North American Soccer League

Thanks to the North American Soccer League's (NASL) online streaming, many fans watched the Minnesota Stars win the first leg of the NASL Championship Series. The Minnesota Stars had a 3-1 victory over the Fort Lauderdale Strikers on Saturday night.

Playing at home in the NSC Stadium in front of 4,511 fans, the Minnesota Stars were able to contain the red-hot Strikers who, prior to Saturday night's contest, had outscored their opponents by a combined score of 10-2 in three matches. By scoring first and stifling their offense, the Stars made it clear that they were not going to allow Fort Lauderdale run all over them at home.

Opening the scoring register for the Stars was Neil Hlavaty, whose free kick produced a goal in the third minute of the first half and gave his teammates a 1-0 advantage. Moments after Stars Andrei Gotsmanov drew a foul, Hlavaty blasted the ball past the wall and past Strikers goalkeeper Matt Glaeser. 

Trailing 1-0 at halftime, the Strikers were evidently unable to find their flow. Despite making adjustments at halftime, the Strikers couldn't find their rhythm as Minnesota continued to pressure them with their defense. 

For a team that many believe are destined to win the NASL Championship Series, the Strikers were tied 1-1 when Minnesota's Justin Davis inadvertently scored an own goal for Fort Lauderdale in the 52nd minute of the second half.

Instead of momentum swinging towards Fort Lauderdale's favor, the Stars retook the lead when Luke Mulholland's goal in the 53rd minute gave his team a 2-1 lead. 

As the Strikers tried to level the match, the Stars sealed the first leg of the NASL Championship Series in the 77th minute when Lucas Rodriguez beat two Strikers defenders and the goalkeeper for a 3-1 advantage with less than 15 minutes remaining. 

By winning the first leg of the championship series, the Stars have a two-goal advantage and are one step closer to hoisting the NASL Championship Trophy, the Soccer Bowl. 

Both teams will travel to Florida where they will meet at the Lockhart Stadium for the second leg of the NASL Championship Series. The match takes place on Saturday, October 29, at 7:30 p.m. EST. 

While the outcome isn't the one Fort Lauderdale would have preferred, they'll have home field advantage where they will have the weather and the support of their fans to give them an opportunity to win their first ever NASL Championship. 

Cesar Diaz covers Soccer for LatinoSports.com. He also writes for 5 Points Press & USSoccerPlayers.com, your source for American Soccer news brought to you by members of the U.S. National Team. Easily accessible, you may reach Cesar at cesar@latinosports.com and at Twitter at @CoveringSoccer.

The NASL Championsip series is officially set as the regular season fourth-best club Fort Lauderdale Strikers and sixth-seeded NSC Minnesota Stars will meet to determine which club will be declared the 2011 NASL champions.

The first leg will be in Minnesota on Oct. 22 at 8:30 p.m. The home leg for the Strikers will be on Saturday, Oct. 29, at 7:30 p.m. at Lockhart Stadium.

In reaching the championship series, both squads had to overcome the two best clubs in the NASL regular season.

In the second leg of NASL semifinals, the Strikers defeated the Puerto Rico Islanders 2-1 at Lockhart Stadium on Saturday night. After winning the first leg 3-1 in Puerto Rico, the Strikers convincingly defeated the second-best Islanders 5-2 aggregate.

In their quest to reach the NASL Championship series for the first time in their team history, Fort Lauderdale won their last three matches by outscoring their opponents 10-2. After winning their first playoff match 5-0 against FC Edmonton, the Strikers clearly established themselves as a team playing with reckless abandon. 

In doing so, Brian Shriver has been their "X-Factor," as he scored a total of five goals in the postseason. Against the Islanders on Saturday night, Shriver scored his 10th and 11th goals of the season.

His first goal came in the 19th minute, when he accepted a pass from teammate Walter Restrepo and directed the ball to the back of the net to give the Strikers a 1-0 lead and 4-1 aggregate advantage in the first half. 

