PREVIEW: Armada Heads North of the Border for Sunday Clash With Fury FC

Armada FC Public Relations | May 19, 2016

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Armada will head back north this weekend to take on Canadian North American Soccer League side Ottawa Fury FC at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday.

The Armada had a tough start to its game last week at Minnesota United FC, conceding two first half goals in a 2-0 loss despite looking virtually even on the stats sheet.

Jacksonville attempted seven shots but only had two on goal. Striker Matt Fondy had the Armada's best chance in the 21st minute when he found himself one-on-one with Minnesota goalkeeper Sammy Ndjock from 10-yards out but Fondy's rocket attempt flew to the left of the goal.

Fury FC's last league match was a 2-2 draw with United FC on May 7 in Ottawa. Minnesota led for the majority of the match and held a 2-1 advantage until Fury FC's Paulo Junior sent a ball into the box to an unmarked Marcel De Jong, who knocked it in to knot the score in stoppage time. De Jong was also responsible for Ottawa's other goal, having his cross attempt deflect off the Loons' Jeb Brovsky for an own goal in the 60th minute. The result helped Ottawa stay unbeaten at home.

On Wednesday night in Ottawa, Fury FC wrapped up a preliminary round Amway Canadian Championship 3-2 aggregate win over fellow NASL side FC Edmonton. The Eddies won the match 2-0, but it wasn't enough to overcome Fury FC's 3-0 victory the week prior in Edmonton.

Ottawa holds a 2-1-0 all-time record against the Armada, which includes a 2-0 decision last July in Ottawa. The most recent clash between the sides came last October in Jacksonville when Fury FC bested the Armada, 3-1, and wrapped up the NASL Fall Season title.

Below is a breakdown of the teams and the matchup.

WHEN & WHERE
Sunday, May 22 at 2 p.m. ET | TD Place Stadium
Buy Tickets | Weather

THE TEAMS
Jacksonville Armada FC (1W-1D-4L, 4 pts., 10th NASL Spring)
Ottawa Fury FC (1W-2D-3L, 5 pts., 9th NASL Spring)

THE COACHES
Jacksonville Armada FC – Tony Meola, 1st season
Ottawa Fury FC – Paul Dalglish, 1st season

SERIES HISTORY
Ottawa leads, 2-1-0

LAST RESULT 
Fury FC 3, Armada 1 - 10/21/15 in Jacksonville | Recap | Video Highlights

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

WATCH
- CW17 in Jacksonville – Cole Pepper – PXP and Mauricio Ruiz – Color
- ESPN3 nationally

LISTEN
- Live on Project 106.9-FM in Jacksonville | Stuart Webber – PXP and Andy Kidd – Color
- Also streamed live on iHeart app or project1069.iheart.com

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

POTENT NOTABLES

- Jacksonville will be without starters Mechack Jerome (defender) and Pascal Millien (forward/midfielder), who shipped off for camp on Thursday with the Haitian National Team. Haiti will take on Colombia in a friendly on May 29 in Miami before beginning Copa America Centenario play. Jerome is fifth-best in the NASL with 349 total passes and is always a threat to score from distance, especially on set pieces.

- The Armada is still looking for its first regular season road victory in club history. The current road winless streak stands at 18 games. The good news is besides a 1-1 draw earlier this season at the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, the Armada's most recent closet shot at winning a league road match came in Canada. Jacksonville led FC Edmonton 1-0 for the majority of the contest last season on Oct. 25 until a stoppage time goal off a corner from the Eddies ended the contest in a draw.

BY THE NUMBERS

12 – The number of yellow cards for the Armada through six matches, which is the fourth-least in the league for bookings. Jacksonville led the league in 2015 for most yellow cards with 64 and finished with the second-most red cards (9).

76 – The number of total shots the Armada has taken this season, tied for second-best in the NASL.

33 – The number of clearances for defender Tyler Ruthven, currently fourth-best in the NASL.

344 – The number of minutes Jacksonville has been held without a goal. The current scoreless streak includes three-straight shutouts. The Armada has not scored since Matt Bahner's header off a Richie Ryan cross found the back of the net in the 16th minute of a road tilt against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers on April 23.

CHALLENGE LIES WITH CONVERSION

There is no doubt the Armada has not had a tough time creating chances and controlling the flow of their games this season. Jacksonville is tied for second in the league with 12.7 shots per game, but it has not translated on the scoreboard. The Armada has the lowest shot conversion rate in the league at five percent.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Armada will return home Saturday, May 28 to host Indy Eleven for a 7 p.m. kickoff. It will be Military Appreciation Night at Community First Park. The match will be shown live locally on CW17 and nationally on ESPN3. It will also be broadcast live on Project 106.9-FM in Jacksonville. Tickets start at $11 for groups and $13 for individuals. For those with a military ID, tickets will cost just $5. Call 1.844.2.ARMADA or click here!*

*Must call in advance or show ID at ticket box office on matchday for $5 tickets.