RailHawks 4-0 Win Closes Season and Possibly the History Book on NSC Minnesota Stars
In 5 seasons, the Carolina RailHawks had never scored a goal or won a game in postseason play. Those records are all behind them now after a 4-0 thumping of Minnesota in the second leg of the two-game home and away USSF D2 Pro League playoff quarterfinal. The RailHawks now advance to play the Montreal Impact in the league semifinal.
The Carolina RailHawks finally found the key to unlocking the NSC Stars last night at WakeMed Park in Cary, North Carolina. The lock was Carolina’s inability to not only win against Minnesota but to score on them as well. The Stars had defeated the RailHawks in both regular season games this season, both times by a score of 1-0. In last Wednesday’s first leg in Blaine, Minnesota, the two teams finished the game tied 0-0. The “key” for Carolina was a crucial red card to Stars captain and stalwart central defender Andres Arango in the 38th minute of the game causing Minnesota to play with 10 men the remainder of the game.
The first 20 minutes of the match saw both teams testing each other and making sure no mistakes were made. The Stars pressured the RailHawks but never threatened. After the two teams sized each other up the momentum changed in Carolina’s favor. The RailHawks stepped up the pace and pressure playing a tighter defensive game and pressuring Minnesota in the middle of the field. The Stars suddenly found it tough to string passes together without a RailHawks player cutting off an angle or pressuring Minnesota to pass square or backwards. In both playoff games the RailHawks seemed to have exploited a size difference and often muscled the Stars off the ball finishing the game with eight fouls to Minnesota’s two.
Stars Andres Arango grabs Floyd Franks' shirt to shut down the breakaway. A scuffle ensued which found Arango heading to the showers early after he was shown a red card for an attempted headbutt.
The turnovers and a Minnesota team that started looking fatigued may have played into the red car for Arango. The RailHawks’ Floyd Franks broke though the Stars defense that was pushed high up the field. Arango desperately grabbed a fist-full of Franks’ shirt and hauled the midfielder down. Tom Heinemann then slid into Arango late after the play and pushing and shoving ensued. Franks shoved Arango, a foul he was never punished for, but Heinemann did receive a yellow and Arango a red for an attempted headbutt that didn’t make contact. The rare loss of composure for the Stars captain put extra pressure on Minnesota that flew only 15 players to the game. Kevin Friedland and Neil Hlavaty were also on the bench as they drove to Cary along with coach Carl Craig. USSF D2 teams are allowed 5 substitutions per game. Lagos had also chose to start all 11 players from Wednesday night’s starting lineup; all who played most of the 90 minutes. Carolina coach Martin Rennie used his team’s depth and made substitutions more liberally in both games.
On the ensuing free kick Stars keeper Joe Warren, who was exceptional in the series, had to punch the ball away. The rebound found Heinemann who fired wide of the goal.
Despite the adversity the Stars started the second half off well and had their chances. But hard luck finishing by Minnesota raised its head again as it has most of the season. Devin Del Do took a shot that appeared to be goal-bound but was knocked away at the last minute by a Carolina defender. On the following corner, Ely Allen received the kick at the far post and headed the ball over RailHawks goalkeeper Eric Reed only to have the ball cleared from dropping into goal by a Josh Gardner header.
A few minutes later Gardner shot from a tight angle from the right of the Minnesota goal. Warren dove and got enough of his fingertips on the ball to push it into the goalpost before the Minnesota defense was able to clear the ball from danger.
Carolina's Tom Heinemann bumps a sure-handed Joe Warren who despite Saturday night's score came up big in both playoff matches.
Brian Kallman was called into action after Kyle Atman went down with a hamstring problem. The loss of both Stars central defenders was eventually too much for the team even though Allen broke though the RailHawk defense shortly after the substitution and fired low left past Reed only to hit the post and deflect away. After the missed chance it was all RailHawks and Minnesota found themselves chasing.
In the 64th minute Daniel Paladini, who was brought into the game 10 minutes earlier, got ahold of a rebound at the top of Minnesota’s box. Unmarked, he fired in a half volley that found the left side of the net and broke the playoff scoring drought for the RailHawks.
Paladini then hit a low cross from the right in the 72nd minute that found Gardner. Again, the 10-man Stars defense was good in the box but lacking outside of it as Gardner sunk the ball into the net with a low shot into the right corner.
