Silverbacks Silence Armada in Home Opener

Published on July 11, 2015 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
Atlanta Silverbacks News Release


ATLANTA - Atlanta Silverbacks head coach Gary Smith defeated a scrappy Jacksonville Armada FC by a score of 1-0 to earn their home first win of the 2015 campaign.

"We tired something very different: a new team shape, new players, a whole new look," Smith said. "It worked to our advantage; we created some great chances on goal and I can't say I'm unhappy with any part of this result. Now, for us, it's about moving forward in a positive direction."

Atlanta's new formation produced a newfound rejuvenation in the squad. The 3-5-2 to worked incredibly well for the first 20 minutes of the match, forcing Jacksonville to send long balls in over the defenders. Armada FC chose to attack down their left side for much of the first part of the match. The new, right-side pairing of Rauwshan McKenzie and Kosuke Kimura - who made his NASL debut - was able to close down the lanes of that side of the field.

Silverbacks shot-stopper CJ Cochran was handed his first test in the 18th minute when Bochy Hoyos launched one from outside the 18-yard-box. It glided just over the crossbar.

Atlanta got its first chance on goal in the 23rd minute. A Paul Black cross to the inside the box found Simon Mensing, who glanced it just wide of the far post. The Silverbacks came within inches again in the 28th minute with a shot from Jaime Chavez. Shaka Bangura streaked horizontally across the park, laid the ball off to Kimura, who then sent the ball into open space on the right side. Chavez caught up with it and fired a shot just over the bar.

The Silverbacks' attack had two more close calls, one from Bangura and another from Michael Reed, but couldn't capitalize on the chances to force a goal. The two teams headed into the locker rooms still scoreless at the half.

Atlanta's first goal from the run of play in the NASL Fall Season came in the 60th minute. After some stumbling inside the 18-yard-box, Chavez came out with the ball. He slid the low pass to Reed who fired one into the far-side upper-90 to give Atlanta its first lead in the fall. It was his first goal as a Silverback.

"I was just delivered a great ball that I didn't have to do much to," Reed said. "It obviously feels great to be able to make a difference for the team, but it wasn't about anyone single individual performance."

Both sides were given a couple more chances throughout the half. Jacksonville nearly equalized in the 80th minute, but the shot was called back for handball. Upset by the decision, Armada FC players turned on the referee, winding up with two yellow cards in the process. The emerging tension from both sides' players resulted in several more cautions before the end of the match.

The teams continued a hard-fought, scrappy match all the way to the final whistle, but Atlanta came out on top to secure their first win and a vital three points to start off the Fall Season's home campaign.

Match Report:

Starting XI:

Atlanta Silverbacks: Head Coach - Gary Smith

(3-5-2) CJ Cochran, Paul Black, Simon Mensing (C), Rauwshan McKenzie, Kyle Porter, Michal Mravec (88' - Oppong), Michael Reed, Josh Hughes, Kosuke Kimura, Jaime Chavez (83' - Horth), Shaka Bangura (54' - Mendes)

Jacksonville Armada FC: Head Coach - Guillermo Hoyos

(4-3-3) Miguel Gallardo, Shawn Nicklaw (86' - Hrustic), Lucas Trejo, Fabricio Ortiz, Matt Bahner (64' - Toby), Lucas Scaglia, Bochy Hoyos (63' - Krizanovic), Jaime Castrillon, Jemal Johnson, Marcos Flores, Alhassane Keita (C)

Officials:

Referee: Kevin Terry Jr.

Assistant Referees: David Erbacher, Jaron Smith

4th Official: Matthew Jackson

Match Facts:

Kosuke Kimura made his first start in a Silverbacks uniform

Peachtree City-native Josh Hughes and Michal Mravec made their second starts of their Silverbacks careers

Atlanta Silverbacks' Steward Ceus and Jacksonville Armada FC's Pascal Millien are absent due to their Haitian national team call ups

Michael Reed's goal was Atlanta's first - in NASL league play - from the run of play since May 24th, and Reed's second ever in the NASL

Reed's last goal occurred 3,966 minutes ago in a match between Minnesota United and Tampa Bay Rowdies in 2013

Saturday's 1-nil win marked the first win of Atlanta's Gary Smith era.

Pedro Mendes made his first appearance for the Atlanta Silverbacks since the November 10th, 2013 Soccer Bowl

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