NASL FC Edmonton

Match Preview vs. Jacksonville Armada FC (May 4, 2016)

Published on May 3, 2016 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
FC Edmonton News Release


EDMONTON, AB - FC Edmonton (1-1-2) return to Florida to face Jacksonville Aramada FC (1-1-1), 4:30 p.m., May 4 at Community First Park. The two sides last met in the Eddies' 2015 North American Soccer League (NASL) regular season finale, where defender Mallan Roberts scored at the death to finish the season on a positive note with a 1-1 draw.

Jacksonville sits one spot up on the Eddies in the NASL league table in seventh place heading into Wednesday's fixture. The Florida-based side has collected four points through three matches, with Matt Bahner, Junior Sandoval, and Pascal Millien each registering a goal this season. Defender Tyler Ruthven leads the team with 19 clearances, while goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo has shouldered the workload between the woodwork, making six saves through 270 minutes of play.

After three straight matches to open up the season without a goal, the Eddies finally broke through for their first win of the season, 2-0 over Ottawa Fury FC last Sunday. Goals from captain Albert Watson and forward Jake Keegan, as well as the second clean sheet performance of the year from 'keeper Matt VanOekel highlighted the Eddies first win of the year and pushed the squad back into the mix in the NASL table. The trio's performances earned each an NASL Team of the Week selection for Week 4 of the Spring Season. Centre back Papé Diakité leads the league with 35 clearances.

Both teams will face a quick turnaround following Wednesday's match, with Armada hosting expansion side Rayo OKC on Saturday, while the Eddies head to Indianapolis to face undefeated Indy Eleven, also on Saturday. The schedule does not let up for the Eddies moving forward, as they return to Clarke Field, May 11 to host Ottawa Fury FC in the first round of the Amway Canadian Championship.

"It's a smaller squad heading to Jacksonville," FC Edmonton head coach Colin Miller explained. "We've picked up a couple knocks, but will take a bigger squad into Indianapolis next weekend. I'm excited about it, Jacksonville is playing well and are a good side. They are a good attacking squad, there is a lot of pace and athleticism on the team. If we show a disciplined performance, I'm sure the lads will do very well down there."

FC Edmonton and Jacksonville Armada FC kick off their midweek match in Jacksonville, Fla. at Community Park, May 4 at 4:30 p.m. MT. The match will be available to view on beIN Sports and the beIN SPORTS CONNECT app for authenticated users.

The Eddies return to Clarke Field, May 11 to face Canadian rival Ottawa Fury FC in the opening match of the Amway Canadian Championship preliminary round. Tickets are available. For more information, please visit www.fcedmonton.com.

Match Details

Teams: FC Edmonton @ Jacksonville Armada FC

Kick-off: May 4, 2016 @ 4:30 p.m. (MT)

Location: Community First Park (Jacksonville, FL)

Broadcast: beIN Sports (Canada & United States)

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