PREVIEW | Strikers vs. Armada FC

After a fairytale beginning last Saturday, the Jacksonville Armada FC will try to keep their momentum going when they head south to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for a 7:30 p.m. matchup this Saturday with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and can be seen live on ESPN3.

The Armada FC will seek to unleash their potent offensive attack led by Marcos Flores, Alhassane Keita, and Jemal Johnson, each of whom scored goals in the club’s 3-1 win over FC Edmonton on April 4.

The Strikers will try to even their record after falling 1-0 to the New York Cosmos on a 58th minute goal by New York’s Leo Fernandes. Fort Lauderdale, which sits in eighth place in the NASL, set a club attendance record with 11,691 at Lockhart Stadium.

DROPPING THE ANCHOR

• The Armada FC will look to continue their momentum from last Saturday's win. An NASL Modern Era record crowd of 16,164 packed into EverBank Field and saw Johnson score a goal just 12 seconds into the match, which also set an NASL Modern Era record previously held by Fafà Picault, who scored his goal 26 seconds into a match against Indy Eleven on Sept. 20, 2014, as a member of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. Keita was named Farah & Farah Man of the Match. Goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo recorded four saves.
• The Armada FC and Strikers split their preseason meetings, with each team coming out on top at their respective home stadiums. Jacksonville won 1-0 in an intense match with steady rain on Feb. 28 at Community First Park at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. Shawn Nicklaw’s 45th minute goal proved to be the game winner. Gallardo notched six saves. The Strikers had a steady barrage of offense in their 5-0 win on March 21 in Fort Lauderdale. Stefano Pinho led the scoring with two goals (17th minute and 43rd minute).
• It will be the first contest of the 2015 Coastal Cup competition, a trophy awarded to the best soccer team in regular season play among the Armada FC, Strikers and Tampa Bay Rowdies. First contested in 2010, the Rowdies won the first four trophies, but the Strikers won the competition in 2014.
• Johnson will return to Fort Lauderdale to take on his former club. He spent the 2013 spring season with the Strikers, scoring one goal and notching one assist in 11 appearances. He is 1-0-1 in regular season play against Fort Lauderdale, making both appearances with the New York Cosmos in the 2014 Fall Season. Johnson scored a goal against the Strikers on July 27, 2014, in a 1-1 draw in Fort Lauderdale. His last regular season appearance against the Strikers was on Sept. 7, 2014, in a 2-0 Cosmos win in New York.

SCOUTING THE STRIKERS
In their 1-0 loss to the Cosmos last Saturday, the Strikers couldn’t capitalize on several goal-scoring opportunities and lost the tempo to the strong attacking presence of the Cosmos front line in the second half. Led by head coach Marcelo Neveleff, who was a coach for former USL team Jacksonville Cyclones, the Strikers also bring an up-tempo mindset. The club outshot New York 14-8 and had near scores from Pinho, Leo Moura and Victor "PC" Giro.