Jacksonville Armada FC

Jacksonville Armada FC
Full name Jacksonville Armada Football Club
Nickname(s) Boys in Blue
Founded May 2013 (2013-05)
Stadium Hodges Stadium
Capacity 12,000
Owner Robert Palmer
Head coach Vacant
League
Website Club website

The Jacksonville Armada FC are a professional soccer team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They play in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid, while also retaining their membership in the North American Soccer League (NASL), a league that was in the second tier but postponed its 2018 season. The Armada play their home games at Hodges Stadium on the campus of the University of North Florida.[1]

History

In May 2013, Jacksonville businessman Mark Frisch and former Major League Soccer player Darío Sala formed Sunshine Soccer Group with the intention of bringing professional soccer to Jacksonville. The effort was bolstered by several successful soccer matches held at TIAA Bank Field, including two national team games that set records for international friendlies. The North American Soccer League invited the group to present a bid for a 2015 expansion team at their July 25, 2013 board meeting. The bid was accepted, and the NASL announced that Jacksonville and Oklahoma City FC would receive franchises for the 2015 season.[2][3][3][4]

The organization has announced that Sala would serve as general manager,[5] and former NFL Europe and Jacksonville Jaguars executive Steve Livingstone will serve as President.[6] On February 18, 2014, the team announced its name would be Jacksonville Armada FC, and that its colors would be navy blue, royal blue, gold, and white.[7] On June 11, 2014, the team announced it had hired former Argentine player José Luis Villarreal as its first head coach.[8]

The team began playing in the 2015 NASL Spring season.[3] After a few pre-season games in February and March, the club played its first league game, at home, on April 4, 2015, defeating FC Edmonton 3–1. On September 21, 2015, the club announced the dismissal of head coach Guillermo Hoyos, general manager Dario Sala and assistant coaches Edison Ibarra, Sebastian Fabres and Rafael Perez Nino. The Armada stood 11th and last in the North American Soccer League. The decision came just three months after the team had extended Hoyos' contract through the end of 2019. "Following an in-depth analysis of the team and operations, I am confident that a new direction is needed to turn around our team," Armada owner Mark Frisch said in a statement. Director of player development Eric Dade took over through the end of the 2015 NASL season.

On November 24, 2015, the Armada announced U.S. Soccer legend Tony Meola as the team's new head coach.[9] After nine months in the job, Meola was fired on August 7, 2016, with Mark Lowry taking over as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2016 Fall Season.[10]

After the 2016 season ended, the NASL lost two teams to the then Div. III United Soccer League. At the time the USL had submitted to be promoted to Div. II with the NASL. Several NASL teams were then rumored to be shutting down or switching leagues as well as the possibility of the league losing its Div. II status.[11] In December 2016, there were several reports stating the Armada were about to fold and had released all their players due to mounting financial losses. The reports turned out to be false but the team did release five of their highest price players.[12] In January 2017, the NASL was approved to keep its Div. II status but Armada owner Frisch confirmed that he was looking to sell the team and that the league would likely be taking over the club.[13]

In July 2017, local entrepreneur Robert Palmer of RP Funding purchased the Armada.[14]

After recording its best season to date in professional soccer during the 2017 season, finishing fifth overall in the NASL while just falling short of a playoff berth, the league lost its Division II sanctioning for the upcoming 2018 season.[15] While the league entered into legal proceeding against the United States Soccer Federation, Armada announced it would field a team in the National Premier Soccer League, an amateur league commonly referred to as part of fourth tier of American soccer, while still retaining membership in the NASL.[16] This team retains the Armada name and replaced the organization's Under-23 team in the NPSL, while merging both side's rosters.

The Armada clinched its first ever playoff appearance by finishing second overall in the Sunshine Conference, and won its first playoff game against Miami United FC, 4–1, on July 11, 2018.[17] The team later fell to fellow NASL side Miami FC 2 in the conference final, 3-1.[18]

League and cup history

Season League Div. Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Overall Playoffs U.S. Open Cup Top goalscorer Avg. Attendance
Name League
2015 NASL Spring 6th 10 3 3 4 15 18 12 11th Did not qualify Third Round Guinea Alhassane Keita 7 7,927 (3rd)
Fall 11th 20 5 4 11 18 31 19
2016 Spring 10th 10 1 4 5 5 11 7 11th Fourth Round Cameroon Charles Eloundou
Guinea Alhassane Keita		 6 3,499 (9th)
Fall 11th 22 5 8 9 25 35 23
2017 Spring 4th 16 6 6 4 17 16 24 5th Fourth Round Scotland Jack Blake 9 3,035 (7th)
Fall 5th 16 4 7 5 21 22 19
2018 NPSL Sunshine Conference 2nd 12 7 3 2 24 10 24 N/A Conference Finals Third Round

