LD Update: NASL Game Night; Super-20 First 11; Sesay to Wave

A pair of draws in the first half of the final weekend of play kept everything as is in the top half of the NASL table heading into the final week with Tampa Bay's stalemate in Carolina locking the Rowdies into second and giving San Antonio, playing Sunday, the regular season title while also locking Carolina into fourth as they were unable to pass Puerto Rico, who played to a draw versus visiting Atlanta.

LD Update: League honors; WPSL final four pairings

USL Pro News: After becoming the team's all-time leading scorer, Matthew Delicate was honored as the league's Player of the Week, highlighting the Team of the Week.

W-League News: In advance of the Final Four this weekend, the league unveiled the 2012 All-League Team.

WPSL News: The league unveiled the pairings for the Final Four in Pensacola, FL. The matches, determined in an unknown fashion, pit top seed (based on points-percentage) Gulf Coast Texans against the third seed Salt Lake United in a showdown of the two unbeaten teams in the semifinals. The other semifinal will see the second seed Aztec MA square off against Oklhahoma FC. - PLAYOFF BRACKET

Super-20 News: The league announced the Men's and Women's All-Tournament teams, recognizing Karisa Price of the Colorado Rapids as the Women's Most Valuable Player and the Chicago Fire's Felipe Cortez as the Men's MVP.

LD Update: Amateur & elite youth league playoffs - MLS affiliate results & WPSL forfeit issues

Today was all about the amateur playoffs. In addition to the five elite semi-pro & amateur leagues, the USL Super-20 League and US Soccer Development Academy league crowned champions in a busy day that featured numerous MLS-affiliated sides.

PDL News: The Conference Championships were decided Sunday with only one of the three tournament hosts winning. The Carolina Dynamo advanced to the league semifinals next weekend with a stoppage time game-winner for a 1-0 decision against the Ottawa Fury. They will face Orlando City U23, who won in their home state, 4-2 in Ocala, against the Austin Aztex. The other semifinal will see the Seattle Sounders U23 side, 2-0 winners against host Ventura County Fusion, face Forest City London, who knocked off both division champions in the Central Conference, downing the host Michigan Bucks, 2-1, to avenge a series sweep during the season (1-0, 2-1). - PLAYOFF BRACKET

LD Update: USL Pro Game Night; Kickers signings; MISL combine

Antigua Barracuda 0:3 Los Angeles Blues - The Blues put an end to a five-game losing skid in a match that began Thursday evening and wrapped up Friday morning due to lightning in the 13th minute. A defensive lapse allowed Bryan Burke to give the visitors the advantage 11 minutes in. Antigua fought back with a couple chances, but the rally was dimmed when they lost Luke Blakely in the 66th for a second yellow. Two minutes later Brian Farber fired from inside the area to double the lead. Farber then connected with Burke with five minutes left on a cross to the back post to cap the lengthy contest. - MORE

Richmond Kickers 3:1 Pittsburgh Riverhounds - Bolstered by a handful of new additions, the Kickers grabbed a 2-0 halftime lead in the eight minutes leading up to the break. Gerson dos Santos created the opener in the 37th with a lofted cross that Yomby William nodded in at the back post. Jason Yeisley created the second, an own goal, with a cross into the six that went off a defender and through goalkeeper Hunter Gilstrap's legs. The second half was a stalemate until the two sides exchanged penalties in the final four minutes with Matthew Delicate giving Richmond their third and Matt Kassal spoiling the clean sheet in the 90th. - MORE

LD Update: NASL & USL Pro Game Nights; Cosmos to NASL; Roster changes

Midweek action created a two-point margin between the top three clubs in the NASL as the Puerto Rico Islanders moved back level with expansion San Antonio Wednesday and the defending champion Minnesota Stars keeping pace two points back the following night.

Wednesday - Puerto Rico Islanders 1:0 San Antonio Scorpions - The Islanders took the narrow decision between the league's two top sides with a header from Nicholas Addlery off a cross from Noah Delgado 25 minutes in. Jonathan Fana nearly made it two seven minutes later when he found himself alone with the keeper only to have Darryl Sattler make a great save. Richard Martin made a great save for the other side six minutes into the second, however, it was to keep a potential own goal on a Esteban Bayona cross from going in. Another great save for Martin came courtesy of the crossbar, which denited midfielder Hans Denissen five minutes later. - MORE

LD Update: NASL & USL Pro Game Night; Honors; US Futsal tops Canada

The Holiday slate for the lower division leagues started this evening with a pair of games. The fans of the home teams went home happy with one-goal victories with those in Cary, NC also getting a natural fireworks show during lightning delays. 

NASL: Carolina RailHawks 2:1 Atlanta Silverbacks - Eric Wynalda's debut with Atlanta started off on the wrong foot, falling behind after just four minutes when Jason Garey delivered a through ball behind the defense for an easy finish for Nick Zimmerman. Matt Horth answered in the 15th minute when he finished from eight yards off a Borfor Carr cross. An hour-long delay at the 23-minute mark was followed by another a few minutes after the restart. After the official third intermission for halftime, the hosts wasted no time once again claiming the lead when a clearance deflected to Cory Elenio, whose cross was headed in from eight yards for the winner five minutes in. - MORE

LD Update: Wynalda to Atlanta; USL Pro adds Phoenix; WPSL Elite playoff format

NASL News: On Sunday, news broke that the Atlanta Silverbacks released head coach Alex Pineda Chacon and director of soccer Rodrigo Rios - both former players - and would announce the interim coach immediately. On Monday, the club unveiled Eric Wynalda, manager of US Open Cup darling Cal FC, as the interim coach and team advisor. The job is short-term as he is charged with finding the next head coach as part of his responsibilities before he returns to continue his new three-year deal with Fox Soccer. At the halfway point of the season, the Silverbacks are in last place with a 1-8-5 record... Meanwhile, the league announced Tampa Bay Rowdies goalkeeper Jeff Attinella as the Defensive Player of the Week and forward Mark Anderson of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers as the Offensive Player of the Week.

LD Update: CFU Semifinal results; US Futsal roster; EPL-PDL friendly

CFU Semifinals: Only one club from the North American lower divisions will advance to the CONCACAF Champions League as the reigning two-time Caribbean Football Union champion Puerto Rico Islanders (NASL) and Antigua Barracuda (USL Pro) both lost their semifinal contests to their Trinidad & Tobago hosts Tuesday evening.

Cousins Rennie Britto and Jerrel Britto scored three goals to pace W Connection to a three-goal lead before Josh Hansen scored the Islanders' lone goal in a 4-1 defeat in the second match of the doubleheader. Antigua was in a deadlock with Caledonia AIA until Radanfah Abu Bakr opened the scoring in the 65th minute. Devorn Jorsling capped the victory four minutes from time in a 2-0 result.

LD Update: Honors; W-League signing; Canada HoF; Claudio Suarez

NASL News: The league named Ciaran O'Brien of the Atlanta Silverbacks the Offensive Player of the Week and honored Minnesota Stars goalkeeper Matt VanOekel the Defensive Player of the Week... The Atlanta Silverbacks are undergoing a front office change with president Michael Oki resigning and that Andy Smith is the club's new General Manager after serving as the interim director of sales.

USL Pro News: The league announced Richmond Kickers goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale, in his final season, as the Player of the Week, highlighting the Team of the Week.