Jacksonville Riding Team Chemistry, Momentum

Photo credit: Todd Drexler

Jacksonville Armada FC has had a quick start to the 2017 season. After three games, the club has seven points, sitting in first place, including picking up consecutive 1-0 wins over FC Edmonton.

Team chemistry is playing a big role.

“It’s one of the best locker rooms I’ve been in since I’ve played soccer,” midfielder Zach Steinberger said. “You can’t put enough emphasis on team camaraderie and the high level of quality of people you surround yourself with day in and day out. It makes just as much of a difference as the quality of the player.”

Steinberger scored the lone goal in the recent road win. His effort after a short corner came off the hands of goalkeeper Chris Konopka and trickled into the net.

“It wasn’t the most wondrous of strikes, but, hey, a goal is a goal and I’ll take it,” Steinberger said with a laugh. “Hopefully it gets my account rolling and hopefully we can carry the momentum we’ve started with it.”

Jacksonville’s run of form as well as Steinberger’s can be traced back to the end of last year. Steinberger, then on loan, scored four times with four assists. That run of form coincided with Mark Lowry taking over the coaching reins. Under Lowry, the club is 6W-7D-4L. 

“I think Mark is an incredible tactician and one of his signatures as a coach is preparing his players for the games at hand and the opposition we’re going to face at the weekend,” Steinberger said.

‘We had an unbelievable run at the end of last season and now he has a group of guys that he has been able to mold to the style of play he wants to play and get to fitness levels he deems adequate. With that preparation it’s not an accident that we’ve won our first two games.”

The style of play under Lowry has also proven effective. Armada FC has shown a more possession-based, exciting style at times, which plays well for Steinberger and the group assembled by Jacksonville Technical Director Nathan Walter and Lowry.

“I was really successful when Mark took over and I think the style of play he wants fits with the type of player I am,” Steinberger said. “It showed at the end of last year.

“The way we play sets players – like myself, Jack Blake, J.C. Banks, Jonathan Glenn, and Derek Gebhard – for success because when we keep possession and we’re dangerous in possession it gives us the opportunity to get assists and get goals.”

For Armada FC, it’ll be all about using its chemistry and ball retention to continue to find results.

“When you keep the ball it wears the other team down, slowly but surely,” Steinberger said. “When you keep the ball with a purpose that’s when you can create dangerous movements and profit from goals.”