The wheels really came off for the Stars in the 84th minute with a goal by Amir Lowery and to add insult to injury Minnesota’s Brian Kallman scored an own goal in the 88th minute.
“I think it was a nervous night, we’re usually quite confident” said RailHawks coach Martin Rennie. “Having not scored a playoff goal as a franchise, having not won a playoff game as a franchise, and having a few good opportunities in the first half that we didn’t finish, it was getting a little frustrating. But we kept our patience and I think the second half performance by everyone, in particular Daniel Paladini, really changed the game, and in the end we were comfortable winners.”
With the RailHawks win, the NSC Minnesota Stars were sent packing, possibly for good. The NSC, who assembled the Stars team in three months time, finish the season with a respectable 11-13-8 record and were the only expansion team to make the playoffs this season. NSC management have made it clear that the team is looking for an investor or new owner or they will not be back next season. They have cited both the new USSF D2 financial requirements and higher than expected costs to run a team as reasons for not continuing.
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It was a tough break for a young team that played with their hearts on their sleeves. Let’s hope that we see a return of the Stars next season or beyond. It would truly be a shame if Minnesota loses this tradition as a result of the higher costs and higher standards.
i hope NASL gets sanctioned next year and NSC finds a investor.
What were the “higher than expected costs to run a team” that NSC experienced?
What would the possible upside be for a potential investor?
Thanks for a great season Stars! I had a great time this past summer haanging out at the Nessy and Sweety and supporting the team. Regardless of what happens, I will always remember and apprecaite your hard work and dedication to professional soccer in MN. COME ON YOU STARS!
If the Stars do fold, I would like to be the first person to thank all the wanna-be youth soccer coaches, BOD members, DOCs and Eurosnobs in MN (especially on the north side of town) who failed to support the team. Your lack of support for professional soccer is amazing–well, actually it is shocking. I hope that with the folding of the MN Stars brings about the demise of your clubs and you are soon out of a job! Good luck!
Im a huge RailHawks fan, and I’m glad we won, but I’ll definitely be pulling for the stars to field a team next season. They were more than worthy opposition and the league would be the worse for it without them next season. Best of luck and hope to see you next year!
For all of you that are pulling for a return of the Stars, thanks!
Soccer Boy, what about all those years you failed to support the Thunder? Should we have wished ill upon you then?
And how about your club’s DOC, how many games did he attend? Should he be fired?
Try taking an objective look at what happened, and what might be a reasonable way to move forward. Name-calling and wishful thinking won’t bring a team back next year.
Soccer Boy people like you are the reason I don’t attend minor league sporting events. Really how juvenile are you? Wishing for people to be out of a job because they don’t attend a minor league sporting event. Well I will sink down to your level and hope that you get a disease and die.
It’s the RailHawks fourth season. Nice photos, by the way.
Like Dan above, I too am a Railhawks supporter and I agree it would be shame not to see the Stars play again next year. In the few games I saw, I was impressed with how well organized they were. Manny had the boys firing on all cylinders. They are much better than their record shows.
Maybe someone should approach Prince to underwrite the team. They can wear purple in his honor.
Thanks for the great coverage bq. Let’s hope for the best for our Stars. They showed us why we want a team.
@ MH – i like your idea of contacting Prince. lol lol. Maybe we can name the team MN Princes aside from the purple jerseys. lol Though I don’t think it’s so far fetched. If someone who knows him would pose the question the right way, he just might. He loves MN and the Twin Cities in particular, this is his home.
Like Dan and MH, I’m a Carolina man. But like them, I wish the Stars all the best and hope they are able to find new investors.
For throwing a team together in no time, the NSC has managed something truly impressive. Traditionally, expansion teams do terribly and then get better – but if this can be counted as a terrible season for the Stars in comparison to what the future holds, then they will be a force to be reckoned with. I’m glad we’re advancing instead of you guys, obviously, but I can’t wait to see these teams square off again next year.
This was a rough ending to a great come back season. I am hoping that the Stars will be around next year. Manny did a great job with a late start up team and progressed well through out the season. All of the team played well and contributed along the way. All of the reasons behind the Stars current predictament overshadows the future of the players as they move forward. For thier sake I hope an investor is found and can keep the Stars around. Best of luck to all in the future.
I am not kidding when I say that it nearly brings me to tears to think that we might not have a team next year.
Last year it never hit me like this.
We need a team badly.