EDMONTON

Things are about to get real real fast for FC Edmonton.

After several weeks of training and exhibition matches, FCE opens its 2015 North American Soccer League season on Saturday night in Florida against Jacksonville Armada FC.

There’s plenty of pomp and circumstance surrounding this contest, and it’s got nothing to do with the heightened expectations and championship aspirations of the Eddies.

Rather, it’s the inaugural NASL match of the expansion Armada, which means it’s going to be a party, and, by all accounts, a big one.

And the Eddies intend to crash it.

“All the bells and whistles and hats and balloons and fireworks that are going to go off tomorrow night, we’ve got to forget about all that stuff and focus on the 90 minutes,” Eddies manager Colin Miller said Friday. “If we do that, we’re quite confident we’ll get the three points.”

The Eddies know a thing or two about hostile environments. Their own home, Clarke Stadium, has rightfully earned the nickname “House of Horrors.” Saturday’s match could, however, be an unprecedented one for the NASL, North American’s second tier of pro soccer.

It’s being contested not at what will be the Armada’s regular home pitch, the 8,566-seat Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, but inside the mammoth EverBank Field, home of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, as the Armada look to smash the NASL single-game attendance record of 14,593, set last July when Ottawa Fury FC hosted the New York Cosmos for the opening of TD Place.

As of early this week, 12,000 tickets had been sold to Saturday’s match, as Jacksonville has embraced the team.

“It’s actually quite fantastic to see and hear what people are saying about the game tomorrow and having this Jacksonville Armada franchise,” said Miller. “We walk around a bit with our FC Edmonton gear on and people come up to us and wishing us good luck. They’re well aware of Jacksonville Armada.”

The Armada, who officially became the NASL’s 11th team in July 2013 when its owners were granted an expansion franchise, boast a season ticket base of over 5,000.

“They’ve put a lot of money and resources into the promotion of the club and now they’re reaping the rewards of it,” Miller said.

One reward the FCE intends to make Jacksonville wait for, however, is its first victory. Following a fantastic fall season that nearly ended with a playoff berth last year, the Eddies mean business in 2015. They’ve already been in Florida for nearly three weeks, and Miller has been able to take in a couple of Armada exhibition matches.

“Technically they’re very good players,” the Eddies manager said. “We’ve seen some real strengths that they have on their team and we’ve seen some weaknesses in their team, and hopefully we can nullify their strengths and expose their weaknesses.

“But it’s more or less what we do that counts, in all honesty,” continued Miller. “I know that we’ve been well prepared, the guys are fit, raring to go, the injuries have cleared up, thankfully. The guys are in a good place, they just now need to get the season underway, so everybody’s very excited about it.”

@SunBrianSwane

brian.swane@sunmedia.ca

GAME PREVIEW

FC EDMONTON vs. JACKSONVILLE ARMADA FC

5:30 p.m. Saturday at EverBank Field

WHO TO WATCH

FCE: Sainey Nyassi, midfielder

One of the big off-season signings by the Eddies, Nyassi is making his NASL debut this year after most recently playing for RoPS of the Ykkonen, Finland’s second tier. The 26-year-old from Gambia scored 8 goals in 118 career MLS matches between 2007 and 2014, playing for both the New England Revolution and DC United.

JAFC: Lucas Rodriguez, midfielder

A name quite familiar to NASL observers, Rodriguez played 61 matches for Minnesota between 2010 and 2013, scoring seven goals. A native of Buenos Aires who moved to the United States as a youth, the 29-year-old was a third-team All-American while playing collegiate for Mid America Nazarene University.

COMING IN

The Eddies played to a scoreless pre-season draw against the Carolina Railhawks last Saturday at EverBank Field.

Jacksonville lost 2-0 to the Tampa Bay Rowdies in their final pre-season match at EverBank Field last Saturday.

TICKETS, GET YOUR TICKETS

While a potential record-setting crowd could be on hand for Saturday’s match in Jacksonville, the Eddies are poised to have a rather sizable crowd of their own at their home-opener, April 12 against Carolina at Clarke Stadium.

As a special promotion, free tickets for the match are being given away at each Canadian Tire store in Edmonton, St. Albert. and Sherwood Park. A maximum of four tickets per person will be available while supplies last.