PREVIEW | Armada FC Aims To Exact Revenge After Heavy Defeat Previously To The RailHawks
The Jacksonville Armada FC return home at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday to take on the Carolina RailHawks at Community First Park.
The Armada FC are coming off a nail-biting 3-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rowdies last Saturday in St. Petersburg, Fla. After falling behind 3-0 in the first half, Jacksonville forward Alhassane Keita sparked a furious comeback with goals in the 54th and 67th minutes. He also found the back of the net in the 15th minute off a Lucas Scaglia pass, but it was nullified by an offside call. Keita's first goal came on a penalty kick, and he scored again 13 minutes later when he found a breach in Tampa Bay's wall off a free kick just outside of the penalty area.
Carolina was off last weekend and last played to a 1-1 draw with the Rowdies on August 1 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. Midfielder Mark Anderson scored the 32nd-minute equalizer to help the RailHawks earn a point in the standings.
The RailHawks dominated their previous matchup with the Armada FC on May 30 in Jacksonville, winning 4-0. So far, it has been the Armada FC's only home regular season loss.
All of Carolina's goals came in the first half, and Anderson accounted for two of them, scoring on a 44th minute penalty kick and assisting on Neil Hlavaty's 36th minute goal. Akeil Barrett, who came off the bench, nearly had a goal in the 52nd minute but came up just short of meeting Pascal Millien's ground cross in front of the goal. Jaime Castrillón had another close look in the 60th minute, but had his volley saved by Carolina goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald.
For Jacksonville, it's time to kick it in gear to get back into the race. The Armada FC stand 15 points behind NASL Fall Season leader Ottawa Fury FC, but are two wins and a draw (seven points) off a playoff spot in the Combined Standings.
Like the Armada FC, it seems as though the RailHawks' best shot at a coveted postseaon spot is through the Combined Standings route, where they sit just one point behind Minnesota United for fourth place. As it stands now, the third and fourth best combined records would earn spots in The Championship, the four-team postseason tournament, with Fall Season leader Ottawa in first overall and Spring Season Champion New York in second place overall.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Jacksonville: Finally at 100 percent, Alhassane Keita is showing why he is arguably Jacksonville's most dangerous player. The former La Liga and Swiss Super League striker leads the Armada FC with six goals (tied for fourth in the NASL) and is a threat to score any time he has the ball. With that dangerous reputation, he also draws more defenders, which helps open opportunities for other Jacksonville forwards Jemal Johnson and Pascal Millien.
Carolina: To find the source of Carolina's dynamic attack, look no further than Nacho Novo and Tiyi Shipalane. Novo leads the RailHawks with seven goals, which is tied for second in the NASL, while Shipalane has tallied a team-leading four assists and also found the back of the net four times. Shipalane's assists tally is tied for fifth in the NASL.
NOTABLES
- In addition to May 30's 4-0 loss to Carolina being Jacksonville's only home regular season defeat, it is also the only time the Armada FC have trailed at home during regular season contests.
- The Armada FC are 4W-1D-0L overall when scoring first but are 0-2-8 when their opponent gets on the board first.
- Jacksonville fell 4-0 in its only other Wednesday night game this season, falling to Minnesota United in Blaine, Minn., on July 15.
