PREVIEW: Armada Welcomes Indy Eleven to Town on Saturday

Armada FC Public Relations | May 27, 2016
Photo credit SE Sports Media

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Armada will try to find its groove at 7 p.m. this Saturday at Community First Park against a tough opponent in Indy Eleven. The Armada FC will honor those in the armed forces as it will be Military Appreciation Night at Community First Park, presented by PRI Productions.

The Armada is coming off a gut-wrenching 1-0 loss at Ottawa Fury FC last Sunday. Despite having many scoring opportunities and key saves by goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo, Ottawa's Marcel De Jong's cross from near the end line deflected off a diving Gallardo and into the goal in the 88th minute.

Armada forward Charles Eloundou had a match-high seven shots, but only two went on goal, with the other attempts proving to be too strong and sailing over the goal or being blocked.

Indy is the lone remaining team in the NASL that has not yet been defeated, winning three and drawing four. The Eleven are coming off a 4-2 win over Minnesota United FC last Saturday in Indianapolis, with three goals coming in the second half. Forward Justin Braun accounted for two goals, assisting on Eamon Zayed's strike in the 16th minute and finding the back of the net in the 75th minute.

The last time the two sides faced off last year on Oct. 21, it ended in a 1-1 draw and what Jacksonville felt like should have been a win. Pascal Millien assisted on former Armada midfielder Jaime Castrillón's tap-in goal in the 29th minute, and from there, Jacksonville took a firm grasp on the match's momentum.

But in a moment of sheer frustration, Mechack Jerome was shown a red card in the 63rd minute after conceding a foul to Indy's Wojciech Wojcik and kicking at the ball and Wojcik, both laying on the pitch.

It led to the Armada having to finish the match a man down, and in the 83rd minute, Brian Brown made Jacksonville pay when he buried a volley from Wojcik home.

Below is a breakdown of the teams and the matchup.

WHEN & WHERE
Saturday, May 28 at 7 p.m. ET | Community First Park
Buy Tickets | Weather

THE TEAMS
Jacksonville Armada FC (1W-1D-5L, 4 pts., 10th NASL Spring)
Indy Eleven (3W-4D-0L, 13 pts., 4th NASL Spring)

THE COACHES
Jacksonville Armada FC – Tony Meola, 1st season
Indy Eleven – Tim Hankinson, 1st season

SERIES HISTORY
Series tied, 1-1-1

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

CLUB QUICK LINKS
Armada: News | Roster | Schedule | Season Stats
Eleven: News | Roster | Schedule | Season Stats

WATCH
- CW17 in Jacksonville – Cole Pepper – PXP and Mauricio Ruiz – Color and Amanda Borges – Sideline
- 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 – #JAXvIND
- 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 last week 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 also without backup goalkeeper Sean Lewis, who was sent to Orlando City B on a one-week loan. Lewis will be available for OCB's USL match with Charlotte Independence this Saturday. The move was the first such in Armada FC history.

BY THE NUMBERS

13 – The number of yellow cards for the Armada through six matches, which is the second-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).

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

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

434 – 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 second in the league with 12.42 shots per game, but it has not translated on the scoreboard. The Armada has the lowest shot conversion rate in the league at 4.3 percent.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Armada will host the Charleston Battery in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at Southern Oak Stadium on the campus of Jacksonville University at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. Tickets are free and can be claimed by visiting armadafc.com/opencup. The match will be streamed live on armadafc.com.