They say behind every successful man is a woman, and that certainly is the case for Fort Lauderdale Strikers defender Martyn Lancaster.

When the Englishman found himself unemployed in the winter of 2008, his wife, Mysti, put together a 10-minute video of his highlights, posted it on YouTube, and within two months, he signed a contract with Scottish club Queen of the South.

“That’s a good story, right?” Lancaster said, smiling, after Wednesday’s practice at Lockhart Stadium. “The video didn’t get me the deal, but it got me the tryout. I had sent it to some agents I knew, and it made its way to Scotland. The video got a lot of hits because it made news in the Glasgow papers when I signed there.”

Lancaster now finds himself in the midst of another unlikely story as the Strikers face the NSC Minnesota Stars for the NASL championship on Saturday night at Lockhart Stadium. The Stars won the first leg of the home-and-home series 3-1, so the Strikers are in a two-goal hole heading into Saturday’s match. If they win the game by two goals, they tie the series and force a 30-minute deciding minigame. If they win by three goals, they win the title outright.

“It’s like it’s halftime, and we’re down by two goals coming into the second half,” Lancaster said. “If we score early, that will be massive. But, we’ve got to be patient. We know goals are going to come. It only takes a few seconds to score a goal. If we score the first, the floodgates will open up.

“They have to defend their lead, and that can be hard.”

The Strikers won only one of their first nine games this season, but came on strong at the end. They had outscored opponents 10-2 in the playoffs heading into the final series. They are hoping a big home crowd Saturday will help. As of Wednesday morning, 6,200 tickets had been sold, and team officials are aiming for 8,000 to 10,000. GOL-TV will televise the game on tape delay at 10 p.m. Saturday.

Lancaster, who turns 31 in November, is one of the team’s veteran leaders. His sense of humor keeps the locker room loose.

“Martyn is definitely our jokester,” coach Daryl Shore said. “He knows when to be serious and when everyone needs a laugh. He’s played in England and in this league for so many years, so he’s got real good veteran leadership qualities.”

Lancaster was born in Wigan, England, and played 100 games for Chester City in the English Football League from 1998 to 2003. In 1999, he got a tryout with the Aston Villa reserves, but nothing materialized. In 2005, his life turned upside down when he agreed to coach a two-week soccer camp in Rome, Ga.

“There was a girl teaching tennis on the tennis court, my soccer ball went over the fence, and when I retrieved it, we made eye contact and it was love at first sight,” Lancaster said. “I met her in the canteen [cafeteria], asked her on a date, and that was that.”

The girl was Mysti Morris, a former Georgia Tech tennis star. Lancaster was so smitten he left everything behind in England, started dating Morris, and decided to stay in the United States. They went to a church in Cartersville, Ga., a year later and got married. He told his parents by phone (“There was a 20-minute silence on the other end,” he said).

In 2006, Lancaster signed with the Wilmington Hammerheads of the USL second division thanks to David Irving, the former Fort Lauderdale Strikers forward who coaches the Wilmington team. From there, he joined the Atlanta Silverbacks of the USL, and the team folded in winter 2008.

“I was sitting on the couch, unemployed, and my wife took things into her hands and got my highlights on YouTube,” he said. “I have her to thank for where I am today.”

His wife now teaches tennis at the Cartersville Country Club, and they have a 5-month-old daughter, Mariella. Lancaster said it’s “just horrible” to be away from them, but he visits every few weekends and they will be at the game Saturday. A championship trophy would make the sacrifice worthwhile.