NASL Jacksonville Armada FC

Armada FC Returns Home Saturday to Host Carolina RailHawks

Published on May 29, 2015 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
Jacksonville Armada FC News Release


JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (May 29, 2015) - The Jacksonville Armada FC will return home this Saturday after a long road swing to host the Carolina RailHawks at 7:30 p.m. ET at Community First Park at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. The match will be presented by Brumos Automotive.

The Armada FC, currently fourth in the NASL Spring Standings and still alive in the race, should be happy to return to Jacksonville, a place they have not lost in the regular season with wins over FC Edmonton, 2014 NASL Champions San Antonio Scorpions and Indy Eleven. It is Jacksonville's first home match since May 9.

The RailHawks, currently fifth in the NASL Spring Standings, are playing their second-straight league match in Florida after a 1-0 win over the Fort Lauderdale Strikers last Saturday at Lockhart Stadium.

Below is a breakdown of the first meeting between the clubs.

WHEN & WHERE

Saturday, May 30 at 7:30 p.m. ET | Community First Park at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville

THE TEAMS

Jacksonville Armada FC (3W-1D-3L), 4th in NASL Spring Season Table (10 pts.)

Carolina RailHawks (2W-4D-2L), 5th in NASL Spring Season Table (10 pts.)

WATCH

- CW17 in Jacksonville | Cole Pepper - PXP, Andy Kidd - Color and Krissty Andaur - Sideline

- ESPN3

LISTEN

- Sports Radio 930-AM in Jacksonville | Stuart Webber - PXP and Bob Veal - Color

- Also streamed live on sportsradiojax.iheart.com

READ

- Live Twitter updates on @ArmadaFCgameday - #JAXvCAR

- Live stats on ArmadaFC.com

WHAT'S AT STAKE

With a loss at Minnesota last Saturday and a loss at Richmond on Wednesday in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup third round, the Armada FC should be happy to return to a place where they are 3-0 and average two goals per match.

The Armada FC are still alive in the NASL Spring Season race, but they need to win their three remaining matches. If Jacksonville can win this weekend and defeat Ottawa Fury FC next Sunday, it will still have a shot at capturing the NASL Spring Championship and a spot in the NASL Playoffs in November with a win over the New York Cosmos on June 13. To set up a de facto Spring Season Championship game on June 13, the Cosmos would need to lose this Saturday to Minnesota, Tampa Bay would need to drop one of its next three matches and Minnesota would need to drop one of its final two matches.

Carolina, out of contention for a Spring Season title, can still potentially move into second place in the NASL table with a win over the Armada FC. With a strong finish to the Spring Season, the RailHawks would give themselves a strong start in the quest to finish with one of the league's top combined records, which is another way to earn a spot in the playoffs.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Jacksonville: Forward Pascal Millien scored his second goal of the NASL Spring Season in the 71st minute against Minnesota United FC last Saturday, while forward Jemal Johnson notched his third goal of the season in the 83rd minute. Johnson is currently tied for third in the NASL for goals scored along with teammate Alhassane Keita. Defender Fabricio Ortiz, who stood out on the back line in the Armada FC's last two home matches with some key defensive plays, will make his return to league play after serving a one-game suspension against Minnesota United FC last Saturday due to yellow card accumulation.

Carolina: Spanish striker Nacho Novo brings 17 years of professional experience, most of which was spent with Glasgow Rangers of the Scottish Premier League. He can be a dangerous attacker and usually plays the lone front man in the RailHawks' formation. Novo is also tied for third in the NASL with three goals scored. Midfielder Tiyi Shipalane, a South African native who played one season with MLS' DC United, is in his fourth year with the RailHawks and deploys a menacing role on the RailHawks attack. He is tied for second in the NASL with three assists.

NOTABLES

Saturday will be Carolina's second trip to Jacksonville of the calendar year. The RailHawks finished in a scoreless draw with FC Edmonton on March 28 at EverBank Field as part of the NASL Four Team Challenge.

The Armada FC are 2-0 when returning home after a loss. After falling 3-2 at Tampa Bay on April 25, the Armada FC returned home on May 2 to take down the Scorpions 2-1 and followed it up with a 1-0 win over Indy Eleven on May 9 in Jacksonville.

Midfielder Jaime Castrillon will be able to play in his first match at home since the season opener against FC Edmonton on April 4. The 32-year-old Colombian returned to action last Saturday against Minnesota after sitting out three matches with a bone bruise on his right leg.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Armada FC will host Ottawa Fury FC at 4 p.m. EST on Sunday, June 7 at Community First Park at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville in Jacksonville's final home match of the NASL Spring Season.

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