California native racks up five goals, assist in four May games for Jacksonville

After a dominant month from Jacksonville Armada FC midfielder Zach Steinberger, it should come as no surprise that the league’s media has voted him as the North American Soccer League (NASL) Player of the Month for May.

The 25-year-old midfielder tallied five goals, along with an assist, in four games in May, including a pair of consecutive two-goal games to close out the month. Steinberger’s efforts helped Armada FC pick up seven points over the four-game stretch, and in the games where the former Butler University star scored multiple goals, the club claimed six of those points.

Steinberger, who currently leads the league in goals with six, kicked off the month of May in dramatic – and spectacular – fashion. Down a goal deep into second-half stoppage time against the defending champion New York Cosmos, he blasted a sensational volley past Cosmos goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer to earn Jacksonville a point in front of its home fans on May 6.

After a tough loss to North Carolina FC on May 13, Steinberger came back with a vengeance on May 19, heading home two first-half goals in Armada FC’s stunning 3-0 road win in San Francisco. The following week, the 5-foot-11 midfielder again scored a pair of goals in the opening 45 minutes to help his club get the better of North Carolina on May 28.

The outstanding play of Steinberger, combined with the efforts of his teammates, has Jacksonville in second place and just two points back of league-leading Miami FC. It just so happens that those two teams will meet in a top-of-the-table clash on Saturday at Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville.

Steinberger’s recent burst of success has earned him plenty of league honors. In the two weeks prior to this NASL Player of the Month award, he was named NASL Player of the Week and he was also listed on the NASL Team of the Week.

A native of Southern California, Steinberger is proving why Jacksonville wanted to sign him to a permanent deal in the offseason. He was with Jacksonville on loan last season, piling up four goals and four assists in 20 appearances for the club.

The ex-Houston Dynamo man also has a loan stint with Indy Eleven on his résumé. Steinberger scored twice for Indy in 2015, making 12 appearances for the club.

He was a prominent youth player in Orange County before moving onto the IMG Academy and ultimately Europe. He spent 2009 with FC VSS Kosice and 2010-2011 with German side Karlsruher SC prior to playing in college at Butler in Indianapolis.

Kickoff for Jacksonville’s big matchup against Miami is at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday. The game can be seen live on ESPN3 (U.S.) and NASL.com (Canada).