NASL Jacksonville Armada FC

Armada FC Dominates Possession But Plays to Scoreless Draw with Ottawa

Published on June 7, 2015 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
Jacksonville Armada FC News Release


JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - With one team in a scoring drought and the other on a shutout streak, the Jacksonville Armada FC and Ottawa Fury FC produced just about what you'd expect on Sunday afternoon: a scoreless draw.

But it wasn't the kind of yawn-inducing, energy-sapping 0-0 game that every soccer fan dreads. Rather, this one featured shots from seemingly every angle and plenty of attacking play - just not the goal that the 7,586 fans at Community First Park at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville so desperately wanted.

Faithful to their usual, all-out-attacking style, the Armada FC owned 57 percent of possession and took shot after shot, but Fury FC were always in the right place at the right time.

The visitors blocked 10 shots, and 'keeper Romuald Peiser made six saves to preserve Ottawa's fourth-straight shutout, a streak that now stands at 434 minutes.

"We obviously tried to score at every moment," Armada FC coach Guillermo Hoyos said, via a translator. "If any team would have won today, it would have been us. We tried many different variables, but it just didn't work out."

It's no secret how Ottawa kept the Armada out. They sat back, packed the box, and responded to each attack decisively.

Each Jacksonville shot met one of three fates: saved, blocked or missed.

Pascal Millien was dangerous early on the right wing, and he had four shots blocked in a nine-minute span. Peiser came out to make stops against Bochy Hoyos and Lucas Rodriguez, and he added diving saves against Millien and Marcos Flores.

The best chances came via a Jaime Castrillon header in the 39th minute that went over the bar, close-range shots from Flores and Jemal Johnson that were blocked, and a miss wide right by Millien after a perfect feed from Flores.

While the draw did snap a three-game losing streak (including U.S. Open Cup play), it also ran Jacksonville's goal drought to 277 minutes.

"Sometimes they had 10 players inside the box," Flores said. "There are so many legs that you need to beat - not only the keeper."

That was the expected strategy from defensive-minded Ottawa, especially playing against an aggressive Armada FC team and on a field where temperatures reached 101 degrees thanks to the bright Florida sun.

The problem was the Armada couldn't break through despite having the lion's share of the ball.

It didn't help that star striker Alhassane Keita and sparkplug substitute Akeil Bennett were both out with hamstring injuries.

Given all of that, Flores said he was "frustrated but proud" with the result.

And on the bright side, it was a nice recovery for a team that lost 4-0 to the Carolina RailHawks eight days earlier.

At times, this match bore similarities to that one, with the Armada owning the ball but giving up chances on the counter.

Three times in the first half, Fury FC countered, beat the offside trap and had good chances to score, but all three times the Armada managed to recover with just-in-time blocks. Goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo came up big with three saves and multiple clearances to stymie breakaway opportunities - including one with his head outside the box.

"I understand that at any point we can possess the ball for 10 or 15 minutes, and then they can have a counterattack with a good opportunity and I have to be on my toes," Gallardo said. "I knew what I signed up for when I came to this team, and I honestly wouldn't have it any other way."

It was the team's first clean sheet since May 9th and the 39th of Gallardo's career, a positive step ahead of next weekend's clash with the high-powered, league-leading New York Cosmos.

With just two points from their last four NASL games, the Armada will hope to finish the NASL Spring Season on a high note in that one, which kicks off Saturday at 7 p.m. in New York.

NASL Spring Season Armada FC 0, Fury FC 0 Sunday, June 7, 2015 Community First Park at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville - Jacksonville, Fla.

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