In the second half, the Islanders tied the match 1-1 when David Foley volleyed home a corner kick to tie the match 1-1. Unfortunately for the Islanders, Brian Shriver scored the game-winner in the 59th minute to give his team a 2-1 lead and a 5-2 aggregate advantage. 

Despite the Islanders' late attempts to produce another goal, the match was already decided. With the Strikers clearly the superior playoff team, the Islanders were helpless as they had to accept their fate that once the final whistle blew, their magnificent season had reached a conclusion. 

Even though Puerto Rico was eliminated on Saturday night, the Islanders organization should be commended for their role in Puerto Rico's "Soccer Boom." They've been involved in the community, and they've continued to produce a quality team the island can be proud of.

With Fort Lauderdale advancing to the NASL Championship series, the other semifinals series between NASL-best Carolina RailHawks and NSC Minnesota. 

Even though the RailHawks rallied to win 4-3 in the second leg, they were tied 4-4 aggregate with Minnesota, so the eventual winner needed 30 minutes of extra time and ultimately a shootout, where each team lined up five players and they each took turns in converting penalty kicks.

NSC Minnesota beat the Carolina RailHawks in penalties 5-3, marking the second consecutive year that the RailHawks were unable to win the playoffs even though they were the NASL regular season champions.

Regardless of their playoff outcomes, the RailHawks has been one of the best NASL teams to follow. It'll be interesting to see how they respond to the absence of their head coach Martin Rennie, who has agreed to become the head coach of Major League Soccer's Vancouver Whitecaps. 

For Minnesota, Saturday's win demonstrated the heart and poise to win close matches. In the first round, they eliminated FC Tampa Bay following a 1-0 win.

In the semifinals, they defeated Carolina 1-0 before Saturday's classic showdown. In three matches to reach the NASL Championship, they squeaked by their opponents by a combined score of 5-4 in regular time. 

With the Championship Series set, fans will be able to watch the matches online at NASL.com. It will be interesting to see if Minnesota can contain the hottest NASL team or if the Strikers can withstand the poise and grinding style of Minnesota. 

With both teams not expected to reach the NASL Championship, an unexpected champion will be declared.

Cesar Diaz covers Soccer for LatinoSports.com. He also writes for 5 Points Press & USSoccerPlayers.com; your source for American Soccer news brought to you by members of the U.S. National Team. Easily accessible, you may reach Cesar at cesar@latinosports.com and at Twitter at @CoveringSoccer.

A week after they annihilated FC Edmonton 5-0, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers were able to accomplish a feat which no other NASL club had been able to do and that's win in Puerto Rico.

Demonstrating that last week's goal-scoring surge was no fluke, the Strikers trounced the Puerto Rico Islanders 3-1 in the first leg of the NASL semifinals at the Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium in Bayamon, PR. With momentum on their side, the Strikers have won their last two playoff matches by a combined score of 8-1. 

After a scoreless first half, the Strikers jumped to a 2-0 lead thanks to Martin Nunez and Walter Restrepo. In the 49th minute, Nunez immediately demonstrated his value as a halftime substitution for team captain Abe Thompson when he accepted a cross from Lance Laing to make it 1-0 for the Strikers.

The Strikers scored again when Restrepo blasted the ball from 18 yards out and past the outstretched hands of Islanders goalkeeper Ray Burse for a 2-0 lead.

With the Islanders in danger of losing their first home match of the year, they were able to reduce the deficit to one goal when Jonathan Fana accepted a pass from Gregory Richardson to make the score 2-1. 

In stoppage time, the Islanders turned over the ball and paid for it dearly when Strikers' Brian Shriver scored the third goal of the match to give his teammates a 3-1 semifinal victory. 

With the opportunity to make to the NASL final round, the Strikers return home to play the second leg of the semifinals on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m. at the Lockhart Stadium.

For the Islanders, Saturday's home loss could not have come at worse time. With the Strikers averaging four goals a contest in the playoffs, the Islanders are going to face the daunting task of shutting out Fort Lauderdale while trying to produce some goals themselves. 

