Armada FC Bolsters Back Line With Beto Navarro Signing

The Jacksonville Armada FC announced the signing of defender Beto Navarro on Thursday.

Navarro’s addition to the 2016 roster adds yet another level of experience and continues to showcase head coach and technical director Tony Meola's commitment to strengthening the back line.

"Beto brings us experience in the back,” Meola said. “He is a player who has proven over the last three years that he knows how to win. He comes with a high soccer IQ and lives to play the game. I would describe Beto as a steady and solid professional that fans will appreciate watching in an Armada jersey."

A dynamic defender with Southern California roots, Navarro comes to Jacksonville after helping lead USL side Orange County Blues to the 2015 Western Conference regular-season title. He started 22 matches and logged 1,926 minutes of action. In 2012, Navarro played with amateur club Cal FC, coached by U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame player Eric Wynalda, and helped lead the team through an improbable run in the U.S. Open Cup, which included wins over the USL’s Wilmington Hammerheads and MLS’s Portland Timbers before falling to MLS’s Seattle Sounders FC in the fourth round.

“I'm grateful and excited for the opportunity that the Jacksonville Armada is giving me,” Navarro said. “I can't wait to meet the fans, my teammates, and the city of Jacksonville. My plan is to work as hard as I possibly can to earn a spot on the field and contribute in every way to help the Armada FC succeed. I want to thank my family, girlfriend, Pangea Sports, Eric Wynalda, Keith Costigan, and many others for supporting my career from the very start. I’m thrilled to play for a legend like Tony Meola and couldn't be more thankful to him, Mark Frisch, and the rest of the Armada FC for bringing me along. I'm very blessed and can’t wait to represent the Jacksonville Armada FC.”

Before moving on to Orange County, the 26-year-old native of Delano, Calif., kicked off his professional career in the North American Soccer League in 2012 and played two full seasons with the Atlanta Silverbacks, making 34 starts. In 2013, he helped lead Atlanta to the NASL Spring Championship and a spot in the NASL Championship against the New York Cosmos. Following three games in 2014 with the Silverbacks, Navarro moved on to FC Edmonton, where he started 18 matches.

Prior to the NASL, Navarro was a four-year letterwinner at NCAA Division II school Cal State Bakersfield, where he spent his first two seasons as a midfielder and switched to defender his final two years. As a junior and senior, he was a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation second-team selection.

The Armada FC will announce additional signings in the coming days.