FC Edmonton Climbs Fall Season Standings In Week 8
As the NASL Fall Season reaches its home stretch, several clubs are jockeying for position behind league-leading Miami FC. One of those sides is FC Edmonton, which captured an important victory over Indy Eleven on Sunday.
North Carolina FC is even on points with the Eddies, but has played two more games. Colin Clarke’s side played to a scoreless draw against fourth-place Puerto Rico FC.
Rounding out the weekend results was a wild, six-goal affair in Brooklyn. The Cosmos stormed back to earn a point at home against Jacksonville Armada FC.
Continue below for a recap of each Week 8 matchup:
New York Cosmos 3, Jacksonville Armada FC 3
The New York Cosmos came back from a three-goal deficit in the second half to earn a 3-3 draw against visiting Jacksonville Armada FC at MCU Park in Brooklyn on Sunday night.
Ciaran Kilduff scored a pair of first-half goals to get Armada FC off to a flying start, but late strikes from Eugene Starikov and Juan Guerra earned the Cosmos a dramatic draw.
Kilduff got things rolling for Jacksonville. The towering Irish striker slammed a rebound just over the goal line after Kalen Ryden’s header found its way to his feet in the 13th minute. Then, in the 41st minute, Kilduff grabbed his second goal of the game after picking the pocket of New York’s Danny Szetela. The former Dundalk FC striker stole the ball, dribbled towards goal, and pushed a shot past Cosmos goalkeeper Kyle Zobeck.
Jack Blake made it 3-0 from the penalty spot after Zach Steinberger was hauled down in the area by Cosmos center back David Ochieng. Spanish veteran Javi Marquez pulled one back for the hosts in the 78th minute, but it didn’t seem like it was going to be enough.
But when Starikov struck in the 89th minute, the Cosmos knew they had a few more minutes to take something from the game. New York pushed for the equalizer, and it finally came in the game’s dying moments through Guerra. The Venezuelan international rifled home a shot from the left side of the box, sending MCU Park into a frenzy and stunning visiting Jacksonville.
FC Edmonton 2, Indy Eleven 0
FC Edmonton posted a convincing victory over Indy Eleven on Sunday afternoon, topping the Boys in Blue, 2-0, at Clarke Stadium in Edmonton.
Sainey Nyassi and Dustin Corea were on target for the Eddies, who moved up to third place in the Fall Season Standings after collecting three points on Sunday.
Midway through the first half, Nyassi latched onto a perfect long ball from Eddies captain Nik Ledgerwood. The Gambian international gathered the ball, took a brilliant first touch, and fired a shot past Indy goalkeeper Jon Busch.
In the 77th minute, the Eddies’ lead was doubled through Corea. Ben Fisk was chopped down in the penalty area after collecting a pass from Tomi Ameobi, and Corea finished well from the penalty spot to make it 2-0.
North Carolina FC 0, Puerto Rico FC 0
North Carolina FC and Puerto Rico FC held each other scoreless in a hard-fought draw at Sahlen’s Stadium in Cary, N.C. on Saturday night.
Neither side was able to generate much in the attack, as the club’s respective back lines stole the show. North Carolina’s Lance Laing had perhaps the best opportunity to get on the scoresheet, but his rocket in the 54th minute slammed off the outside of the post.
At the other end, Puerto Rico’s Giuseppe Gentile ran onto the end of a through ball, but North Carolina goalkeeper Brian Sylvestre rushed forward to disrupt the play enough to keep the game scoreless in the 71st minute.
Not long before the final whistle, Nazmi Albadawi nearly gave the home fans a reason to cheer, but his deflected shot spun just wide of the post.