Saturday Night's Other NASL First Leg Semifinal Match

In the other NASL semifinal match, NSC Minnesota Stars won 1-0 at home over the NASL regular season champions Carolina RailHawks. Both teams return to the WakeMed Soccer Park on Saturday, October 15 at 7 p.m. for the second leg of the aggregate series.

The team with the most goals scored will advance to the NASL championship round where they will face the winner of the Islanders-Strikers semifinal series. 

Cesar Diaz covers Soccer for LatinoSports.com. He also writes for USSoccerPlayers.com; your source for American Soccer news brought to you by members of the U.S. National Team. Easily accessible, you may reach Cesar at cesar@latinosports.com and at Twitter at  @CoveringSoccer.

With the NASL Playoffs in full swing, the reigning Division-2 champions Puerto Rico Islanders (15-6-7) and NASL Regular Season Champions Carolina RailHawks (17-8-3) awaited to see whom they will face in the Semifinal Round. By having the best record in the NASL regular season, both teams had earned a first round bye.

On Saturday night, two Quarterfinals matches took place in Florida. The Fort Lauderdale Strikers took on FC Edmonton at the Lockhart Stadium while NSC Minnesota Stars faced FC Tampa Bay at the Al Lang Stadium. Winners of both contests advanced while the loser's season abruptly came to an end. 

With FC Tampa Bay losing 1-0 to the NSC Minnesota Stars and the Fort Lauderdale Strikers annihilating FC Edmonton 5-0, the NASL Semifinal Rounds are set. 

As stated in NASL.com:

For the Semifinal Round, the number 1 seed will be paired with the lowest seeded team to qualify from the Quarterfinal Round with the number 2 seed being paired with the highest seeded team to qualify from the Quarterfinal Round.

The winners of each series in the Semifinal Round will meet in the Final Round. In the event of a draw in either Quarterfinal Round game, such game will progress to a 30-minute extra time period (the golden goal rule will not be in effect). If the teams are still locked in a draw following the extra time period, the winner will be determined by a penalty shootout.

In each Semifinal Round series and the Final Round series, if the teams are tied on the number of aggregate goals scored in the series at the conclusion of the second game, the teams will progress to a 30-minute extra time period. As in the Quarterfinal Round, the golden goal rule will not be in effect. If the teams are still locked in a draw following the extra time period, the winner of the series will be determined by a penalty shootout.

With Saturday's matches decided, the Puerto Rico Islanders will now face the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. The first match will take in Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium or La Islandera to their Supporters, the Orange Troop on Oct 8. The second leg will take place on Oct. 15 at the Lockhart Stadium. 

While Abe Thompson hat trick and a Brian Shriver brace put the Fort Lauderdale Strikers through to the NASL semi-finals with a 5-0 victory over FC Edmonton, the Strikers are going to have a difficult time winning in La Islandera where the Islanders went undefeated this postseason. 

In four regular season contests, both teams recorded a win, loss and two ties. The only difference in their series of contests was that the Islanders outscored the Strikers 8-7. While no team was able to defeat the Islanders at home, it should be noted that the Islanders was not able to win at Fort Lauderdale where they loss 3-2 and tied 1-1 this season. 

With the regular season a thing of the past, will the Islanders be able to contain a Strikers team who made an empathic statement as they produced five goals in the in the opening round? Will the Strikers be able to do one thing that no NASL team did this season and win in Puerto Rico?

Cesar Diaz covers Soccer for LatinoSports.com. He also writes for 5 Points Press  & USSoccerPlayers.com; your source for American Soccer news brought to you by members of the U.S. National Team. Easily accessible, you may reach Cesar at cesar@latinosports.com and at Twitter at @CoveringSoccer.

In another demonstration of their commitment to their Puerto Rican community, the Puerto Rico Islanders dedicated Wednesday night's match with FC Tampa Bay to women affected by breast cancer.

The money earned from ticket sales will be donated to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation as a demonstration that the Islanders support its mission to raise awareness about breast cancer in the Puerto Rican population.

