By JOHN BOSCHINI
For all the dominance the Puerto Rico Islanders and the Carolina Railhawks enjoyed during the regular season, everything goes out the window once the playoffs start and both sides are in serious danger of being home in time for Halloween.
The Puerto Rico Islanders were decimated by international callups and face a difficult task in overturning a 3-1 deficit in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday. Last weekend marked the first home defeat for the Puerto Rico Islanders this season. Exacerbating Puerto Rico's problems is the fact Fort Lauderdale has lost by multiple goals at home only once so far in 2011
Carolina returns home trying to regain an offensive form that has seemingly deserted them in the fall. The Railhawks are languishing in the middle of a five-game losing streak, scoring only once during their terrible run of form. The NSC Minnesota Stars are riding a much better streak, going undefeated in five games and have yet to drop a game to Carolina this season. The Railhawks need to overturn the 1-0 defeat suffered last weekend in Minnesota.
Here is a look ahead to the action in the NASL this weekend:
NSC Minnesota Stars at Carolina Railhawks (Saturday, 7 p.m.)
Why can't the Carolina Railhawks score? It's a question head coach Martin Rennie needs to answer or his stint as manager of the Vancouver Whitecaps could begin as early as Monday. Forward Etienne Barbara is far and away the top scorer in the NASL this season and the Maltese striker will need to rekindle the attacking partnership with Pablo Campos. Brad Knighton will also be called upon since a clean sheet is vital for the Railhawks.
The NSC Minnesota Stars will be looking to continue their dominance over Carolina this season. Minnesota is 3-2-0 this season against Carolina and is by far the hotter team. Last season, Minnesota surrendered a first-leg lead to lose 4-0 at Carolina but that sort of scoreline looks less likely this time around.
Puerto Rico Islanders at Fort Lauderdale Strikers (Saturday, 7:30 p.m.)
The Puerto Rico Islanders have their players back from an international break but a two-goal deficit is a large mountain to climb, especially on the road. The majority of the attacking responsibilities will fall to Jonathan Fana as Puerto Rico will try to get on the board early.
That could leave the door open for a few goals from Fort Lauderdale. If Brian Shriver or another one of the Strikers can pounce on the counter-attack early it could put the home side out of reach before the game reaches halftime.
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What do you think of this weekend's matchups? Can Carolina finally get its offense in gear? Is a two-goal deficit too much for Puerto Rico?
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