Jacksonville can close the gap on first-place Miami with a victory

Photo credit: Todd Drexler/Jacksonville Armada FC

Miami FC has settled into its perch atop the North American Soccer League (NASL) Spring Season Standings. The club is on an eight-game unbeaten run in league play and can cement its first-place position even further with a positive result on Saturday night. In an intriguing matchup between the league’s top two clubs, Miami welcomes Jacksonville Armada FC to Riccardo Silva Stadium after narrowly defeating its Florida counterpart, 1-0, just two weeks ago.

Before the showdown in South Florida, Week 13 will get going on Friday night in Brooklyn. The New York Cosmos will square off against Puerto Rico FC after failing to capitalize on its game in hand to close the gap on Miami last week.

On Saturday night, along with the battle of Florida rivals, Indy Eleven will look to snap a two-game losing streak at home, hosting North Carolina FC, while FC Edmonton is set to pay a visit to the San Francisco Deltas to round out the weekend.

Continue below for a full preview of each Week 13 matchup:

New York Cosmos vs. Puerto Rico FC

7:30 p.m. ET | Friday, June 16

MCU Park | Brooklyn, N.Y.

Watch | ESPN3 (National – U.S.)*, NASL.com (National – Canada), MSG Networks (Regional – NY/NJ/CT/PA), MSG GO (Regional – NY/NJ/CT/PA), WAPA 2 (Local – Puerto Rico)

The New York Cosmos had a big opportunity to gain ground on Miami FC last week, but were unable to win either game they played. The club fell, 4-2, to FC Edmonton in a surprising loss before drawing with North Carolina FC, 2-2. Forward Irvin Herrera recently rediscovered his scoring touch, finding the back of the net in both contests in Week 12. The Cosmos defeated Puerto Rico FC, 4-3, in a meeting at MCU Park earlier in the Spring Season.

Puerto Rico heads into the matchup with New York after a 3-1 loss to the San Francisco Deltas last Saturday in the Caribbean. Honduran international Jairo Puerto scored for the second straight game. Forwards Giuseppe Gentile and Emery Welshman played particularly well in the last meeting in New York, with both getting on the scoresheet. The club will be without Pito Ramos and his Puerto Rican national team counterparts after call-ups for a friendly in Indonesia.

Indy Eleven vs. North Carolina FC

7:30 p.m. ET | Saturday, June 17

Carroll Stadium | Indianapolis, Ind.

Watch | beIN SPORTS USA (National – U.S./Canada), beIN SPORTS CONNECT (National – U.S., Canada), MyINDY-TV (Local – Indianapolis), Spectrum SportsChannel (Regional – North/South Carolina), WRAL2 (Local – Cary/Raleigh)

Indy Eleven remains at Carroll Stadium in Week 13 aiming to recapture its magic at home. After setting a record home unbeaten streak, the club has dropped two games in a row in front of its home support. Most recently, the club fell, 4-1, to Jacksonville Armada FC. One welcome sign for the club in the loss was forward Eamon Zayed’s return to the scoresheet after being sidelined in recent weeks due to injury.

North Carolina FC played to a 2-2 draw against the New York Cosmos in the club’s last league contest. Billy Schuler and Lance Laing were on target, both scoring top-shelf goals. Laing, who has scored five times in NASL play, continued his scorching form on Wednesday with a patented free-kick goal. North Carolina, however, was unable to defeat the Houston Dynamo in the fourth round of the Open Cup, falling, 3-2, in extra time to the MLS side.

Miami FC vs. Jacksonville Armada FC

7:30 p.m. ET | Saturday, June 17

Riccardo Silva Stadium | Miami, Fla.

Watch | ESPN3 (National – U.S.), NASL.com (National – Canada), CW South Florida (Local – Miami)

Miami FC kept its place as the most in-form NASL side, finding a way to defeat FC Edmonton last weekend, 1-0, on Vincenzo Rennella’s late goal. The club currently has a five-point lead atop the standings and carried that momentum into a midweek clash in the Open Cup. Miami traveled to face Orlando City SC and defeated the MLS club, 3-1. Brazilian Stéfano Pinho netted all three goals. The league leader has now won nine of its last 11 games in all competitions – a stretch that includes zero losses.

Jacksonville is coming off a big road win after downing Indy Eleven, 4-1, a week ago. J.C. Banks scored a pair of goals, and Jack Blake and Derek Gebhard joined him on the scoresheet. This weekend the club will look for a bit of revenge after losing to Miami two weeks ago. With a win, Jacksonville can move to within two points of the first-place side.

San Francisco Deltas vs. FC Edmonton

10 p.m. ET | Saturday, June 17

Kezar Stadium | San Francisco, Calif.

Watch | Twitter (National – U.S., Canada)

The San Francisco Deltas went on the road last weekend to face Puerto Rico FC and came away with a 3-1 win. Canadian international Kyle Bekker scored a pair of goals in the victory. While the win in the Caribbean preserved the Deltas’ unbeaten record on the road, that streak finally came to an end on Wednesday night. San Francisco was unable to overcome two early goals in a 101 Derby loss to the San Jose Earthquakes of MLS. Back at home, though, the Deltas will look to replicate a similar result from their last meeting with FC Edmonton, when Cristian Portilla’s late goal was the difference in a 1-0 win at Clarke Stadium.

After a midweek 4-2 win against the New York Cosmos, FC Edmonton, despite a strong performance, was unable to achieve another wining result. The club fell, 1-0, at Clarke Stadium last Saturday. The Eddies, though, will want to keep up the same effort, especially on the defensive end, when they face the Deltas. Goalkeeper Nathan Ingham has also impressed in his first two starts in the NASL.

*In the NY/NJ/CT/PA area, the match can be seen on MSG GO, not ESPN3