against his former teammates after coming to Jacksonville in the trade for Glenn and Barrow. Midfielder Zach Steinberger helped secure a victory for Jacksonville in the club’s last meeting against North Carolina, scoring a pair of goals.