Match Preview | Armada Will Try to Keep Playoff Momentum Going on Wednesday Against Ottawa

Armada FC Public Relations | Oct. 20, 2015

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Armada FC will try to keep its North American Soccer League Championship hopes alive at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday when it hosts Ottawa Fury FC at Community First Park.

It will for all intents and purposes be a must-win for the Armada because of their drastic deficit in any goal differential tiebreaker they would face. And if Jacksonville loses or Fort Lauderdale wins or draws against San Antonio on Wednesday, the Armada will be eliminated for contention.

Ottawa has already secured its spot in The Championship but is playing for one of the top two seeds, which goes to the Spring and Fall Season champions and comes with a home match in the semifinals. Fury FC will clinch the Fall Season title with a draw but will need to finish with more points than the New York Cosmos, which won the Spring Season championship, in the Combined Standings in order to secure the top overall seed.

Jacksonville is coming off perhaps the greatest win in its young history. Last Saturday at Community First Park against FC Edmonton, the Armada went a man down after forward Alhassane Keita received his second yellow in the 51^st minute. It eventually allowed the Eddies to overtake the Armada’s 1-0 lead and score two goals in three minutes (62^nd and 65^th minutes). But a costly penalty by FC Edmonton on Akeil Barrett in the 66^th allowed Jacksonville to mount an improbable comeback.

Forward Pascal Millien fooled FC Edmonton ’keeper Matt VanOekel into diving to the right, and he darted a shot into the top left of the goal to get the equalizer. Then just three minutes later, Barrett took control of a deflected Jemal Johnson shot and fired a shot past VanOekel that caromed off the far left post and into the net. After that, Jacksonville clamped down and got some clutch saves from goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo to preserve the win.

Ottawa is coming off a 1-0 win over the San Antonio Scorpions last Saturday in Ottawa. After a scoreless first half, Fury FC midfielder Mauro Eustaquio, who was recently called up to the Canadian National Team, netted the game-winner in the 68^th minute on a long range strike that was assisted by a back-heel pass from midfielder Julian de Guzman. Ottawa goalkeeper Romuald Peiser recorded his 14^th shutout, a new modern-era NASL record.

Wednesday will be the first meeting between the Armada and Fury FC since July 5 when the Fury came out on top 2-0 in Ottawa in the Fall Season opener. Ottawa got on the board in the 13^th minute when Mason Trafford headed in a corner, and from there, the Fury extinguished every attack the Armada fired their way. Ottawa forward Tom Heinemann put the match away in the 86^th minute when he chipped a shot over a diving Gallardo and into the back of the net.

Below is a breakdown of each team and the match.

WHEN & WHERE
Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m. ET | Community First Park
Buy Tickets | Weather

THE TEAMS
Jacksonville Armada FC (5W-3D-9L, 18 pts., 7^th NASL Fall; 8-6-13, 30 pts., 10^th NASL Combined)
Ottawa Fury FC (12W-5D-1L, 41 pts., 1^st in NASL Fall; 14-10-4, 52 pts., 1^st NASL Combined)

SERIES HISTORY
Ottawa leads, 1-1-0

LAST RESULT
Fury FC 2, Armada FC 0 - 7/5/15 in Ottawa | Recap | Video Highlights

CLUB QUICK LINKS
Armada FC: News | Roster | Schedule | Season Stats
Fury FC: News | Roster | Schedule | Season Stats

WATCH
- CW17 (11 p.m.) – Armada Extra Time – Cole Pepper, Host
- ONE World Sports

LISTEN
- Live stream on sportsradiojax.iheart.com | Stuart Webber – PXP and Bob Veal – Color
- Also streamed live on iHeart app

READ
- Live Twitter updates on @ArmadaFCgameday - #JAXvOTT
- Live stats on ArmadaFC.com

WHAT'S AT STAKE
At this point, the Armada is realistically in a must-win situation for each of its remaining games. If it loses or Fort Lauderdale wins on Wednesday night over San Antonio, it is eliminated. And even if the Armada draw with Fury FC, it would then be in an improbable position of possibly finishing in a tie with the Strikers with 37 points and having to win a goal differential tiebreaker. Fort Lauderdale is currently plus-nine in goal differential, while Jacksonville is minus-13.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Jacksonville: Akeil Barrett has been a spark of energy for the Armada this year whenever he has gotten his chances. Barrett, nominated for NASL Young Player of the Year, showed his first flash in the Spring in the Armada’s thrilling 2-1 win over the San Antonio Scorpions on May 2 when he stole a ball at midfield, dribbled it forward and slid a perfect through-ball to Keita, who blasted it home to seal the win. He earned Farah & Farah Man of the Match last Saturday after subbing into the game against FC Edmonton and not only scoring the winning goal but also having a profound impact on the match’s pace.

Ottawa: When you take a look at what Ottawa has been able to do this year, the one obvious thing that stands out is defense. Fury FC has allowed just 21 goals in 28 games this season, a league-best by eight goals. The effort has been led by its record-setting goalkeeper, Peiser. In addition to his new NASL record for clean sheets in a season, he also set a mark earlier in the Fall with 648 consecutive scoreless minutes. Peiser has a league-best 0.75 GAA and is second with 72 saves.

NOTABLES

• The Armada is currently on a nine-game home unbeaten streak dating back to the beginning of the Fall Season. Its overall home record this season is 8-4-1, including a 5-3-0 mark in the Fall. Jacksonville’s goal differential in 2015 at home is plus-eight compared to minus-21 on the road.
   
• Jacksonville will be without starters Alhassane Keita and Lucas Scaglia, who are both out serving booking suspensions. Keita received two yellow cards against FC Edmonton on Saturday, while Scaglia was shown his fifth yellow of the Fall.
   
• The Armada is 1-0-2 this season in Wednesday night matches. Its one Wednesday win came in the form of a 3-0 decision against the Carolina RailHawks on Aug. 12. Overall on games not played on Saturday, Jacksonville is 1-2-3.

LOOKING AHEAD
Jacksonville will travel to Edmonton, Alberta, to take on FC Edmonton at 4 p.m. on Sunday. The Armada will then wrap up its season at home at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1 against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. Tickets, starting at $12, can be purchased by calling 1.844.2.ARMADA or visiting armadafc.com.