By JOHN BOSCHINI
The Carolina Railhawks have been, without question, the most dominant team in the inaugural NASL season, but they had to wait until Wednesday to make it official.
The Railhawks wrapped up the regular-season title despite a 1-0 loss to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. The loss still puts Carolina eight points clear of Puerto Rico, and the Railhawks have a game in hand. Fort Lauderdale, meanwhile, needs only a draw this weekend against FC Edmonton to wrap up a playoff spot.
Edmonton and FC Tampa Bay booked places in the postseason following Montreal's 1-1 tie with Puerto Rico during the week. The Impact have a crucial matchup with the Railhawks coming up during the weekend in what is essentially a must-win for Montreal.
The NSC Minnesota Stars are plummeting down the NASL standings and have been dragged into a playoff fight. A loss to Tampa Bay left Minnesota only three points clear of seventh place, and the Stars will need to turn around a run of form that has seen them lose four in a row.
Here is a look ahead at the upcoming matchups in the NASL.
The match that was scheduled for Saturday has been postponed until Sept. 21 due to imminent storms in Puerto Rico.
Atlanta Silverbacks at NSC Minnesota Stars (Saturday, 8:30 p.m.)
The Silverbacks have been a proverbial punching bag all season, but last week's shocking 2-0 win over the Puerto Rico Islanders showed that they are capable of beating just about anyone. The Stars' defense has abandoned them down the stretch and the offense has stagnated, but the hope is that new signing Luke Mulholland will provide an attacking spark as the Stars cling to the final playoff spot.
Carolina Railhawks at Montreal Impact (Sunday, 3:30 p.m.)
The Impact need a win badly while Carolina could get blown out for the rest of the season and still take the regular-season title. Whether the disparity in motivation will make up for the disparity in talent remains to be seen. Carolina has dominated the matchup between the two teams this season, winning the three games by a combined score of 6-2. Montreal has only lost once since Aug. 6 but might have to run the table to charge into the playoffs.
Fort Lauderdale Strikers at FC Edmonton (Sunday, 9:30 p.m.)
Fort Lauderdale has a lot more to play for than does FC Edmonton when the two teams meet this Sunday. FC Edmonton has pulled out of its midseason nose dive to secure a place in the postseason, while Fort Lauderdale has done just enough to put some distance between it and Montreal but still needs another result to get over the hump.
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What do you think of this weekend's games? Impressed with Carolina clinching the title? Can Montreal claw its way into the playoffs?
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