Canadian international tallies goal, assist in Strikersâ€™ victory over RailHawks

Fort Lauderdale Strikers defender Nana Attakora has been named NASL Player of the Week after tallying a goal and an assist in the club’s convincing 3-1 road win over the Carolina RailHawks on Saturday.

The 27-year-old veteran set up Brazilian forward Maicon Santos for the Strikers’ first goal and then doubled their lead midway through the first half with a goal of his own. Attakora’s performance set the tone in Fort Lauderdale’s best effort of the season, helping the side earn its first victory and gain some confidence heading into their home encounter against Indy Eleven this weekend.

“I felt like it was a solid team performance -- the first half especially was our best 45 minutes of the season so far,” Attakora said. “I have to give thanks not only to my teammates for their role, but to God first of all. Carolina was the first-place team, but we went in there and scored three.”

Just seven minutes into Saturday’s game at WakeMed Soccer Park, the Strikers silenced the RailHawks faithful when Attakora picked out Santos for the match’s opening goal. Carolina, who entered the match as the league’s top team, then went two goals down in the 23rd minute after Attakora headed a perfectly-placed effort past RailHawks goalkeeper Brian Sylvestre. The goal – Attakora’s first of the season – would end up being the second of three on the night for the Strikers, who added another tally just before halftime through former AS Monaco forward Matheus Carvalho.

“Nana is a wonderful professional who always puts his heart on the field and gives 100% for his teammates,” Strikers head coach and GM Caio Zanardi. “His performance on Saturday was a reflection of the work that we see from him each and every day in training. He is playing with confidence and the team has full confidence in his ability to play anywhere across the back line. I am very happy for him to win this award.”

The authoritative 3-1 win in Carolina helped Fort Lauderdale get out of the NASL cellar and leapfrog Miami, Jacksonville, and Ottawa in the Spring Season Standings.

Attakora, a native of North York, Ontario, signed with the Strikers prior to the 2016 season after playing in the NASL last year with San Antonio. The 6-foot-1 defender has been capped eight times by the Canadian national team, and has also previously spent time at the club level with Toronto FC, San Jose Earthquakes, DC United, and Finnish side Haka.

The Strikers return to Lockhart Stadium this weekend, playing host to undefeated Indy Eleven on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. The match can be seen live on ESPN3 (U.S.) and NASL.com (Canada).