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NASL Jacksonville Armada FC

Armada Prime for Test with Red Bulls

February 26, 2016 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
Jacksonville Armada FC News Release


JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Jacksonville Armada FC will try to make it 3-0 against Major League Soccer competition this season when it takes on 2015 Supporters' Shield winners, the New York Red Bulls, at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Community First Park at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.

The Armada has looked strong so far in the preseason with wins over MLS sides Philadelphia Union (1-0 on Feb. 6) and Orlando City SC (2-1 on Feb. 13), both of which took place at Community First Park. In both contests, Jacksonville's starters had a strong showing, particularly on the backline. The Armada has switched between a 3-5-2 and 4-3-3 in the preseason and has been anchored in the back with various combinations of Matt Bahner, Tyler Ruthven, Beto Navarro, Bryan Burke and Mechack Jerômé.

Jacksonville played to a scoreless draw with local NCAA Division I team University of North Florida on Wednesday night in what turned out to be more of a fitness test for the Armada. UNF played ultra defensive, keeping all 11 players behind the ball, which made it impossible for the Armada to break through on its multiple scoring chances.

The Red Bulls also played to a scoreless draw in their last contest, taking on the Philadelphia Union on Thursday in Clearwater, Fla. Despite playing up a man for the entire second half when Philadelphia's Ilsinho was shown a second yellow in the 44th minute, the Red Bulls were not able to find the back of the net.

Both the Armada and Red Bulls met previously in a scrimmage on Jan. 31 in Orlando, with New York coming out on top, 5-2. Forwards Danny Barrow and Alhassane Keita scored for the Armada.

Below is a breakdown of each team and the match.

WHEN & WHERE

Saturday, Feb. 27 at 6 p.m. ET | Community First Park

Buy Tickets | Weather

THE TEAMS

Jacksonville Armada FC (8W-7D-15L, 31 pts., 11th NASL Combined in 2015; 2-1-0 preseason in 2016)

New York Red Bulls (18W-6D-10L, 60 pts., 1st MLS Eastern Conference in 2015, 2-2-1 preseason in 2016)

SERIES HISTORY

First meeting

WATCH

- CW17 - Cole Pepper - PXP, David Hayes - Color and Ashlea Bullington - Sideline

LISTEN

- Live on Project 106.9-FM | Stuart Webber - PXP and Bob Veal - Color

- Also streamed live on iHeart app and project1069.iheart.com

READ

- Live Twitter updates on @ArmadaFCgameday - #JAXvRBNY

- Live stats on ArmadaFC.com

CLUB CONNECTIONS

Armada FC head coach and technical director Tony Meola played goalkeeper for the Red Bulls from 1996-98 (then known as the New York/New Jersey MetroStars) and again from 2005-06 ... Armada assistant coach Jim Rooney played in New York's midfield from 1998-99 ... both Meola and Rooney played with Red Bulls assistant coach Chris Armas on USISL side Long Island Rough Riders from 1994-95 ... Meola and Armas also played together on the U.S. Men's National Team ... Armada defender Tyler Ruthven played with the Red Bulls in 2012, making five appearances ... both Armada forward Jemal Johnson and Derrick Etienne, Jr., share the same hometown of Paterson, N.J.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Armada will return to action at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 3 as it hosts the Tulsa Roughnecks from the United Soccer League at Patton Park. The friendly is free and open to the public and follows a match at 10:30 a.m. between Miami FC and the Charleston Battery.

About the Jacksonville Armada FC

The Jacksonville Armada FC is Jacksonville's newest professional sports team and a member of the North American Soccer League. The NASL member teams are: Carolina RailHawks, FC Edmonton, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Indy Eleven, Minnesota United FC, New York Cosmos, Ottawa Fury FC and Tampa Bay Rowdies. Miami FC, Puerto Rico FC and Rayo OKC will begin play in 2016. For more information about the Armada FC, visit ArmadaFC.com. Follow the Armada FC on Twitter @JaxArmadaFC and Facebook at Facebook.com/JaxArmadaFC.

For more information about the NASL, visit NASL.com. Follow the NASL on Twitter @NASLOfficial and Facebook at Facebook.com/NASLfans. Fans can watch every game live at ESPN3.com.



North American Soccer League Stories from February 26, 2016


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.

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