Key Clashes In The Championship Race Continue In Week 9

Photo credit: Todd Drexler/Jacksonville Armada FC

Week 9 of the Fall Season is already steeped in drama. The San Francisco Deltas overturned a two-goal deficit, down a man, to earn a 2-2 draw away from home against the New York Cosmos on Wednesday night. Both NASL sides are firmly in the thick of the race to The Championship, the league’s four-team postseason tournament.

New York, which is just outside the postseason positions, can leapfrog a contender in the Combined Standings with a win on Saturday. The club hosts North Carolina FC, which earned a draw in its last contest. The Deltas, who currently sit in second place in the Combined Standings, face off against FC Edmonton in a game that also kicks off on Saturday.

In the lone Sunday contest, Jacksonville Armada FC matches up against Florida rival Miami FC. Jacksonville has yet to topple Miami this season, but needs to continue to pick up points to better its standing in the push for The Championship.

Continue below for a preview of each Week 9 matchup:   

New York Cosmos vs. North Carolina FC
7 p.m. ET | Saturday, September 23
MCU Park | Brooklyn, N.Y.
Watch | beIN SPORTS En Español (National – U.S., Canada), beIN SPORTS CONNECT (National – U.S., Canada), MSG Networks (Regional – NY/NJ/CT/PA), MSG Go (Regional – NY/NJ/CT/PA)

The New York Cosmos are playing their third home game of the week and will certainly be ruing their missed opportunities. A slow start a weekend ago against Jacksonville Armada FC saw the club go down by three goals before a tremendous turnaround to earn a 3-3 draw. On Wednesday, the club had a two-goal advantage heading into the final 10 minutes, only to see it slip away in a 2-2 draw with the San Francisco Deltas. The Cosmos have drawn six of their last seven games and are winless in their last five.

North Carolina FC enters the weekend after a 0-0 draw with Puerto Rico FC last week, while falling to Indy Eleven. 1-0, last Wednesday. North Carolina, which has played more games than any other club, has several sides breathing down its neck in the postseason race and could use the boost that three points could provide, especially against the Cosmos, who are tied on points in the Combined Standings.

San Francisco Deltas vs. FC Edmonton
8 p.m. ET | Saturday, September 23
Kezar Stadium | San Francisco, Calif.
Watch | Twitter (National – U.S., Canada)

The San Francisco Deltas may not have won on Wednesday, but the club will have received a momentum boost. Down 2-0, the club picked up a point after Devon Sandoval’s late brace in the draw in Brooklyn. The club has won three of its four past meetings with FC Edmonton, but the Eddies did win the last matchup, 2-1, at Kezar Stadium.

The Eddies also enter Saturday’s contest with confidence. The club secured a 2-0 victory against Indy Eleven last Sunday. Sainey Nyassi and Dustin Corea both were on the scoresheet as the victory vaulted the Eddies to third place in the Fall Season Standings, and finishing atop that table represents the Eddies’ best chance at the postseason.

Jacksonville Armada FC vs. Miami FC
4 p.m. ET | Saturday, September 24
Hodges Stadium | Jacksonville, Fla.
Watch | ESPN3 (National – U.S.), NASL.com (National – Canada; Globally except U.S.), CW (Local – Jacksonville/Orlando), CW South Florida (Local – Miami)

Jacksonville Armada FC has a three-game unbeaten streak on the road, but the club now heads back home to take on Miami FC. Jacksonville recently earned a 3-3 draw with the New York Cosmos with forward Ciarán Kilduff scoring a pair of goals. Armada FC has had a hard time getting points against Miami this year, losing all three previous meetings.

Miami has a six-game unbeaten streak – winning five of those games – but the club hasn’t played since early September due to effects from Hurricane Irma. Miami played to a 3-3 draw against the New York Cosmos during its last time on the field. Jaime Chávez scored all three goals in the contest for Miami and has scored seven goals in the last five games. Miami still leads the Fall Season in pursuit of being the first club to win both the Spring and Fall Season in the same year.