NASL Playoffs Second Round, 2011: Minnesota, Fort Lauderdale Both Pull Off Upsets

The Strikers achieved the greatest shock of the playoffs so far. Coming off a 5-0 home win against FC Edmonton, the Strikers had clearly shown the ability to live up to their name but nobody expected them to beat the Puerto Rico Islanders so handily. Instead, Fort Lauderdale charged out. The Islanders, exhausted from a panoply of call-ups to Friday’s Puerto Rican World Cup qualifier against St. Kitts and Nevis, played Fort Lauderdale hard at first but fell further and further back as the game went on.

Not long after the second half kickoff, Martin Nunez fired a cross past Puerto Rico goalkeeper Ray Burse to give the fourth-ranked Strikers an away goal and a 1-0 lead. Puerto Rico showed some counter-attacking spirit but failed to generate any serious chances on Matt Glaeser in the Fort Lauderdale goal and, on 86 minutes, Fort Lauderdale struck again. Former Islanders star Cristian Arrieta played a through ball to midfielder Walter Restrepo who cut right to the top of the arc and hammered a ferocious shot past Burse.

Puerto Rico showed some fight after Restrepo’s goal and were able to respond almost immediately as Fort Lauderdale’s defense lapsed: league third-leading scorer Jonathan Fana was left unmarked mere feet from the goal and was able to tap an accurate Gregor Richardson cross into the corner to make the score 2-1.

With the Islanders throwing men forward looking for an equalizer, it was Fort Lauderdale who struck the last blow of the game. Experienced Puerto Rico defender Aaron Pitchkolan, carrying the ball deep in his own half, launched a brutal pass which was easily intercepted by Fort Lauderdale’s Mike Palacio. Palacio easily stepped past Pitchkolan and knocked a perfect cross to striker Brian Shriver, giving Fort Lauderdale a 3-1 away win in the first leg.

However, the Railhawks were on a four-game losing streak and Minnesota had always played Carolina hard. The two came out and promptly went into a slugfest familiar to fans of their previous games. Carolina had perhaps the better chances in the first hour but nothing was decisive; the league’s two leading scorers Pablo Campos and Etienne Barbara were mostly held in check. Meanwhile, Carolina made careless fouls which constantly threatened to give Minnesota opportunities.

Goalkeepers Brad Knighton for Carolina and Joe Warren for Minnesota were both tested but the game remained locked at 0-0 late into the evening. The best chance for either team came just past the hour mark as second division journeyman Jonny Steele burst in alone on Warren, coming down the left flank from past the top of the box. Steele, one of the NASL’s leading playmakers but nobody’s idea of a speed merchant, hesitated to make his move and was closed down by Warren, who stopped the resulting weak shot.

As the evening wore on Carolina began to play more defensively, looking to bring the series back to WakeMed Soccer Park with a scoreless draw. Minnesota, on the other hand, seemed to gain energy where the Railhawks gave it up and possession in the last twenty minutes of the game mostly went Minnesota’s way.

Finally, just before the beginning of stoppage time, Minnesota midfielder Andrei Gotsmanov collected a seemingly-harmless cross past the top of the box and, with effortless elan and power, hit a picture-perfect shot which barely eluded a diving Brad Knighton’s fingertips. Minnesota took a 1-0 lead at home in the 90th minute and, though the shocked Railhawks counterattacked furiously in stoppage time, the lead held up.