With a first-round bye already assured, the Puerto Rico Islanders (15-6-7, 52 points) become the only team in the North American Soccer League (NASL) to go undefeated at home following their 1-0 victory over FC Tampa Bay (10-9-8, 38 points) at the Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium.

Despite already clinching a first-round bye, the second-best team in the NASL started the match aggressively. The combination of forward Yaikel Perez and midfielder Kevon Villaroel immediately made it an issue to attack FC Tampa Bay GK Jeff Attinella.

After several minutes of advancing the ball, the duo of Perez and Villaroel gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute. Taking advantage of a counterattack, Villaroel passed the ball to Perez, who moments later scored his first goal of the season.

Following the lead, the Islanders' defense and excellent goalkeeping skills of Ray Burse prevented Tampa from tying the match. Along with their defense, the Islanders continued to advance the ball in an effort to produce another goal.

Regardless of their inability to produce another goal, the Islanders was able to hold on for the 1-0 victory. With the season officially over, the Orange Troop will play their first home playoff match on Oct. 8 in the NASL semifinals.

While the Islanders weren't successful in winning the NASL regular season championship, they still have a chance to win the postseason and repeat as Division-2 champions.

Cesar Diaz covers Soccer for LatinoSports.com. He also writes for 5 Points Press and USSoccerPlayers.com, your source for American soccer news brought to you by members of the U.S. national team. Easily accessible, you may reach Cesar at cesar@latinosports.com and at Twitter at @CoveringSoccer.

Bayamon, PR - In a possible NASL Championship match preview, the Puerto Rico Islanders (14-7-6, 49 points) handed the NASL Regular Season Champions the Carolina RailHawks (17-7-3, 54 points) their third straight defeat on Saturday night.

Meeting for the final time this season, both playoff bound teams battled each other to a standstill with a flurry of defensive stops and solid goalkeeping. The Islanders were finally able to penetrate the RailHawks defense when Petter Villegas scored the game winner in the 57th minute of the match.

Saturday night's victory marked the third time that the Islanders have defeated the RailHawks. In four head to head matches, the Islanders have outscored the RailHawks 5-4. While the Islanders have three of four victories against Carolina, the RailHawks still maintain the best record in the NASL.

Following their victory over the RailHawks, the Islanders remain undefeated at the Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium. With one more game remaining, the Islanders will have the opportunity to finish the regular season undefeated at home when they host FC Tampa Bay on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2011.

The Islanders victory was the icing on the cake as the organization dedicated Saturday night as an evening to demonstrate their commitment to the Puerto Rican Community by honoring the past and raising awareness for the present.

Prior to the match, the Islanders honored an individual who may possibly the Father of Puerto Rican Soccer, Juan "Saso" Tulier. It was 60 years ago when Saso played and later coached the Puerto Rican national team for 28 years.

Now his late 70s, Saso continues to coach young men as he tries to help some of them get to college on soccer scholarships. Still in remarkable shape, Saso not only trains his young players, he also physically trains with them. While many may not know of the iconic manager, he is one unknown hero who will leave a legacy of Puerto Rican soccer.

“As believers in community outreach and social responsibility its truly an honor to have Saso Tullie kick the kick of honor to start the match. Tullio was responsible for expanding the game of soccer across the island especially in Humacao, Manabo and Naguabo. The greatness of this soccer ambassador was exalted in the Sports Hall of Fame in Puerto Rico,” said Jorge Pierluisi, vice president of the Islanders.

In addition to honoring Saso, the Islanders also welcomed the nonprofit foundation for children with autism Golitos as they were officially inaugurated on Saturday night. Golitos is intended to contribute to the full physical, social and emotional development of children with Autism provided by football sports therapy through structured training sessions.

With one more game remaining in the NASL regular season, the Islanders are in position to give their supporters, the Orange Troop will have the opportunity to win their first NASL Championship and second consecutive Division-2 Championship.

