NASL: Atlanta, Edmonton Look To Gain Ground On First-Place Ottawa

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NEW YORK  - After a busy Wednesday night that saw the New York Cosmos, Atlanta Silverbacks, and FC Edmonton pick up wins at home, Week 6 of the North American Soccer League (NASL) Fall Season rolls on this Saturday with a full slate of five matches.

 The red-hot Silverbacks will go for their fourth straight victory when they host the San Antonio Scorpions at 7:30 p.m. ET. Three other matches will kick off at the same time, as the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Tampa Bay Rowdies, and Indy Eleven play host to the Cosmos, Jacksonville Armada FC, and Ottawa Fury FC respectively. 

 Rounding out Saturday night's fixtures is an 8 p.m. ET clash between Minnesota United FC and FC Edmonton at NSC Stadium in Blaine, Minn.

 Here is a full weekend preview:

 Atlanta Silverbacks vs. San Antonio Scorpions
Saturday, August 8 | 7:30 p.m. ET
Atlanta Silverbacks Park | Atlanta, Ga.
Watch | U.S. (National) - ESPN3, Canada (National) - NASL.com, San Antonio (Local) - KSAT MeTV 12.2
Since signing with the Silverbacks on July 8, forward Pedro Mendes has scored four times in five matches, including a two-goal midweek performance in the club's 2-1 defeat of the Strikers. Mendes and strike partner Jaime Chavez have been the catalysts for a remarkable turnaround - one that has seen Atlanta rip off 13 points in its last six matches. Coming to town to take on the second-place Silverbacks is a well-rested Scorpions side that just had an off week. Besides using the week to get healthy, San Antonio made several impressive roster moves, bringing in Portuguese international Daniel Fernandes, Jamaican international Khari Stephenson, and Honduran defender Milton Palacios. 

 Fort Lauderdale Strikers vs. New York Cosmos
Saturday, August 8 | 7:30 p.m. ET
Lockhart Stadium | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Watch | U.S. (National) - ESPN3, U.S. (National) - ONE World Sports, Canada (National) - NASL.com, Fort Lauderdale (Local) - SFL-TV
The Cosmos will be feeling good about themselves when they head down to South Florida this weekend. Giovanni Savarese's side has left its slow start to the Fall Season in the dust, picking up six points in a period of four days with wins over Fort Lauderdale and Minnesota. New York now heads down to Lockhart Stadium to face a Strikers side that they just defeated, 2-0, at Shuart Stadium last Sunday. The Strikers are trending in the opposite direction lately, having dropped each of their last two games. Even worse, Günter Kronsteiner's side will be shorthanded on Saturday. Red cards to forward Stefano Pinho, midfielder James Marcelin, and defender Karsten Smith in the team's midweek loss to Atlanta will force several reserves to step up against the Cosmos.

 Indy Eleven vs. Ottawa Fury FC
Saturday, August 8 | 7:30 p.m. ET
Carroll Stadium | Indianapolis, Ind.
Watch | U.S. (National) - ESPN3, Canada (National) - OttawaFuryFC.com, Indianapolis (Local) - WISH-TV
Ottawa Fury FC may have lost their top spot in the league's Combined Standings the other day, but they still remain in first place in the Fall Season Standings. The Canadian side is as confident as it has ever been, and they carry an impressive 11-game unbeaten streak into this weekend's road clash against Indy. Marc Dos Santos' men have only conceded five goals over the course of the streak - one that includes a staggering seven clean sheets. Saturday's matchup may play into Fury FC's hands too, as Indy has only been able to find the back of the net once in its last three matches. These two sides met on July 19, with Ottawa walking away 4-2 winners at TD Place.

 Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Jacksonville Armada FC
Sunday, August 8 | 7:30 p.m. ET
Al Lang Stadium | St. Petersburg, Fla.
Watch | U.S. (National) - ESPN3, Canada (National) - NASL.com, Tampa-St. Petersburg (Local) - Great 38, Jacksonville (Local) - CW17
Another Coastal Cup matchup hits Al Lang Stadium on Saturday night, with the Rowdies hosting league newcomer Armada FC. Each club has just four points to show for itself so far this Fall Season. Visiting Jacksonville is beginning to find its way, having picked up four points in its last two encounters, while Tampa Bay has taken just one point from its last four matches. Saturday's hosts will be boosted by the addition of Omar Salgado, who recently joined the club on loan from Liga MX side Tigres, while the Armada FC can feel confident about their attack after scoring three goals in a wild draw against Minnesota last weekend.

 Minnesota United FC vs. FC Edmonton
Saturday, August 8 | 8 p.m. ET
NSC Stadium | Blaine, Minn.
Watch | U.S. (National) - ESPN3, Canada (National) - FCEdmonton.com, Twin Cities (Local) - KSTC45-TV
FC Edmonton returned to its winning ways with a 2-0 victory over Indy on Wednesday, and now they enter the weekend with a shot at moving up to second place in the Fall Season Standings. The Eddies visit the Loons on Saturday with as close to a full roster as they have had in a long time. Key attacking players like Tomi Ameobi, Sainey Nyassi, and Daryl Fordyce are finally back in action, complimenting the recent addition of El Salvador international Dustin Corea. For Minnesota, they will be looking to bounce back after a tough midweek loss in New York. Forward Christian Ramirez extended his scoring streak to five matches, although it wasn't enough in a 2-1 loss to the Cosmos. 

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