NASL Jacksonville Armada FC

Armada Clamps Down on Union in 1-0 Win to Start 2016

Published on February 6, 2016 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
Jacksonville Armada FC News Release


Jacksonville Armada vs. the Philadelphia Union
Jacksonville Armada vs. the Philadelphia Union
(Jacksonville Armada FC, Credit: SE Sports Media)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The atmosphere was different, but the timing, opponent and result were the same.

On a chilly night with a windswept drizzle that persisted the full match, trialist Charles Eloundou delivered a strike that propelled the Armada to a 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union at Community First Park in a rematch of Jacksonville's inaugural win over the Union on Feb. 7, 2015.

After 80 mostly-quiet minutes, Eloundou one-timed a pass from Akeil Barrett and curled it over the Union keeper and into the net, getting new head coach Tony Meola's tenure off to a bright start.

Meola debuted his new formation and new signings, ushering in what appears to be a sharp change in direction for the young club.

While the Armada was founded with an almost-fanatical devotion to offense, the Meola system appears much less volatile. It's clear that shoring up the defense - which struggled often last season - was a priority, as the team came out with five defenders, including new signings Tyler Ruthven, Beto Navarro and Bryan Burke.

Matt Bahner and Burke played wide and looked to fly forward into the attack, while Ruthven, Navarro and Mechack Jérôme formed a three-man central defense. Ahead of that group, Nicolas Perea and new signing Pekka Lagerblom patrolled central midfield, and Pascal Millien served as the attacking midfielder behind a forward pairing of Alhassane Keita and newcomer Matt Fondy.

That new duo up top nearly combined for a goal in the opening minutes, when Fondy played Keita through, and the Guinean chipped Union goalkeeper Andre Blake. But replays showed the Armada's top goal-scorer from last season was two to three yards offside, and he was correctly denied by the linesman's flag.

The next chance came in the 25th minute via a Jérôme free kick that Blake parried away, and minutes later, Armada keeper Miguel Gallardo had to answer by denying a clear shot from Philadelphia's C.J. Sapong.

While the visitors made nine substitutions in the 35th, the home side remained intact and nearly broke the deadlock just before the half, when a Union pass deflected off the referee and Millien launched a counterattack.

Millien lobbed a through-ball that found Fondy behind the Philadelphia defense, and Blake had to come out to block Fondy's shot. The rebound fell to Lagerblom just inside the 18-yard box, but the former Finland international fired wide right.

The Union again made mass substitutions in the second half, but the Armada altered their lineup one by one (Derek Gebhard for Keita and Danny Barrow for Lagerblom) until the 69th, when Meola swapped four players and switched to a four-man back line.

In all, it was a relatively quiet outing for the starters. Gallardo made another save in the 59th to deny Ilsinho, and his center backs cleaned up the rest of Philadelphia's chances.

The Armada will be back in action next Saturday when they host another MLS foe, Orlando City SC, at 6 p.m. Tickets, starting at $10, can be purchased by calling 1.844.2.ARMADA or visiting armadafc.com/tickets.

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Jacksonville Armada vs. the Philadelphia Union
Jacksonville Armada vs. the Philadelphia Union
(SE Sports Media)		   



North American Soccer League Stories from February 6, 2016


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