Mike McCall, ArmadaFC.com | June 11, 2016

Photo by SE Sports Media

Final Stats

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Head tilted down, sweat still dripping from his beard, Jacksonville Armada center back Tyler Ruthven did not mince words evaluating his club’s 10-man, 1-1 draw with the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

“We put in that much work and guys put that much effort in, you have to walk away with three points,” Ruthven said. “Anything less than that is a failure. I don’t care how it came about. It’s just not good enough.”

Just minutes away from snatching what would have been an impressive three points to close the NASL Spring Season, the Boys in Blue saw their dreams dashed by an 84th-minute strike from Tampa Bay substitute Junior Burgos.

That followed the 46th-minute sending off of Shawn Nicklaw and the 52nd-minute missile of a goal fired by Junior Sandoval — negating a gutsy Armada performance in front of 4,013 fans at Community First Park on Saturday.

While it wasn’t an ideal finish, the draw did keep the Armada (1W-4D-5L) unbeaten against in-state foes this year, while driving a stake through the Rowdies’ faint hopes of a league title.

Tampa Bay (4-4-2) came in needing to win by at least six goals to have a shot at the Spring Season title, and while they went with an attack-minded lineup, scoring chances were hard to come by early.

Former English Premier League star Joe Cole (West Ham, Chelsea, Liverpool, Aston Villa) had three of the best looks of the first half, forcing Miguel Gallardo saves from the back post (6th minute) and from a 28-yard free kick (36th). Cole was also part of a would-be counter attack goal that was ruled offside in the 24th.

At the other end, Jemal Johnson and Charles Eloundou both hit low, hard shots that forced goalkeeper Matt Pickens into action, but neither found the net.

It was, frankly, a sleepy 45 minutes that Meola called the “worst half of soccer we’ve played.”

But the match got a jolt just on the other side of the break, when Nicklaw went in with a two-footed tackle on Cole and drew a red card.

It seemed that would be the beginning for Jacksonville, but sometimes, a red card wakes up the wrong team.

After Gallardo stopped a dangerous Juan Guerra shot, Sandoval led a stunning reversal of fortune.

The Honduran attacking midfielder chested down a cross-field pass from Jemal Johnson, let it bounce twice and then lashed a right-footed blast to beat a diving Pickens at the far post.

“I told [Johnson] in the first half that I wanted him to switch the ball to me and I was going to hit it if I had the chance,” Sandoval said. “That’s exactly what I did. The first ball he switched, first touch and I decided to go for it.

“I love those. Those are the balls I hit all the time in practice.”

With 40 minutes between them and an impressive three points, the Armada brought on new signing Anthony Wallace to fill in at left back, tossing him into action just over 24 hours after the club announced his arrival.

His proved to be a wise signing. Besides being the Armada’s first ever player with a U.S. national team cap — he’s also a former U.S. youth system prospect with experience in both MLS and with the Rowdies — Wallace offered cover in Nicklaw’s place and gave a roster depleted by injuries and international absences just its 18th player.

But the defensive sub didn’t mean the Armada were done attacking.

Meola, who had to bring on Eloundou for the injured Danny Barrow in the first half, made a tactical switch to make Eloundou the lone striker up top rather than his usual place on the wing.

It worked wonders.

He nearly chipped Pickens in the 59th, then came close to finding the net just seconds later after a good ball from Sandoval. He also had several long, tireless runs that likely would have led to chances had the Armada been at full strength.

But, unable to double the lead, Jacksonville had to bunker down for a final assault and were finally broken in the 84th, when Burgos took a pass from Cole and blasted it through traffic and past a diving Gallardo at the back post.

“Burgos is known for that,” Gallardo said. “I knew that if he got a chance to take a shot, he would take it. Unfortunately, that one went right in the corner. It was tough to see as well, and it was very powerful. Credit where it’s due, that was a good goal for him.”

The Armada will be back in action Wednesday for a showdown with another in-state rival, taking on MLS foe Orlando City SC in the U.S. Open Cup fourth round at Jacksonville University. The match will kick off at 7 p.m.

Tickets are on sale now and cost $17 in advance and $20 the day of the match at the Southern Oak Stadium box office beginning at 3 p.m. Fans can buy tickets in advance by calling 1.844.2.ARMADA or visiting armadafc.com/us-open-cup-tickets-.

MATCH REPORT:

Starting XI:

JAX (4-3-3): Gallardo, Nicklaw, Ruthven, Navarro, Burke, George, Sandoval, Otte, Johnson (Perea 80’), Keita (Wallace 54’), Barrow (Eloundou 31’)

TBR (4-3-3): Pickens, Sweat (Heinemann 54’), Collins, Mkandawire, King, Guerra (Burgos 63’), Alhassan (Mwanga 71’), Cole, Ramirez, Hristov, Avila

Scoring Summary:

JAX: Sandoval (Johnson) 52’

TBR: Burgos (Cole) 85’

Discipline:

TBR: Sweat (caution) 12’

JAX: Nicklaw (ejection) 61’

Attendance:

4,013