NASL Jacksonville Armada FC

Match Preview: Armada FC, Boca Juniors Battle for International Community Cup on Saturday

Published on June 26, 2015 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
Jacksonville Armada FC News Release


JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (June 26, 2015) - The Jacksonville Armada FC will return to action at 8 p.m. this Saturday at EverBank Field to host the most prestigious opponent in club history: world-renowned Argentinian powerhouse Boca Juniors.

A match that will be broadcast to a potential audience of more than 100 million and put the international spotlight on Jacksonville, it is a sporting event in Jacksonville worthy of being mentioned in the same sentence as the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, annual Florida-Georgia game, Gator Bowl and even Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005.

It will be the Armada FC's first-ever international friendly and will pit teams with many differences but yet so many similarities.

The game will be a tale of an American expansion side with massive potential and successful milestones in its young history against an international giant that has more than 40 percent of its country's population pulling for them and is tied for the second-most FIFA-recognized international titles of all time. Interweaved within that storyline is the fact that the Armada FC are led by head coach Guillermo Hoyos, who played a key role in Argentinian great Lionel Messi's development at Barcelona B and played for Boca Juniors as a midfielder from 1986-89.

Six Armada FC players are also originally from Argentina, including midfielder Lucas Rodriguez, who spent four years in the Boca youth system, and midfielder Marcos Flores, who grew up cheering for Boca's archrival River Plate and cut his teeth on the pitches of Argentina with Union de Santa Fe and Newell's Old Boys before moving on to the Australian A-League, where he was named the league's 2011 player of the year. And the man who put the roster together, general manager Dario Sala, is himself a native Argentine who was a former professional goalkeeper for more than 20 years, including two seasons with River Plate.

The Armada FC are currently on a two-game unbeaten streak, finishing the North American Soccer League Spring Season with consecutive draws to Ottawa Fury FC and the New York Cosmos and in sixth place with 12 points on the table. Boca Juniors currently stand at second in Argentina's Primera Division, one point behind leader San Lorenzo, and defeated Newell's Old Boys 4-0 on June 7 in their last match before the midseason break.

Below is a breakdown of each team and the match. Tickets to the match, starting at $14, are still available by calling 1.844.2.Armada or visiting http://armadafc.com/tickets armadafc.com.

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



North American Soccer League Stories from June 26, 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