Carolina RailHawks
All-league midfielder Daniel Paladini, seen against Puerto Rico in August, a 3-2 loss.
That upset entitled the Islanders to join the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League, which meant games against Mexican, Salvadoran and Honduran clubs. Last weekend, the Islanders were in Vancouver to beat the Whitecaps to advance to the USSF-D2 final against the RailHawks, but on the way home, they had to stop in Tegucigalpa for their final CONCACAF group game, against C.D. Olimpia. A win would have sent Puerto Rico to the quarterfinals, but Olimpia was too strong, winning 3-0.
RailHawks coach Martin Rennie acknowledged that fatigue will be an issue for the Islanders, but he doesn't expect his team to catch any breaks tonight. "You'd think [it'd be a factor], but it doesn't seem to affect them as much as other people, but they've been playing games all the time. With travel, there's no way around it, it does take a lot out of you. So it could be a factor, yes."
In contrast, the RailHawks have spent most of the season's second half playing at home (10 of 15 games, in fact). "I think that's helped us," Rennie said. "We've peaked at the right time."
The 180-minute game lends itself to a certain brutal logic, as the visiting team in the first leg will try to keep the game scoreless as long as possible. Rennie acknowledged as much after Friday's practice session.
"You want the game to be alive when you get home," Rennie said.
In the first semifinal leg in Montreal, the RailHawks started from a defensive crouch, with a single striker up top—Etienne Barbara, rather than the in-form Tommy Heinemann—and two holding midfielders, Marques Davidson and Amir Lowery. The strategy was very nearly successful; the RailHawks nearly earned a clean sheet but for Leonardo DiLorenzo's exploitation of Eric Reed's inability to get his wall set in time. See it unfold from an excellent angle in this home video.
Tonight at Estadio Juan Ramón Loubriel, look for the RailHawks to try to grind out a one- or no-goal game.
Kickoff is at 6 p.m. Tune into the webcast at carolinarailhawks.com. The return leg is Saturday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.