RECAP | Boca Juniors 4, Armada FC 2
With an opportunity to impress on an international stage, the Jacksonville Armada FC held its own in a 4-2 loss to Argentinian powerhouse Boca Juniors in the inaugural International Community Cup presented by Community First Credit Union on Saturday evening at EverBank Field.
With a crowd of 11,315 on hand and a potential viewership of 100 million in North, Central and South America, both teams showcased the fast-paced, possession-based style they're both so well known for. Boca came out on top of possession with a 52 to 48 percent advantage.
"I want to thank our owner, Mark Frisch, for bringing in a team of Boca Juniors' caliber," said Armada FC head coach Guillermo Hoyos, who played for Boca Juniors as a midfielder from 1986-89. "This was a world-class game. We played against a team with more than 110 years of history, and we've only played 10 professional games. I wanted us to play well, and I want to congratulate our team for trying."
After a back-and-forth affair in the opening minutes with each team trading possession, Boca Juniors struck first when forward Jonathan Calleri tapped in a Sebastian Palacios cross in the eighth minute.
Jacksonville got the equalizer in the 23rd minute when forward Alhassane Keita drew a penalty, and defender Lucas Trejo converted on the penalty kick by slipping his attempt past Boca goalkeeper Agustin Orion in the bottom right corner. Midfielder Marcos Flores nearly converted moments earlier when his shot hit it the bottom left post.
After going into halftime with the match tied at 1-1, Boca started to tip the scale in their favor and control the attack more with crisp passing and picture-perfect shooting. Midfielder Marcelo Meli put Boca back on top in the 62 nd minute when he ripped a shot from outside of the box and found the back of the net on the right side.
Boca midfielder Franco Cristaldo, who subbed on in the second half, had perhaps the best game of any player on the pitch with a goal and an assist. He added to Boca's lead when he softly chipped the ball over a sliding David Sierra in the 75th minute.
Cristaldo's assist came seven minutes later when he hit a cross to forward Andres Chavez, who rocketed it past a diving Sebastian Evers.
Despite falling behind 4-1, the Armada did not pack and go home. Armada FC reserve midfielder Ramak Safi, who did not make any appearances in the NASL Spring Season, netted a goal in the 86th minute when he blasted a ball past Boca goalkeeper Guillermo Sara after being fed a back-heel pass from 16-year-old forward Chaim Roserie, who is currently only eligible to play in friendlies.
"The expectation was to continue the way we've been playing so far, respect everything we've been building and respect the magnitude of our opponent," Hoyos said.
The Armada will now return to NASL action at 3 p.m. next Sunday when it heads to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, to take on Fury FC to kick off the Fall Season.
