Match Preview | Armada Head North of Border for Clash with Ottawa in Fall Debut
July 2, 2015 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
Jacksonville Armada FC News Release
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (July 2, 2015) - The Jacksonville Armada FC kicks off the North American Soccer League Fall Season at 3 p.m. this Sunday when they clash against Ottawa Fury FC at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario.
The contest will be a rematch of the scoreless draw on June 7 in Jacksonville. While the Armada dominated possession and had several scoring opportunities, Fury FC packed defenders in the box and closed just about every shooting gap. Pascal Millien, who is currently away from the team on international duty with Haiti for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, was named to NASL Team of the Week after his performance from the match.
The Armada are currently on a two-game unbeaten streak in league play, finishing the NASL Spring Season with consecutive draws to Fury FC and the New York Cosmos and in sixth place with 12 points on the table. Jacksonville fell 4-2 but played well to world-renowned Argentinian side Boca Juniors last Saturday at EverBank Field in Jacksonville. The Armada's starters help their own with Boca, taking a 1-1 tie into halftime before switching the majority of their lineup in the second half with reserves.
Ottawa has not seen action since its June 13 Spring Season-ending scoreless draw with the San Antonio Scorpions in San Antonio. Fury FC will take an NASL record of 526 minutes and counting without conceding a goal into the match. Ottawa has not allowed a goal since the 14 th minute of its 1-0 loss to the New York Cosmos on May 2.
Below is a breakdown of each team and the match.
WHEN & WHERE
Sunday, July 5 at 3 p.m. ET | TD Place Stadium
THE TEAMS
Jacksonville Armada FC (3W-3D-4L), 6th in NASL Spring Season Table (12 pts.)
Ottawa Fury FC (2W-5D-3L), 9th in NASL Spring Season Table (11 pts.)
SERIES HISTORY
Tied 0-1-0
LAST RESULT
Armada FC 0, Fury FC 0 - 6/7/15 in Jacksonville
WATCH
- CW17 in Jacksonville | Cole Pepper - PXP, Bob Veal - Color and Krissty Andaur - Reporting
- ESPN3
LISTEN
- Sports Radio 930-AM in Jacksonville | Stuart Webber - PXP and David Hayes - Color
- Also streamed live on sportsradiojax.iheart.com
READ
- Live Twitter updates on @ArmadaFCgameday - #OTTvJAX
- Live stats on ArmadaFC.com
WHAT'S AT STAKE
In the NASL, every match counts, and for each team, the start of the Fall Season means a fresh start and three opportunities to earn entry into the NASL Championship. The New York Cosmos already punched their ticket by claiming the Spring Season title, so the three spots remaining will go to the Fall Season winner and two teams with the best combined records of both the Spring and Fall.
A win for either team would be an ideal spark to the start of their season.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Jacksonville: Although Jacksonville will be without its leading scorer Millien, the Armada FC could see dynamic striker Alhassane Keita in the lineup after missing last four matches of the Spring Season due to a hamstring injury. Prior to his injury, Keita led the team with three goals and had been named to the NASL Team of the Week in addition to earning Player of the Week honors three times. With Ottawa's ultra-defensive counterattacking style, the Armada's entire backline of Lucas Rodriguez (LB), Lucas Trejo (LCB), Fabricio Ortiz (RCB) and Matt Bahner (RB) will be vital to the team's ability to stop any breakaways by Fury FC.
Ottawa: League-leading goalkeeper Romauld Peiser racked up 28 saves and a 0.80 GAA during the NASL Spring Season and has been the ringleader of the team's shutout streak. He finished with six clean sheets during the spring and was named NASL Player of the Month for June. Midfielder Nicki Paterson scored a team-best two goals during the spring, which accounted for 40 percent of his team's league-low five goals. Like the Armada's Millien, experienced midfielder Julian de Guzman will be away on international duty with the Canadian national team competing in the Gold Cup.
NOTABLES
Sunday will mark the Armada's first trip outside of the United States. Six players on the active roster - Jemal Johnson, Jordan Gafa, Miguel Gallardo, Rodriguez, Millien and Jaime Castrillón - have played matches in Canada. The sextet has a combined record of 4-5-12 on Canadian soil, with only Johnson holding a winning record of 2-0, including a win over Fury FC with the Cosmos in 2014. Gallardo is 0-1-4 in Canada.
The Armada were tied for the second-most goals in the NASL with 15 in the spring, while Ottawa had league's lowest tally of five goals. At the same time, Fury FC allowed the fewest goals (8), while Jacksonville allowed the second-most (18).
This weekend's match will be the second league match the Armada have played on Sunday this season. The first was their scoreless draw on June 7 with Fury FC in Jacksonville. The Armada did also a play a Sunday match in the preseason, dropping a 2-0 contest to the USL's Charleston Battery in Jacksonville.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Armada will head to Atlanta for a 7:30 p.m. ET showdown with the Atlanta Silverbacks on Saturday, July 11. It will be a rematch of a 1-1 draw between the teams on May 16 in Atlanta. Jacksonville will make its Fall Season debut at home on Saturday, July 18 at 7:30 p.m. ET against the New York Cosmos at Community First Park.
• Discuss this story on the North American Soccer League message board...
North American Soccer League Stories from July 2, 2015
- FC Edmonton Match Preview: vs. San Antonio Scorpions (July 5, 2015) - FC Edmonton
- Match Preview: RailHawks to Host Minnesota United FC on Saturday, July 4th at 5:00pm - North Carolina FC
- Colin Falvey Signs Extension to Remain with Fury FC - Ottawa Fury FC
- RailHawks Re-Sign Akira Fitzgerald - North Carolina FC
- MLS Veteran Kimura Joins Atlanta for Fall Season - Atlanta Silverbacks
- Match Preview | Armada Head North of Border for Clash with Ottawa in Fall Debut - Jacksonville Armada FC
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