Other NASL results from Saturday Night

FC Tampa Bay (10-8-8, 38 points) battled the NSC Minnesota Stars (8-10-9, 36 points) to a 1-1 draw.

Montreal Impact (8-11-8, 32 points) won 2-0 over FC Edmonton (10-12-6, 36 points).

Fort Lauderdale Strikers (9-7-11, 38 points) tied the Atlanta Silverbacks (4-19-3, 16 points) 1-1.

Cesar Diaz covers Soccer for LatinoSports.com. He also writes for 5 Points Press & USSoccerPlayers.com ; your source for American Soccer news brought to you by members of the U.S. National Team. Easily accessible, you may reach Cesar at cesar@latinosports.com and at Twitter at @CoveringSoccer.

In another fantastic way to demonstrate their commitment to the Puerto Rican community, the NASL playoff-bound Puerto Rico Islanders have announced they will dedicate their final two home games to children born with autism and breast cancer survivors.

On Sept. 21, the Islanders will face FC Tampa Bay. The money earned from ticket sales that evening will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation as a demonstration that the Islanders support its mission to raise awareness about breast cancer to the Puerto Rican population.

Prior to their Sept. 21st match, the Puerto Rico Islanders will honor the children who are born with autism when they face the best team in the NASL, the Carolina RailHawks, on Saturday, Sept. 17. That is the same day that the nonprofit foundation for children with autism Golitos is officially inaugurated.

"Golitos is intended to contribute to the full physical, social and emotional development of children with Autism provided by football sports therapy through structured training sessions. The programs have been developed by a wide network of professionals with expertise in Autism and, of course, soccer savvy," said foundation founder Omar Alvarez, who is father to six-year-old twins Darius and Lawrence, both born with Autism.

The foundation is responsible for educating these children through the structure and discipline that the sport requires. Along with the curriculum, Islanders players will continually visit the practice field where these children as part of this project where they will play a role in making sure the model is implemented as accordingly.

In addition to honoring children born with autism, they're also going to honor an individual who may possibly the father of Puerto Rican soccer, Juan "Saso" Tulier. Personally, finding out that Saso is going to be honored has brought a smile to my face.

The fact that I've known about his contributions and role in promoting soccer in Puerto Rico before today makes this news even more gratifying. To learn more about Saso, please read my article "Puerto Rico Begins Its Quest for the FIFA 2014 World Cup."

It's good to see that Puerto Rico's soccer boom has also become a platform to raise awareness of a variety of causes that needs our support in the beautiful island. For the time being, there isn't a better soccer club that can raise awareness in Puerto Rico than the Islanders.

Cesar Diaz covers soccer for LatinoSports.com. He also writes for 5 Points Press & USSoccerPlayers.com, your source for American Soccer news brought to you by members of the U.S. national team. Easily accessible, you may reach Cesar at cesar@latinosports.com and at Twitter at @CoveringSoccer.

Saturday's North American Soccer League (NASL) match between the Puerto Rico Islanders and FC Tampa Bay scheduled at the Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium has been postponed due to the anticipated torrential rains surrounding Tropical Storm Maria.

The match has been rescheduled for Wednesday, September 21 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday's cancelled match would have been the fourth and final time both teams would have met throughout the regular season. In the previous head-to-head encounters, both teams have earned an identical record of 1-1-1. The only advantage the Islanders have over Tampa Bay is a 4-3 goals scored advantage.

Currently in third place and playoff bound, FC Tampa Bay is at risk of moving down a spot in the standings. Should playoff-bound FC Edmonton win on Saturday against the Atlanta Silverbacks, Tampa Bay would be demoted to fourth place where they would potentially be tied with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers who are a win away from clinching a playoff spot.

For the Orange Troop, Saturday's cancelled match could not have come at a better time. Recently nine of their players represented their countries during the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers.

As a result, the Islanders starting lineup was heavily depleted in their last two matches where they lost 2-0 to the Atlanta Silverbacks and battled the Montreal Impact to a 1-1 draw on Wednesday evening.