Stadium

On July 11, 2014, the Armada announced they would play their home games at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville (later re-dubbed Community First Park) in Downtown Jacksonville for at least three seasons. They hope to later construct their own expandable soccer-specific stadium.[19][20] In 2017, due to the high costs associated with playing at the Baseball Grounds, the Armada signed a lease to play at Hodges Stadium, a soccer and track and field stadium at the University of North Florida.[21]

The team has also played games in EverBank Field, including their first exhibition game vs the Philadelphia Union, which set a modern-era NASL record for preseason attendance (13,934).[22] It was also the site for their first regular season game, which was a 3–1 victory over FC Edmonton. That game set the modern era NASL record for regular season attendance (16,164).[23] The Armada also use Southern Oak Stadium as a venue for US Open Cup matches.

Club culture

The Coastal Cup was established in 2010 and was originally contested between the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and Tampa Bay Rowdies, but with Jacksonville's entry into the league, the competition became triangular.[24] The league added Miami FC in the 2016 season.[25] This made the Coastal Cup a four team affair. After the 2016 season Tampa Bay left the NASL and joined the United Soccer League, while Fort Lauderdale ceased operations because of financial and legal issues. Presently Miami FC is the Armada's only in-state rival in the NASL.

The team is cheered on by Section 904,[26] the first supporters' group. Section 904 is known for their singing, drumming, and blue-and-yellow smoke; can be seen behind the goal at every home match.[27] Area code 904 happens to be the telephone area code for all of metropolitan Jacksonville.

Players and staff

Current roster

As of May 6, 2018

No. Position Player Nation
1 Goalkeeper Brian Holt  United States
3 Defender Michael Melvin  United States
4 Defender Mechack Jérôme  Haiti
5 Defender Shane McInerney  Ireland
6 Defender Giovanny Vazquez  United States
7 Midfielder Joshua Castellanos  United States
8 Midfielder Christian Silva  Peru
9 Forward Ciarán Kilduff  Ireland
10 Midfielder J. C. Banks  United States
11 Forward Conor Doyle  United States
13 Goalkeeper Aleksander Gogic  United States
14 Forward Brian Bement  United States
15 Midfielder Camilo Portilla  Colombia
20 Defender Wesley Charpie  United States
22 Forward Alhassane Keita  Guinea
24 Midfielder Yuma  Spain
27 Forward Derek Gebhard  United States

Developmental team

In 2016, the Armada announced that they had formed an under 23 team to play in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) as part of their development system. The team, Jacksonville United U-23, replaced Jacksonville United FC in the NPSL. The Armada retained Jacksonville United coach Pat Cannon.[28]

Individual records

Top goalscorers

As of Match played 28 October 2017
Name Years NASL U.S. Open Cup Total
1Guinea Alhassane Keita2015–201613 (42)1 (2)14 (44)
2United States Zach Steinberger2016, 201712 (52)0 (1)12 (53)
3Scotland Jack Blake20179 (27)1 (2)10 (29)
4Haiti Pascal Millien2015–20167 (37)0 (2)7 (39)
4England Jemal Johnson2015–20177 (73)0 (3)7 (76)
4Cameroon Charles Eloundou2016–20177 (49)0 (4)7 (53)
7United States J. C. Banks2017–present5 (32)0 (2)5 (34)
7United States Derek Gebhard2015–present4 (48)0 (3)4 (51)
7Republic of Ireland Ciarán Kilduff2017–present4 (12)0 (0)4 (12)
10Colombia Jaime Castrillón20153 (27)0 (1)3 (28)
10Jamaica Akeil Barrett20153 (23)0 (1)3 (24)
10United States Matt Bahner2015–20163 (45)0 (1)3 (46)

Most appearances

As of Match played 28 October 2017
Name Years NASL U.S. Open Cup Total
1England Jemal Johnson2015–201773 (7)3 (0)76 (7)
2Haiti Mechack Jérôme2015–present62 (2)3 (0)65 (2)
3Trinidad and Tobago Kevan George2016–201755 (0)2 (0)57 (0)
4Cameroon Charles Eloundou2016–201749 (7)4 (0)53 (7)
4United States Zach Steinberger2016, 201752 (12)1 (0)53 (12)
6United States Derek Gebhard2015–present48 (4)3 (0)51 (4)
7Mexico Miguel Gallardo2015–201643 (0)3 (0)46 (0)
7United States Matt Bahner2015–201645 (3)1 (0)46 (1)
9Guinea Alhassane Keita2015–201642 (13)2 (1)44 (14)
10Argentina Lucas Scaglia2015–201640 (2)2 (0)42 (2)

