Armada FC Communications | April 21, 2017



JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Armada FC travels to New York this week to face off against the New York Cosmos on Saturday, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.

The Armada FC sits at the top of the NASL table after three weeks of play, owning a record of 2W-1D-0L. Jacksonville remains one of two unbeaten teams in the league, and the only club yet to concede a goal in the 2017 season.

“The Cosmos are always an extremely tough opponent, particularly in New York,” said Armada FC head coach Mark Lowry. “We know we need to be at our best if we are going to get something from this game.”

Saturday’s match resulted in a 0-0 draw in the first-ever meeting with the San Francisco Deltas. The Armada FC controlled the ball for the majority of the game, recording 64 percent of possession. The night was full of aggressive play from both sides, with a total of 27 fouls committed and six yellow cards handed out by the referee.

New York will be returning from a bye week this weekend after defeating Miami FC, 2-0, on the road on April 8. The 2-0 victory was the first win for the Cosmos since the start of the 2017 season, and came off the goals from midfielder Daniel Szetela and defender Ayoze Perez.

“We are looking forward to the test and getting better as a team each and every game,” said Lowry. “This is another opportunity to improve and grow as a group.”

Saturday’s match against the Cosmos will be the second away game of the season for the Armada FC. Jacksonville won the first road match, 1-0, when the team traveled to Alberta, Canada, to battle FC Edmonton.

WHEN & WHERE

Saturday, April 22 at 7 p.m. ET | MCU Park (Brooklyn, N.Y.)

THE TEAMS

Jacksonville Armada FC (2W-1D-0L, 7 pts., 1st NASL Spring Season 2017)

New York Cosmos (1W-1D-1L, 4 pts., 5th NASL Spring Season 2017)

SERIES HISTORY

The Jacksonville Armada FC has struggled against the New York Cosmos, owning a 1W-1D-4L record against the Cosmos since the 2015 inaugural season. The Armada FC is looking to bounce back after losing the previous four games against New York.

LAST RESULT

Armada FC 0, San Francisco Deltas 0 - 4/15/17 in Jacksonville, Florida | Recap

CLUB QUICK LINKS

Armada FC: News | Roster | Schedule

New York Cosmos: News | Roster | Schedule

WATCH

- beIN SPORTS

READ

- Live Twitter updates on @ArmadaFCgameday - #NYCvJAX

- Live stats on ArmadaFC.com

POTENT NOTABLES

The Armada will be looking for some history this weekend, as the team has never kept clean sheets in four consecutive matches.

Jacksonville is looking to win back-to-back road games for the first time in franchise history.

New York’s 3-0 loss in their last home game snapped a NASL-record 19-game unbeaten run at home. They have not lost consecutive home games in regular season play since July 12-Aug. 2, 2014.

Aaron Pitchkolan (64.3), Mechack Jerome (62.3) and Kevan George (55.7) are all averaging more than 55 successful passes per game for the Armada this season. In 2016, the team only had one player average more than 45 completed passes per game (Richie Ryan, 54.4 in five games).

Jacksonville enters this weekend second in the league in average possession (56.7 percent) and as one of two teams averaging more than 500 possessional passes a game.

BY THE NUMBERS

0 – Goals conceded by the Armada FC since the start of the 2017 Spring Season (only team to not be scored on in the NASL).

4 – Shots on target by the Cosmos in the first three games, the fewest by any NASL team.

10 – Team-best passes intercepted by Kevan George.

11 – Matches by Jacksonville since its last lost, dating back to the final match of the 2016 season and including the 2017 preseason.

18 – Duels won of 22 by Mechack Jerome, the second-best of NASL players with at least 10 duels.

81 – The percentage of passes completed by the Armada FC this season, the second highest in the NASL.

INJURY WATCH

All players are in good health.

CLUB CONNECTIONS

Armada FC midfielder Jemal Johnson played for the New York Cosmos from 2013-2014. He started 10 matches in 20 appearances, recording one goal and two assists in 1,038 minutes of play. Johnson has been with the Armada FC since the 2015 inaugural season, and Saturday’s match will be the seventh time he has faced his former club.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Armada FC will be back in action on Saturday, April 29, when it returns to Hodges Stadium to face off against the Indy Eleven. Saturday’s match is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m., and will be the first of five matches between the two clubs during the 2017 campaign.