RECAP: Armada Has Strong Start But Falls 2-0 to Cosmos in 2016 NASL Debut

Armada FC Public Relations | April 10, 2016

Final Stats

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – Though it was not the result Jacksonville Armada FC head coach Tony Meola wanted to see in his regular season debut, there were several positives he saw in his team’s 2-0 loss to the New York Cosmos on Sunday night at James M. Shuart Stadium.

Jacksonville (0W-0D-1L NASL Spring) looked to be the stronger side through much of the first half. However, it was one short instant where the Armada backline got caught with the shields down that allowed the Cosmos to snag momentum.

“It was not the result we were looking for, no question, but I thought we were very good the first 30 minutes,” Meola said. “We stuck to the game plan and made the Cosmos uncomfortable on some of the things we were doing. Then one long ball beats us in the back, and before you know it, we’re down 1-0. It’s something we’ll learn from, there’s no doubt.”

Through the first 15 minutes, each team traded off target shots. Then in the 19^th, Bryan Burke slid down the right side and fired in a picture-perfect cross in point-blank range of the goal right to the head of Pascal Millien. But Millien’s header attempt proved to have a bit too much thrust and sailed over the goal.

Ten minutes later in a sudden flip of momentum, Juan Arango slipped a through ball to Jairo Arrieta, who was able to shake the Armada defense and blast a clean shot at goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo. Gallardo was able to get a hand on it, but the ball kept rolling and just made it into the goal to put New York up 1-0 before Gallardo could get back up and chase it down.

In the 48^th, forward Alhassane Keita had a shot at an equalizer when a lob bounced in the perfect position for a header, but he ended up getting to the spot an instant too late and Cosmos goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer was there to cradle the ball. In the 55^th minute, Cosmos midfielder Adam Moffat, who came on for Ruben Bover coming out of the locker room at halftime, extended his team’s lead to 2-0 when he blasted a rocket goal from 15 yards out off a feed from midfielder Niko Kranjcar.

With the sudden swing of momentum, it allowed the Cosmos to keep the pressure on Gallardo, but it still did not stop the Armada from continuing to create chances of their own. Forward Charles Eloundou, who led Jacksonville in the preseason with four goals, launched a curling shot in the 64^th from the left wing off a Kevan George pass but Maurer was there again to save it.

Eloundou had a similar attempt in the 77^th minute off a feed from George that swerved just to the left of the goal while midfielder Junior Sandoval, who subbed on for Alex Dixon in the 57^th, had a couple of solid attempts down the stretch.

The Armada finished with a 10-0 advantage in corners and also dominated in the air, holding a 68.2-31.8 percent advantage in aerial duels won.

New York, the NASL defending champion, improved to 2-0-0 and moved to the top of the Spring Season table with the win.

Jacksonville will have a quick turnaround as it hosts Miami FC at 7 p.m. on Friday at Community First Park at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville in the Armada’s NASL home opener. Tickets, starting at $12 for groups and $14 for individuals, can be purchased by calling 1.844.2.ARMADA or visiting armadafc.com/tickets.

MATCH REPORT:

Starting XI:

NYC (4-1-4-1): Maurer, Ayoze, Mendes, Ockford, Freeman, Lahoud, Bover (Moffat 45’), Kranjcar (Flores 75’), Arango, Guenzatti (Orozco 80’), Arrieta

JAX (4-2-3-1): Gallardo, Otte, Ruthven, Jerome, Burke, George (Nicklaw 89’), Ryan, Millien, Keita (Eloundou 56’), Dixon (Sandoval 57’), Fondy 

Scoring Summary:

NYC: Arrieta 29’ (Arango)
NYC: Moffat 55’ (Kranjcar)

Cautions:

JAX: Keita 45’+1
NYC: Arrieta 90'+3

Attendance: 3,685