San Francisco Delays Miami Clinching Top Seed With Big Road Win
Photo credit: Miami FC
Miami FC had a chance to clinch the top seed in the postseason, but the club will have to wait at least another week. The San Francisco Deltas eased past the Spring Season Champion in Week 11 of the NASL to delay Miami claiming home-field advantage throughout The Championship, the league’s four-team postseason tournament.
San Francisco’s big victory, though, was only scratching the surface of the action in Week 11.
Indy Eleven and the New York Cosmos split the points in a fascinating draw during a rainy night at Carroll Stadium. The point for the Cosmos lifted the club back into a postseason position after Jacksonville Armada FC climbed ahead during its contest on Friday night. Armada FC claimed all three points in a victory at Clarke Stadium against FC Edmonton.
In the other matchup in Week 11, North Carolina FC defeated Puerto Rico FC at Sahlen’s Stadium on Saturday.
Continue below for a recap of the weekend’s action:
Miami FC 0, San Francisco Deltas 3
The San Francisco Deltas claimed an important three points on the road at Riccardo Silva Stadium with a 3-0 win against Miami FC.
Reiner Ferreira and Tommy Heinemann led the way for the visitors during the contest.
Ferreira opened the scoring in the 15th minute with a super strike from distance after a pass from Kyle Bekker. The defender’s effort picked out the top corner to give the Deltas an early advantage.
Heinemann was the star of the second stanza. Maxim Tissot flicked Bekker’s corner kick through a crowd of bodies and Heinemann, who was unmarked, headed the ball off the post and into the back of the net to double the advantage in the 63rd minute. The forward was left unmarked at the far post again when Bryan Burke sent in a low cross for Heinemann to tap in at the 78th-minute mark.
A win or a draw would have clinched the No. 1 seed in The Championship for Miami as the Deltas climbed within three points of Miami in the race for the Fall Season title.
Indy Eleven 2, New York Cosmos 2
Matchups between Indy Eleven and the New York Cosmos always seem to provide drama and the meeting at Carroll Stadium on Saturday was no different. The game ended at 2-2 in a thrilling affair.
Don Smart set the tone of what was in store with a sensational effort in the 27th minute. Marco Franco played a through ball to Smart, who fired his shot just under the cross bar to beat Cosmos goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer. The lead, though, was short-lived for the Boys in Blue when Emmanuel Ledesma scored in the 36th minute on a rebound after a venomous strike from distance by Javi Márquez.
Indy would again take the lead in the second half when Eamon Zayed’s effort from close range after a cross from Smart just squeezed past Maurer for the goal. Much like in the first half, the lead didn’t last long. Márquez struck from inside the box in the 69th minute to equalize.
The point helped the Cosmos keep their hold on the fourth and final postseason position as the Fall Season winds down.
Puerto Rico FC 0, North Carolina FC 1
North Carolina FC kept its third straight clean sheet and earned a third straight win with the 1-0 victory over Puerto Rico FC at Sahlen’s Stadium.
Steven Miller provided the difference in the 23rd minute of the contest. Austin da Luz whipped in a cross from the right that was too high for forward Renan Gorne, but the ball bounced into the direction of Miller, who made no mistake with his first-time shot past Puerto Rico goalkeeper Austin Pack.
Puerto Rico made a late push to equalize, but Mario Martínez Rubio and Conor Doyle both missed the target in second-half stoppage time.
FC Edmonton 0, Jacksonville Armada FC 1
Jacksonville Armada FC earned a familiar result against FC Edmonton, winning for the fourth time this season by a 1-0 scoreline.
Ciarán Kilduff, who has been instrumental for the club since his arrival in the Fall Season, scored the game’s lone goal. The Irish forward headed the ball home in the 68th minute after good build-up play from Jacksonville. Derek Gebhard slipped the ball into space for Kalen Ryden to run onto before supplying an inch-perfect cross to the head of Kilduff.
The Eddies, though, were not without chances in the game. Jake Keegan’s header in the 24th minute came off the cross bar and just before the final whistle Nico Di Biase forced a good save from Armada FC goalkeeper Caleb Patterson-Sewell.
Jacksonville had moved into fourth place in the Combined Standings momentarily, but now sit tied on points and trailing on goal differential with the Cosmos in the race for the postseason.