Managerial records

As of Match played 28 October 2017
Name Nat. From To P W D L GS GA %W Honours Notes
José Luis Villarreal  Argentina June 13, 2015 11 3 3 5 15 21 027.27
Guillermo Ángel Hoyos  Argentina June 14, 2015 September 21, 2015 13 3 2 8 10 20 023.08
Eric Dade  United States September 21, 2015 November 24, 2015[9] 7 2 2 3 8 11 028.57
Tony Meola  United States November 24, 2015[9] August 7, 2016[10] 20 3 6 11 14 29 015.00
Mark Lowry  England August 7, 2016[10] July 25, 2018 46 14 18 14 57 59 030.43

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Jacksonville Armada FC has new home at Hodges Stadium". www.NASL.com. NASL. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  2. ↑ Freeman, Clayton (July 25, 2013). "Jacksonville awarded NASL team to begin play in 2015". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 "NASL Board of Governors Unanimously Approves Expansion To Jacksonville And Oklahoma City". North American Soccer League. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Pro soccer coming to Jacksonville". Action News Jax. July 25, 2013. Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  5. ↑ Matt Soergel (September 9, 2013). "Jacksonville's new pro soccer team has big plans, much work to do". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  6. ↑ Pepper, Cole (October 8, 2013). "Jaguars Steve Livingstone To Head New Jax Pro Soccer Team". news.wjct.org. WJCT. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  7. ↑ Soergel, Matt (February 18, 2014). "Jacksonville soccer team to be called the Jacksonville Armada FC". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved February 19, 2014. (Subscription required (help)).
  8. ↑ "Villarreal named first head coach of Armada FC". Financial News & Daily Record. June 11, 2014. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 "LEGENDARY U.S. SOCCER HALL OF FAME GOALKEEPER TONY MEOLA HIRED AS ARMADA FC HEAD COACH AND TECHNICAL DIRECTOR".
  10. 1 2 3 "ARMADA FC PARTS WAYS WITH HEAD COACH/TECHNICAL DIRECTOR TONY MEOLA, ASSISTANT COACH JIM ROONEY". armadafc.com. Jacksonville Armada FC. 7 August 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  11. ↑ "Decision on future of Jacksonville Armada's league on hold". First Coast News. December 23, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Armada soccer team lays of staffers, future uncertain". First Coast News. December 15, 2016.
  13. ↑ "CEO Mark Frisch Issues Statement About Armada's Future". OurSports Central. January 7, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Florida-Based Entrepreneur Robert Palmer Unveiled as New Owner of Jacksonville Armada FC". Jacksonville Armada FC. July 18, 2017.
  15. ↑ "U.S. Soccer denies NASL Division 2 status". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
  16. ↑ "Statement from Armada FC Owner Robert Palmer". Retrieved 2018-07-17.
  17. ↑ "In team's first ever playoff match, Jacksonville Armada FC defeats Miami United FC 4-1". WTLV. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
  18. ↑ "PLAYOFF RECAP – Miami FC 2 vs. Armada FC". Retrieved 2018-07-17.
  19. ↑ "ARMADA FC 2015 SEASON TICKETS GO ON SALE STARTING AT JUST $10 PER MATCH". Jacksonville Armada FC. July 11, 2014. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Soccer fans! Jacksonville Armada FC to play Baseball Grounds". The Florida Times-Union. July 11, 2014. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  21. ↑ Freeman, Clayton (February 6, 2017). "Armada to play 2017 season at UNF". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Armada FC sets preseason attendance record in 3–1 win over Union". Jacksonville Armada FC. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  23. ↑ "FT | Armada FC 3, Eddies 1". North American Soccer League. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Rowdies NASL: NASL Releases 2015 Fall Season Schedule". rowdiessoccer.com. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  25. ↑ "MIAMI FC BECOMES 12TH NASL CLUB". NASL.com. May 20, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  26. ↑ "Section 904 Home".
  27. ↑ "Section 904 Backs 'Boys in Blue' to Milestone Victory".
  28. ↑ "Armada FC announce launch of U-23 team". www.news4jax.com. WJXT. February 10, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
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