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Strikers Travel To Face FC Edmonton Sunday

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (June 8, 2012) – The Fort Lauderdale Strikers (3W-4T-3L) are on the road this week to face FC Edmonton (2W-2T-5L) on Sunday at 4:00pm EDT at Clarke Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta. A win for the Strikers puts them even on points with third-place San Antonio in the NASL and would give them their first road win of the season (0-2-2). FC Edmonton is looking to continue moving up the NASL standings and record their third win of the season. Their five losses are the most for any team in the NASL.

“We have to go up there with the right mentality to come away with a win on the road which is something we haven’t done yet,” said Strikers head coach Daryl Shore. “Edmonton is a different team than they were at the start of the season and always play well at home, so we’ll have to maintain our concentration for the full game in order to earn a result.”

The Strikers have enjoyed success against Edmonton since the Canadian side joined the NASL last season. Fort Lauderdale is currently on a three game win streak against Edmonton stretching back to last season, including the playoffs. The Strikers lead the all time series with a record of 4W-1T-1L.

Fort Lauderdale will be without their hottest player, Mark Anderson, who will not be able to travel with the team due to visa issues. Anderson has scored a goal in each of the last five games and six of the last seven games in all competitions for the Strikers.

Some good news for the Strikers comes in the form of Andy Herron who came on as a reserve against the Rowdies and suffered no symptoms stemming from the knee sprain he received on April 25th. Herron should be available to play more minutes against Edmonton.

FC Edmonton is on a three-game winless streak they will hope to break at home against the Strikers. Edmonton has already lost twice in four home games this season, where they lost only five times in all of 2011. Edmonton’s biggest weapon is without question Shaun Saiko. The midfielder is second in the NASL with five goals and also has three assists. The Strikers were able to keep him off the board in the first meeting this season, but Saiko is a different player at home where he has scored all five of his goals including a hat-trick against the Carolina RailHawks.

Last week, Fort Lauderdale defeated the Tampa Bay Rowdies at Lockhart Stadium by a final of 3-1 for their first win in league play against Tampa Bay in franchise history. Goals by Abe Thompson, Mark Anderson and Walter Restrepo were the difference for the Strikers.

FC Edmonton fell to the Atlanta Silverbacks on Sunday, June 3rd, at Clarke Stadium in Edmonton by a final of 2-1. The win was the first of the season for the Silverbacks and pulled them even on points with Edmonton and the Carolina RailHawks with eight. Kevin Hatchi recorded the Edmonton goal.

WATCH PARTY: The Strikers will host a watch party for fans who wish to gather together to watch the live online stream of the match at Duffy’s Sports Grill located at 1804 Harbor Shops Drive East, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316. The event begins at noon with fans able to arrive early to watch the 2012 European Championship group stage match between Spain and Italy.

SPECIAL GAME NOTE: The game will be a “throwback” game as the Strikers will be wearing their traditional red and gold hoops uniform and Edmonton will be wearing an all orange uniform designed to look like the NASL’s Edmonton Drillers from 1979-80.

Match Facts:

·         Strikers went 3W-1T-1L last season against FC Edmonton including the playoffs

·         Strikers are on a 3 game win streak against FC Edmonton

·         Strikers are unbeaten in the last 5 games against FC Edmonton (4W-1T-0L)

·         Strikers midfielder Walter Restrepo is tied for the league lead in assists (4)

·         Strikers goalkeeper Matt Glaeser leads the NASL in saves (42)

·         Strikers midfielder Mark Anderson is tied for 4th in the NASL in goals (4)

 

2012 Stat Leaders:

Goals: Mark Anderson (4)

Assists: Walter Restrepo (4)

Shots: Aly Hassan, Walter Restrepo, Mark Anderson (20)

Yellow cards: Toni Ståhl, Walter Restrepo (3)

Red cards: Toni Ståhl (2)

Saves: Matt Glaeser (42)

GAA: Matt Glaeser (1.70)

Minutes: Matt Glaeser (900)

NEXT MATCH:

The Strikers return home for the second half of a home and home against FC Edmonton on Saturday, June 16th at 7:30pm at Lockhart Stadium. There will be a Father’s Day special for the match with fathers given a free ticket with the purchase of another ticket. Contact info@strikers.com or call (954) 606-0400 for more information. Follow the Strikers on twitter @FTLStrikers and like us on Facebook to get the latest news and updates from South Florida’s professional soccer team. All Strikers NASL matches are streamed live on www.strikers.com/live.

 

ABOUT THE FORT LAUDERDALE STRIKERS

The Fort Lauderdale Strikers, South Florida’s only professional men’s soccer team, are in their seventh season. The Strikers have been a part of the North American Soccer League [NASL] since the 2011 season. The team is owned by Traffic Sports USA, the North American subsidiary of The Traffic Group, the leading soccer event management company in the Americas, with headquarters in Brazil, and offices in the U.S. and Europe. The organization is committed to the advancement of soccer in South Florida at the youth, amateur and professional levels.

 

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