Armada FC Public Relations | Feb. 12, 2016

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Armada FC announced on Tuesday the signing of goalkeeper Sean Lewis and defender Patrick Otte (pronounced Otter) two up-and-coming talents to head coach and technical director Tony Meola’s 2016 roster.

The additions bring the Armada’s current roster size to 25. Both Lewis and Otte joined the club as trialists in late January.

Otte, 24, was born in Hilversum, Netherlands, and relocated to California at a young age. He was recruited and attended the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., where he worked under the guidance of current Armada FC assistant coach Jim Rooney for two years before signing a two-year contract to join the academy of English Football League Championship side Middlesbrough.

Otte signed his first professional contract with the North American Soccer League’s Fort Lauderdale Strikers in 2011, again playing under Rooney when he was an assistant coach with the Strikers. Otte made 12 appearances with Fort Lauderdale and scored one goal. He was also a member of 2011 the Fort Lauderdale Strikers side that made it to the North American Soccer League final, falling to the Minnesota Stars. He has recently played on the PDL side Ventura County Fusion in 2013.

“Jimmy (Rooney) has coached Pat before, and so he knows him well,” Meola said. “He has battled through three years of tough injuries and came in from day one as an attacking player. (It turned out) that we needed a left-sided defensive player in one of our scrimmages, and Pat volunteered to play there. We realized that he tackles well and has a good sense of the game.”

Lewis, 23, is a goalkeeper from Rockford, Mich. He divided an impressive college playing career between Western Michigan and Oakland University being named to the All-Mid-American Conference second team selection and holding a earned a 0.92 goals against average.

After entering the 2014 MLS SuperDraft, he spent a year with USL PDL side Panama City Beach Pirates in 2014. He comes to Armada FC following a move to Australia, where he helped lead the Olympia FC Warriors to the Tasmanian Victory League Championship in 2015. In October of 2015, he trialed with the Australian A-League side Central Coast Mariners before return stateside.

“Sean came to us right after he got back from Australia and looked confident in what he was doing right away,” Meola said. “We only had two goalkeepers on the roster and we wanted to carry three. He just fit the mold of what we were looking for. He’s a great kid who works really hard, and I expect him to improve quite a bit.”