Three Young Athletes Join the Armada FC 2018 Roster

The Jacksonville Armada FC announced three more signings to the 2018 roster on Friday. Midfielder Joshua Castellanos and defender Michael Melvin both are graduates of Nease High School and products of Jacksonville United FC, now known as the Armada FC U23s. Midfielder Juan Camilo Portilla comes to Jacksonville after spending the last two seasons in Columbia.

“We have said from day one, that we want to develop young players, particularly local products. In Josh and Michael, we have two young men that we are very excited about. We believe with the correct application, they can do very well in the pro game,” said head coach Mark Lowry.

Castellanos had a notable college career at UNF from 2015-2017.  He had 12 starts his first year with three goals on 17 shots and two assists. He went on to score seven more goals and tallied two assists in 30 matches during his junior and senior year combined.  His effort earned him multiple honors including being named to the ASUN First Team All-Conference in 2016.

Castellanos played his freshman year at Trinity Baptist College in 2014 where he set records and earned honors as well. In 14 games total, he notched 12 goals and six assists. With 2.14 average goals per game, he was ranked seventh in the NCAA.

The midfielder went to Nease High School and scored 18 goals and three assists during his four years on the varsity squad. He was a First Team All-County and a First Team All-District selection as a senior, and also helped to lead the Panthers to the 3A regional semifinal game.

Defender Michael Melvin, 21, also grew up in Jacksonville, Fla. His youth club team won the Florida State Cup Championship in 2012. He started for Nease and scored the game-winner as a sophomore in the District 4A Championship that earned him the Captain’s Choice Award.

Melvin went on to play at Clemson University from 2014-2017. In 75 appearances for the Tigers, he played in multiple positions. He scored three goals and tallied 10 assists, including the assist to the winning goal that gave Clemson its championship in the ACC Tournament final in 2014.

Juan Camilo Portilla comes to Jacksonville after spending the previous two years in the Categoría Primera B league of Colombia. He appeared in 32 matches for Universitario Popayán, as well as six matches in the Copa Colombia where he scored one goal in 2017. The 19 year old is from Colombia and also represented his country at the U17 level.

“Camilo has unbelievable potential,” said Lowry. “He is incredibly young, but already has experience in senior football in Colombia. He has shown us glimpses of magic during the preseason that lead us to believe he can really impact us in a positive way.”

The Armada FC roster continues to take shape ahead of the 2018 NPSL season, which opens for the team on April 28 against Miami FC 2 on the road.

Armada FC players under contract for the 2018 season:

GOALKEEPERS: Brian Holt, Aleksander Gogić

DEFENDERS: Drew Beckie, Wesley Charpie, Mechack Jérôme, Shane McInerney , Michael Melvin

MIDFIELDERS: J.C. Banks, Josh Castellanos, Camilo Portilla, Christian Silva, Yuma

FORWARDS: Brian Bement, Conor Doyle, Derek Gebhard, Alhassane Keita, Ciarán Kilduff