North Carolina FC heads down to Jacksonville on Friday night with a chance to regain their position atop the NASL Fall standings. Entering the game on a three-game winning streak, NCFC looks poised to at least earn a point in Florida. Let’s break it down folks.

On Wednesday night, the San Francisco Deltas topped Indy Eleven 2–1 to move atop the Fall table. NCFC, who has had several games in hand for awhile now, are finally letting the rest of the clubs catch up in the standings but they’ve dropped to third and still have played an extra game.

So Friday night’s matchup is going to be an important one. Walking away with three points in Jacksonville would mean that NCFC will have some breathing room in the combined standings.

With Miami and San Francisco in the top two spots in both Spring and Fall, it’s likely that the third and fourth spots in the Combined standings would be the other two spots in the playoffs. Maintaining that lead over Jacksonville (and New York) is key, and earning at least a point tonight is vital.

North Carolina FC also just brought in more depth to the club this week: 18-year-old star Nelson Blanco from the DC United Academy. Nelson has made appearances with United's U16 and U18 squads and has shown that he has talent at the professional level. He is a great addition of young talented depth and will hope to help NCFC make a playoff push.

Players To Watch

Ciarán Kilduff

Kilduff has had four goals in his last five games for Jacksonville. He has also only played eight games for the club, joining in July, so he might be a surprise for the NCFC defense. The Irishman has a lot of playing experience elsewhere and might be the secret weapon the Armada need to get one past North Carolina FC.

Nazmi Albadawi

The hometown hero for NCFC, Naz has been everywhere. He leads the team in created chances and can score when needed. Just like Sam Mewis on the Courage, the midfield of NCFC flows through Naz and he is the leader of the squad. Expect him to lead North Carolina FC past the Armada Friday night.

Recent Form

North Carolina: W| W| W| D | L

Jacksonville: W | L | D | L | D

Game Details

What: Jacksonville Armada vs. North Carolina FC (NASL season)

Where: Hodges Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

When: 7:30pm ET

Prediction

North Carolina FC has been on a roll lately. Getting 10 points in their last five matches, NCFC looks to shut out their opponent for the 5th game in a row.

Jacksonville is looking for a playoff push and could really use a win to put pressure on NCFC and New York. But the Armada have allowed seven goals in their last five matches. If the defense can’t shut down NCFC completely, then it might turn out to be a rough night: With the way the NCFC defense is playing, the Armada offense is going to have to be on fire to get past Brian Sylvestre.

At the final whistle, I think it’s going to be all NCFC. They have been lights out on defense, and their offense has begun clicking too. Jacksonville has been decent lately, but it’s not going to be enough against a Dead Whales team looking for playoff glory.

Zack’s Prediction: NCFC 2–0