In interim head coach Eric Wynalda's first home game in charge, the Atlanta Silverbacks topped the second-place Puerto Rico Islanders 2-1 Saturday night in front of 4,869 fans at Atlanta Silverbacks Park.
Going for two wins in a row, the Silverbacks (3-5-9) fielded an almost unchanged lineup from last weekend's win in Minnesota. Ten starters from the shutout victory over the Stars took the field Saturday night, and it showed early on with some lively play. In the fifth minute, midfielder Tony McManus was played in on goal by defender Andrew Duran, but his low cross didn't find anyone in front of the net before it was cleared away.
The game slowed midway through the opening half, but the Silverbacks nearly took the lead in the 38th minute. Midfielder Ciaran O'Brien sent a bending 25-yard free kick toward the goal, but Islanders goalkeeper Richard Martin was able to pin it against the post, barely keeping the ball out of the net.
The Silverbacks took the lead less than a minute before halftime, and it was midfielder Nico Colaluca notching his first goal of the season. Martin could only palm away a cross from O'Brien, and the rebound fell to Colaluca, who slotted it home from close range.
Wynalda's team seemed to have a swagger coming out of halftime, and it only took six minutes for them to nearly double their advantage. Defender Chris Klute sent an inviting cross into the penalty area, but defender Martyn Lancaster's header glanced inches wide.
The pressure would pay off for the revitalized Silverbacks, however, and it was forward Matt Horth who would provide his team with their second goal. Defender Jose Burciaga Jr. sent a high cross into the box, and Horth chested the ball down and fired a shot off Martin's hands and into the back of the net to make the score 2-0 in the 63rd minute.
Despite the two-goal deficit, the Islanders (8-4-5) didn't back down, and in the 86th minute, they would make the final minutes of the game interesting. Midfielder Gregory Richardson was played in on goal, and after a swift cutback, he bent a shot into the side netting to cut the Silverbacks lead to 2-1.
The Silverbacks defense stood tall in the final minutes and did enough to kill off the five minutes of stoppage time to earn all three points for the second time in a row.
Next up for the Silverbacks is FC Edmonton, which comes to Atlanta Silverbacks Park next Saturday, July 21 for a 7:30pm kickoff.
