Preview: Minnesota United's 3-1 victory against FC Edmonton 3-1 last week snapped a six-match winless streak. Now the Loons (11-11-8) play at Carolina needing every point possible to keep its hold on the fourth and final playoff spot. The RailHawks (10-13-7) are still in the postseason hunt, but a loss eliminates them from playoff contention. The Loons defeated Carolina 5-1 to open the fall season.

Players to watch: Christian Ramirez scored twice against Edmonton and leads the North American Soccer League with 18 goals. His high ankle sprain, which forced him to miss a game earlier this month, remains bothersome but "at this point, every game is a playoff game so I need to do what I need to do throughout the week to make sure I'm out there," he said. Resiliency is a key theme for Minnesota, which fell behind 1-0 against Edmonton but rallying. "We stuck with it and got the result," Ramirez said. Before a 3-0 loss to Indy Eleven, RailHawks goalkeeper Brian Sylvestre had only given up six goals in nine games. The 23-year-old was nominated for NASL Young Player of the Year. RailHawks captain Nazmi Albadawi's 10 assists broke the modern era NASL single-season record.

Scoreboard watching: Minnesota enters the weekend as one of six NASL teams in contention for the final playoff spot. No team can clinch this weekend, meaning the playoff chase goes to the final weekend of Oct. 28-30.

Who's in, who's out: United midfielder Bernardo Añor, who fractured his ankle during training in June, will make the trip to Carolina. His return means seldom-used Daniel Mendes of Brazil cannot join the team for the rest of the season, as league rules state teams cannot carry more than seven international players. Lance Laing is staying home because of an undisclosed injury.

DAVID LA VAQUE