Here’s what you need to know ahead of a crucial clash at the new Maimonides Park
Saturday night brings the game everyone associated with Brooklyn FC has been anticipating, its first at the new Maimonides Park in Coney Island.
What’s more, it could end up as one of the most consequential regular season games in the USL Super League’s inaugural season.
Brooklyn (9-4-4, 31pts) is set to host Fort Lauderdale United FC (8-5-4, 28pts) at 6:30 p.m. ET in the latest No. 1 vs. No. 2 clash we’ve seen this season. Only three points separate the teams, and with how both have looked since the return from break, we could be in for another big upset.
Here’s the breakdown on this top-of-the-table battle:
Potential outcomes
- A win for Brooklyn would give the team a much-needed boost and extend its first-place lead. It would also provide Carolina or Dallas a chance to jump over Fort Lauderdale into second place.
- A win for Fort Lauderdale would put both teams at 31 points, but Fort Lauderdale would claim the tiebreaker based on head-to-head points earned. FTL would be in top spot for the first time this season, and Brooklyn would be knocked to second for the first time since mid-November.
- A draw would keep Brooklyn in first place but still leaves the door open for Carolina and Dallas to take second.
Recent form
Brooklyn has not looked quite like the team we saw during most of the Fall Schedule. The league-leaders went into the break on a six-match winning streak with four consecutive clean sheets, but since the return, it has gone 0-1-2 with just one goal scored and seven conceded. Last week’s 6-0 loss to Dallas was extremely uncharacteristic for Head Coach Jess Silva’s side and a match the team would like to quickly forget.
Fort Lauderdale is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. The team has gone 5-0-2 in its last seven matches with a goal differential of +7. The new additions the team brought on over the break have provided even more depth to FTL’s roster, and its attacking unit is one of the fastest and most lethal groups in the league.
Previous meetings
The sides are 1-1-0 against each other this season with the home team taking the three points in both matches. In October, it was the 18-year-old Reese Klein who scored the game-winner for FTL in the 1-0 win. Fort Lauderdale owned the possession battle in that match with 59% of the ball and had seven shots on target to Brooklyn’s two.
In the second meeting, Brooklyn turned the tables. Goals from Sam Kroeger, Dana Scheriff and Mackenzie George helped the team to a 3-1 victory. Eleven of its 17 shots were on frame, and the win was the second of six during that unbeaten surge to end the fall.
Players to watch
Brooklyn: Luana Grabias (F), Sam Kroeger (M), Sasha Pickard (D)
Fort Lauderdale: Jasmine Hamid (M), Addie McCain (M), Laurel Ansbrow (D)
Grabias is one of the most technical forwards in the league with the ability to score in a variety of ways. Paired with Kroeger’s knack for intercepting passes and quickly playing her teammates into space, Fort Lauderdale needs to be wary of Brooklyn on the counterattack.
On the other end, the duo of Hamid and McCain has been nearly unstoppable this season. They account for 16 of FTL’s 25 goals on a combined 51 shots. McCain is incredible at gaining possession of the ball in the midfield – she leads the league in duels won (110) – and Hamid has shown she will take any bit of space defenders give her and blast shots from distance.
On the defensive end, Ansbrow has quickly become one of the best center backs in the league since her arrival in Fort Lauderdale in January. She can play great balls over the top, and her size makes her a huge aerial threat. Meanwhile, Pickard has been stellar in the outside back position for Brooklyn. She’s speedy and positions herself well to cut off her opponent’s crosses, but she also makes the runs forward to provide an option in the team’s attack.