PLAYER OF THE WEEK | Armada FC Midfielder Pascal Millien
After tallying two goals and an assist in Jacksonville Armada FC’s furious second-half comeback against the New York Cosmos on Saturday, forward Pascal Millien has been named NASL Player of the Week.
“It makes you feel great as a player to get an honor like this,” Millien said. “After a great performance over the weekend, I know I have to just keep working hard, and nothing is impossible. It was important for our team to show we could perform like that against such a strong team like the Cosmos.”
The Haiti international scored twice and delivered an assist in a 30-minute span of Saturday’s 3-3 draw at Shuart Stadium in Hempstead, N.Y. While the performance wasn’t enough to earn the Armada FC three points, it helped the visitors complete an unlikely second-half comeback against the Cosmos, who would end up raising the 2015 NASL Spring Season Championship trophy at the end of the match.
With his team down 2-0 in the 59th minute, Millien worked a neat give-and-go with teammate Jemal Johnson before firing a close-range shot past Cosmos goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer. Just 14 minutes later, he found the net again, picking the pocket of Cosmos midfielder Danny Szetela and depositing a low shot into the net to tie the match at 2-2.
After the Cosmos took a late 3-2 lead on a goal from forward Lucky Mkosana, Millien turned provider and found the foot of defender Joseph Toby, who slammed a volley home from 10 yards out to clinch a dramatic 3-3 draw.
“I was very proud of the way our team played in New York,” Armada FC head coach Guillermo Hoyos said. “Pascal picked a great time to have his best performance of the season. He has worked hard to become a key part of our attack, and I look forward to seeing how he and our team continue to progress as we head into the Fall Season.”
Millien, 29, finished the Spring Season with four goals after finding the net three times in his last four league matches. The veteran forward, who played with FC Tampa Bay (now Tampa Bay Rowdies) in the NASL’s first season in 2011, is Armada FC’s leading scorer going into the Fall Season.
With the Spring Season now over, Millien will turn his attention to international duty. He was named to Haiti’s provisional roster for the CONCACAF Gold Cup and will link up with his national team as they prepare for the tournament.
