Carolina Looks to Clinch Regular Season Title with Result Against Fort Lauderdale

The Carolina RailHawks will look to clinch the NASL regular season championship with a result against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers on Wednesday. The Strikers will be looking to repeat the success they had at home against the RailHawks a few weeks ago when they won 2-1. Carolina will be without MVP candidate Etienne Barbara as he serves a suspension for receiving a red card in this past weekend’s match against FC Tampa Bay.

The Strikers are coming off of a 1 – 0 victory at home over the Montreal Impact. The victory saw the Strikers pass the slumping Minnesota Stars and climb to 5th in the NASL standings.

The RailHawks defeated FC Tampa Bay at home 2 – 0 on Saturday behind two goals from Pablo Campos.

Previous match-ups

Carolina won both meetings in Cary earlier this year with 4–2 and 2–0 scorelines respectively.

The Strikers defeated the RailHawks 2 – 1 at home several weeks ago with a late goal from Martin Nunez.

Keys to the match

For the Strikers it’s a simple game plan. Play well defensively and don’t let Carolina dictate the pace of the match. The Strikers could also benefit from a goal via set pieces.

The RailHawks need only a tie to clinch finishing in first place for the regular season. Martin Rennie may use this match as a litmus test to check the depth of his squad.

Match-up to watch

Toni Stahl against Pablo Campos may be an interesting match-up should both players start the match. Stahl was injured a little more than a week ago (calf injury) during a match against FC Tampa Bay, and may still be recovering from the effects of the injury. Both players are tall and Campos may try to gain positioning to either pass to other attacking players or create chances on goal for himself.

Comments from Strikers coach Daryl Shore

“It’s an import game for different reasons. It gets closer to playoff spot combined with several other results going our way. It’s good to build off of the momentum from Saturday’s game. We now have to take that momentum into a game where you know the team you are competing against is one which will be competing for a championship. It’s good for our guys to get back on the field right away and see if we can continue to build on that momentum.”

“We are still trying to get to third or fourth place in the standings. We would like to host a playoff game at home. Obviously we want to clinch first and build from there. The players are aware the old Strikers rarely if ever missed the playoffs. The fans know this and they expect us to make the playoffs. Of course we want to make it to the playoffs but that feat alone is not enough to satisfy us. If we win on Wednesday we are not going to rest on our laurels and coast into the playoffs.
Once you make the playoffs it’s a whole new season and anyone can win. Puerto Rico made the playoffs as an 8 seed last season and went on to win the championship. This organization has not had much success getting into the playoffs. Getting there is an achievement for the organization. Also, it’s important for the players because it is a goal we have had since the start of the season. Their goal is to win the championship.”