Despite their recent setbacks, the Islanders managed to clinch the second best record in the NASL and a first-round bye in the playoffs. The Islanders' next home match will take place on Saturday, September 17th at 7:30 p.m. against the NASL Regular Season Champions Carolina RailHawks. 

NASL Standings

1. North Carolina RailHawks (17-5-3; 54pts)

2. Puerto Rico Islanders (13-6-7; 46pts)

3. FC Tampa Bay (10-8-7; 37pts)

4. FC Edmonton (10-10-6; 36pts)

5. Fort Lauderdale Strikers (8-7-10; 34pts)

6. NSC Minnesota Stars (7-10-8; 29pts).

7. Montreal Impact (6-11-8; 26pts)

8. Atlanta Silverbacks (4-18-3; 15pts)

Cesar Diaz covers Soccer for LatinoSports.com. He also writes for 5 Points Press & USSoccerPlayers.com ; your source for American Soccer news brought to you by members of the U.S. National Team. Easily accessible, you may reach Cesar at cesar@latinosports.com and on Twitter at @CoveringSoccer.

On Wednesday night, the Puerto Rico Islanders were a few minutes away from suffering their first home loss of the season before Islanders forward Jonathan Fana successfully converted his penalty kick in the 90th minute to tie MLS-bound Montreal Impact 1-1.

Fana's game-tying goal was his 11th goal of the season. He is the Islanders' leading goal-scorer. In addition, in the North American Soccer League, Fana is currently tied for second place in goal production with FC Tampa Bay Mike Ambersley and Carolina RailHawks Pablo Campos.

Playing in front of their crowd at the Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium, or La Islandera, the Islanders had to overcome a number of obstacles. Trying to rebound from Saturday night's 2-0 loss to the Atlanta Silverbacks, the Orange Troop entered Wednesday's match with a majority of their starters recovering from their CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers participation.

Without the usual starting lineup, the team had to rely on the goalkeeping skills of Ray Burse and the defense from the rest of the squad. To add to their dilemma, the Islanders were facing a hungry Impact team trying to win the sixth and final playoff spot. With Impact GK Evan Bush named NASL Defensive Player of the Week, Impact arrived to Puerto Rico with the intent of earning three points while putting an end to the Islanders' undefeated home record.

In the 30th minute of the match, the odds of Montreal winning on Wednesday night was heightened when Islanders defender Logan Emory was ejected for tackling Impact forward Miguel Montaño.

For the remainder of the match, the under-manned Islanders played well enough to escape with a tie and clinch a first-round bye. However, in the 88th minute of the match, Ryan Pore had given the Impact a 1-0 lead. Accepting a well-timed pass from forward Mignane Diouf, who seconds earlier forced Burse be in a bad position, Pore successfully found the back of the net as he scored his second goal of the season.

Less than two minutes later, Islanders striker Jonathan Faña, back from international duties with the Dominican Republic national team, was fouled as he was advancing the ball in the penalty. Seconds later, he successfully beat the NASL Defensive Player of the Week to level the match at one all.

With Wednesday's tie, the Islanders (13-6-7, 46 points) have clinched the second-best record in the regular season. For their achievement, the Islanders also have a first-round bye.

While a win would have been beneficial for the Impact (5-6-11, 26 points) in their quest of reaching the playoffs, they only trail NSC Minnesota Stars (7-8-10, 29 points) by three points.

Up next for the Islanders is FC Tampa Bay (10-8-7, 37 points), which has already clinched a playoff spot and are trying to remain in third place with the NASL season winding down. Following FC Tampa Bay, the Islanders conclude their regular season against the NASL regular season champions, the Carolina RailHawks.

Now that the top two spots belong to the Carolina RailHawks and the Orange Troop, the only thing left for both teams is to win the playoffs. Even though the RailHawks have been playing extremely well, the Islanders have been able to play some solid defense for their last few matches, considering nine of their players were away playing for their countries for the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers.

Once the regular season is over, Orange Troop supporters will expect to see the Islanders successfully defend their Division-2 championship against everyone—especially the Carolina RailHawks, in the case they meet in the championship match for the second consecutive year.

