On Wednesday evening in Jacksonville, Ottawa Fury FC won the first piece of silverware in the club's history, clinching the fall season title. They did so with a come from behind 3-1 victory over expansion side Jacksonville Armada FC, which assured that they'll be at home for the semifinals in two and a half weeks.
The victory eliminates Minnesota United from the hunt for the top seed in the NASL playoffs, guaranteeing that they'll wind up with the third seed, and a semifinal match in either Brooklyn or Ottawa. For the Cosmos, this now means that they'll have to win both of their final two matches, while hoping that Ottawa lose or draw their final fixture, to finish atop the combined standings.
Also on Wednesday, The Fort Lauderdale Strikers and San Antonio Scorpions battled to 0-0 draw, leaving the door ajar for several teams to claim the final playoff spot. Realistically, that chase is down to Fort Lauderdale and the Tampa Bay Rowdies, who trail the Strikers by two points and a whole lot of GD.
The Cosmos are back underway this weekend, hosting the San Antonio Scorpions on Saturday night. They'll need to win in order to assure that their final match matters, with a loss or a draw, we're likely to see a heavily rotated squad in the finale.