Image Credit: NASL
NEW YORK - The race for The Championship continues with North American Soccer League (NASL) Fall Season Week 7 action. In this week’s NASL ‘Match of the Week’ on ESPN3, red-hot Minnesota United FC will look to extend its current unbeaten streak to 11 games when they travel to play the defending league champions, the New York Cosmos, at Hofstra University’s James M. Shuart Stadium on Saturday, August 23, at 7 pm ET.
ESPN’s live, multi-screen sports network is accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and streamed on televisions through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold members, Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV.
Soccer fans around the world will also be able to ‘Watch Every Match Live’ throughout the 2014 NASL Fall Season, including Week 7 encounters in Edmonton, Indianapolis, New York, San Antonio and Tampa Bay, at www.NASLLive.com. Fans can purchase the full Fall Season or monthly subscriptions of NASLLive.com now.
By winning the NASL Spring Season crown, United has already earned a berth into The Championship, the league’s four-team postseason. The Loons last and only defeat in 2014 was against New York, who is currently third in the NASL Combined Table (Spring/Fall), on May 12 when a goal from midfielder Marcos Senna gave the hosts a 1-0 win at James M. Shuart Stadium.
Saturday’s Cosmos-United matchup, which will also be seen on ONE World Sports and NASLLive.com, will be the fourth ever meeting between the two sides, with New York winning all three previous clashes.
Two more teams playing in key Week 7 matchups are the Carolina RailHawks and Tampa Bay Rowdies, who are right in the thick of the battle to clinch the last berths in The Championship. The RailHawks travel to Al Lang Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff against the Rowdies on Saturday, and the game can be seen live online at NASLLive.com and locally on WTTA Great 38.
The Rowdies, who are fourth in the NASL Combined Table, are coming off their second consecutive home victory after topping the Cosmos, 3-1, last weekend. Meanwhile, Carolina, who is two points behind Tampa Bay for the final berth in The Championship, dropped its second game in a row at home last Saturday when they lost 3-2 against FC Edmonton.
The RailHawks lead the head-to-head series against the Rowdies, however, the Florida side won the last meeting, 4-3, two weeks ago at WakeMed Soccer Park.
Also on Saturday is a matchup between the league’s most recent expansion clubs, Indy Eleven and Ottawa Fury FC. Both sides will be looking to get back in the win column after some recent struggles, and the game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET at IUPUI’s Michael A. Carroll Stadium. The game will air live on NASLLive.com and locally on MyINDY TV-23 in Indianapolis, and on Radio TSN 1200 in Ottawa.
Indy is still searching for its first league victory at home, while Ottawa is aiming to end its seven-game winless streak. The last and only meeting between the two teams came this past spring when Ottawa posted a 4-2 win at Michael A. Carroll Stadium on May 17.
Saturday’s encounters conclude when the San Antonio Scorpions return home to Toyota Field, where they are unbeaten in their last six games, to take on the Atlanta Silverbacks at 7:30 pm CT (8:30 pm ET) on NASLLive.com and locally on MeTV KSAT 12.2.
The Scorpions, who are three points away from the top spot in the NASL Combined Table, hold a slight edge in the head-to-head series over the Silverbacks, and they are unbeaten against seventh-place Atlanta in San Antonio. The last time both clubs faced off was this past spring when the visiting Scorpions earned a 2-1 win at Silverbacks Park on April 19.
Rounding out Week 7 will be a Sunday afternoon matchup north of the border, as FC Edmonton hosts the Fort Lauderdale Strikers at Clarke Stadium at 2 pm MT (4 pm ET) on NASLLive.com and City TV.
Edmonton, who is six points from the final spot in The Championship, is coming off its first road victory of the Fall Campaign when they topped Carolina, 3-2, last Saturday. Meanwhile, Fort Lauderdale, who played to a 1-1 draw at home against the Silverbacks last week, is level with the Rowdies on points (22) in the NASL Combined Table. The Rowdies, however, occupy the fourth-place spot due to the tiebreaker of away goal differential.
The Strikers are unbeaten in their last seven games against the Eddies, including the last meeting this past spring at Clarke Stadium when they posted a 3-1 win on May 3.