Other NASL results from Wednesday Night

Fourth-place FC Edmonton (10-10-6, 36 points) secured a playoff spot with a dramatic 2-1 victory over eighth-place Atlanta Silverbacks (4-18-3, 15 points).

Fifth-place Fort Lauderdale Strikers (8-7-10, 34 points) won 1-0 over first place Carolina RailHawks (17-5-3, 54 points). Wednesday's night win has positioned the Strikers from being a point away from clinching a playoff spot for the first time since 2006.

Despite the loss, the RailHawks clinched the NASL regular season championship. The RailHawks automatically have a first-round bye. With head coach Martin Rennie set to coach the Vancouver Whitecaps for the 2012 MLS season, the RailHawks are definitely in position and motivated to win the playoffs.

Cesar Diaz covers soccer for LatinoSports.com. He also writes for 5 Points Press and USSoccerPlayers.com, your source for American soccer news brought to you by members of the U.S. national team. Easily accessible, you may reach Cesar at cesar@latinosports.com and at Twitter at @CoveringSoccer.

With nine players representing their national teams during the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying matches, the short-handed Puerto Rico Islanders had their six game unbeaten streak snapped as they fell to the Atlanta Silverbacks 2-0 on Saturday night.

Playing their third match in eight days, the second-place Islanders (13-6-6) faced last-place Atlanta (4-17-3) on the road at Atlanta Silverbacks Park without their leading goal scorer Jonathan Faña who was away representing the Dominican Republic. Also away on national duty was forward Gregory Richardson, who was representing the Guyana national team.

Cementing the Orange Troop's reputation as Puerto Rico's best soccer team, seven players were called for the Puerto Rico national team. They were defenders Marco Vélez, Alexis Rivera, Scott Jones and Richard Martínez and midfielders Petter Villegas, Tyler Wilson and Noah Delgado.

This was the fourth and final meeting between both teams. Prior to Saturday night's match, the Islanders had won the first three matches by a combined score of 9-4.

The difference between the previous three encounters was the performances of Silverbacks forward Matt Horth and Islanders goalkeeper Ray Burse. With the Silverbacks officially eliminated from the playoffs, they have the opportunity to finish their seasons as playoff spoilers.

Matt Horth was able to burn Ray Burse twice in the first half as he scored in the 28th and 30th minute to give the Silverbacks a 2-0 at halftime. No matter how hard the Islanders attempted to produce a goal, the depleted Orange Troop was no match for Atlanta on Saturday night.

With their six-game unbeaten streak coming to an end, the Islanders now trail the Carolina RailHawks for the best record by nine points. Following Saturday's loss, the Islanders return home where they will face the Montreal Impact at the Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium where they remain unbeaten.

With three games remaining in the regular season, the Islanders have to win their remaining matches while hoping that Carolina goes on a losing streak. However, with the way the RailHawks have been playing as of late, it is unlikely.

After losing to the Orange Troop in Puerto Rico, the RailHawks have gone on a four-game unbeaten streak as they've gone 3-0-1. Both teams will meet for the final time in the regular season on Saturday, Sept. 17 in Puerto Rico. 

Other NASL results from Saturday Night

First place Carolina RailHawks (17-3-4; 54pts) won 2-0 over third-place FC Tampa (9-7-8; 34 pts). 

Fourth-place FC Edmonton (9-6-10; 33 pts) won 3-1 over sixth place NSC Minnesota Stars (7-8-9; 29 pts).

Fifth-place Fort Lauderdale Strikers (7-10-7; 31pts) won 1-0 over seventh place Montreal Impact (6-7-11; 25 pts).

Cesar Diaz covers Soccer for LatinoSports.com. He also writes for 5 Points Press & USSoccerPlayers.com; your source for American Soccer news brought to you by members of the U.S. National Team. Easily accessible, you may reach Cesar at cesar@latinosports.com and at Twitter at @CoveringSoccer.