NASL Jacksonville Armada FC

Armada FC Weekly | Armada FC Primed for Trip South to Fort Lauderdale

Published on March 19, 2015 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
Jacksonville Armada FC News Release


JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (March 19, 2015) - The Jacksonville Armada FC (2-2 preseason) will head south this weekend to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to take on NASL foe Fort Lauderdale Strikers at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at Lockhart Stadium.

After a 13-day layoff following its 2-0 loss against the Charleston Battery on March 8, the Armada FC will be ready to get back at it. The club has been hard at work on the practice pitch with intense conditioning and drills. The Armada FC defeated the Strikers 1-0 in their previous meeting on Feb. 28 in Jacksonville. Defender Shawn Nicklaw scored the goal for the Armada FC.

The Strikers hold a 3-2 record in preseason play with wins over Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida International University and Palm Beach Atlantic University.

DROPPING THE ANCHOR

Saturday's match at Fort Lauderdale is the second road contest for the Armada FC this preseason. The team fell 1-0 to USL side Charleston Battery on Wednesday, Feb. 18 in Charleston, S.C. in its previous road match.

It will be the Armada FC's first return to live action in 13 days, the longest time in between matches this preseason. The previous high was 11 days, which was between the Feb. 7 match against the Philadelphia Union and Feb. 18 match against the Battery.

If current trends are a good indicator of things to come, then the arrow is pointing upward for Jacksonville. The team is 1-0 in the preseason when coming off a loss.

The Armada FC added former Tampa Bay Rowdies defender Jordan Gafa to its active roster on Thursday. Gafa, who had 14 combined appearances with Tampa Bay in 2013 and 2014, starred for top college program University of North Carolina from 2008-12. He played on three-straight NCAA Division I College Cup teams in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and helped lead the Tar Heels to a 2011 National Championship. Gafa has been on trial with Jacksonville since late January and earned the starting nod against Charleston on March 8.

The Armada FC will be without Pascal Millien, who will join the Haitian national team for a friendly against China on March 27 in Guangzhou, China and a friendly against another Asian nation (TBD) on March 31. Armada FC teammate Shawn Nicklaw was also called up to play for Guam against Hong Kong on March 28 in Hong Kong but will be available for the match against Fort Lauderdale. Both will return in time for the Armada FC's season opener on April 4 against FC Edmonton.

Jacksonville was awarded an NASL club on July 25, 2013, after a league meeting in Dallas. Owner Mark Frisch and general manager Dario Sala formed the Sunshine Soccer Group to bring professional soccer in Jacksonville. On Feb. 18, 2014, the club was officially branded the Jacksonville Armada FC. On June 11, 2014, the club announced Argentinian José Luis Villarreal and later announced on Jan. 26, 2015, that he would be joined at the helm with long-time friend and Lionel Messi mentor Guillermo Hoyos as co-head coach. On Oct. 21, 2014, former Orlando City SC goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo was signed as the first player in club history.

LAST TIME AGAINST THE STRIKERS

The Armada FC weathered murky weather in the club's debut at Community First Park in front of 5,232 fans to defeat NASL intrastate rival Fort Lauderdale Strikers 1-0. In what was described as an intense matchup, Nicklaw knocked home a cross from Lucas Trejo in the 45th minute in what proved to be the game-winner. The second half saw near misses from Jemal Johnson and Bochy Hoyos and superb goalkeeping from both Miguel Gallardo and David Sierra. Pascal Millien was named Farah & Farah Man of the Match.

CLUB CONNECTIONS

A member of the Strikers for the 2013 NASL spring season, Johnson scored one goal and made 11 appearances for the club ... Fort Lauderdale's Dani Sanchez played two seasons with Wellington Phoenix of the Australian A-League, clashing with the Armada FC's Marcos Flores and his former club Melbourne Victory in 2012 ... Flores went 2-0 against Sanchez and scored a goal in each of their matchups ... the Strikers' Shawn Chin shared the midfield with the Armada FC's Lucas Rodriguez in 2011 for Minnesota NSC (now Minnesota United FC) ... Gallardo and Fort Lauderdale's Manny Gonzalez were teammates on the Austin Aztex (now Orlando City SC) in 2009 ... despite never playing together, both Armada FC defender Matt Bahner and Strikers foward Jose Angulo are former Harrisburg City Islanders (USL) ... Strikers head coach Marcelo Neveleff is a former coach for the Jacksonville Cyclones, Jacksonville's former USL team that folded in 1999.

SCOUTING THE STRIKERS

The Fort Lauderdale Strikers, partly owned by Brazilian soccer legend Ronaldo, finished as 2014 NASL Championship runner-up and posted an 11-7-9 record. The Strikers are led by first-year head coach Marcelo Neveleff, who was hired on Jan. 19, 2015. Neveleff has held head coaching positions in Bolivia with Wilstermann and Aurora, leading the former to an appearance in the 2011 Copa Libertadores. He was the assistant coach for Miami FC in 2010. The club returns just four players from its 2014 squad.

ZALDANA LANDS ON NASL'S 11 YOUNG PLAYERS TO WATCH LIST

Midfielder Nico Zaldana was named one of 11 young players to watch in the NASL this season on Tuesday, March 17. The list includes players in the league that are 23 and under. Here is what the article said about Zaldana:

MID: Nico Zaldana, Jacksonville Armada FC - Having already trained with some of the best academies in Europe, well-traveled Nico Zaldana will look to take the next step in his development with Jacksonville Armada FC. A player that has the ability to join in the attack, the 18-year-old Zaldana could be utilized in a holding role, potentially serving as a key link between the backline and strikers. He will also have plenty of opportunities to learn and develop, playing alongside experienced players like Marcos Flores.

KEITA NAMED ONE OF 11 TO WATCH IN 2015

Forward Alhassane Keita was named one of 11 young players to watch in the NASL this season on Thursday, March 5. Here is what the article said about Keita:

FWD: Alhassane Keita, Jacksonville Armada FC - Coming to Jacksonville with a strong goal-scoring pedigree, Keita has already looked like a dynamic signing for the Armada FC during the preseason. With years of experience playing in Europe, he has the ability to take on defenders and create chances for himself. The Guinean veteran should score plenty of goals during Jacksonville's inaugural season.

UP NEXT

The Armada FC will coast back into action on Wednesday, March 25 when it takes on Jacksonville University at 7 p.m. on the campus of JU. It will be part of the Armada FC Challenge, which will also host the Tampa Bay Rowdies and FC Edmonton, which face off at 5 p.m. On Saturday, March 28, the Challenge will continue at Everbank Field in a tripleheader of action. At 12:30 p.m., JU will take on Flagler College, followed by FC Edmonton and the Carolina RailHawks at 3 p.m. At 5:30 p.m., the Armada FC will cap off the action by taking on the Rowdies.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



North American Soccer League Stories from March 19, 2015


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.

OurSports Central