Islanders also left off NASL fall schedule By Steven Sandor Posted on February 11, 2013 1 0 745 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Bill Peterson PHOTO: NASL As has been widely rumoured, the Puerto Rico Islanders’ absence from the NASL will continue through the fall season. The league released the fall schedule on Monday. And while the New York Cosmos brings the total of teams in the circuit to eight, the Islanders are still absent. “We are committed to growing the NASL brand steadily, so rather than rush the Islanders back into action before they are ready, we are giving them time to work through the ongoing process of stabilizing their franchise,” said Commissioner Bill Peterson in a statement released by the league. The league advised it would have nothing to add to the statement it sent to media. The Islanders were left off the league’s spring schedule to reorganize but had promised to return in the fall. NASL has gone to a split-season format in 2013, which will see the winners of the spring and fall seasons play for the Soccer Bowl. The split season format allowed the league the Cosmos a chance to firm up its organization and not join NASL till the fall season. But, a couple of weeks ago, Peterson braced NASL fans for a prolonged Islanders absence — when he told The 11 (CLICK HERE) there was a chance the team might not be ready to come back in the fall. The Islanders are an expensive road trip for teams. And, while Edmonton is also isolated in the northwest, there are possibilities for expansion teams down the road that would be close to the Alberta capital. It’s unlikely NASL will ever find an expansion team close to Puerto Rico. The truth is an NASL without Puerto Rico could be an easier sell to potential expansion investors than a league with Puerto Rico. Still, for the nostalgic fan, it’s a sad moment. The Islanders got to the semifinals of the 2009 CONCACAF Champions League, and lost in penalties to Mexican powerhouse Cruz Azul. FC Edmonton will have weather as a home-field advantage in the fall season. It will host a home game on October 27 against Tampa Bay. Every one of the Eddies’ home games takes place on a Sunday afternoons, including a Labour Day weekend clash against the New York Cosmos. The prime start times are key as the club needs sellouts at a refurbished Clarke Stadium in order to press its case for a new soccer stadium in Edmonton. The City wants to see an established demand before going further into the process of building a stadium. FC EDMONTON SCHEDULE (all kickoff times TBD) Aug. 3 @ Carolina Aug. 11 SAN ANTONIO Aug. 18 ATLANTA Aug. 24 @TB Sept. 1 NY COSMOS Sept. 7 @Minn Sept. 15 FORT LAUDERDALE Sept. 22 MINN Sept. 28 @Atlanta Oct. 6 CAROLINA Oct. 13 @San Antonio Oct. 20 @NY Cosmos Oct. 27 TAMPA BAY Nov. 2 @Fort Lauderdale
