Saturday night was always going to be a challenge against one of the greatest in the world, Boca Juniors, in the first ever International Community Cup. What was expected were two teams really going after the match, in front of a crowd of over 11k at EverBank Field and two hundred thousand viewers on the Boca Juniors stream, plus who knows how many more worldwide. Indeed, a fast and fiery contest is what was presented to the spectators and the action started quickly in the early stages of the match.
Boca Juniors were one of the quickest teams that Armada has ever faced, easily. It took time for Jacksonville to settle into the match because of the Argentine club’s tenacity in the midfield and the amount of possession the team had in the opening minutes. The scoring started in the 8th minute on what would be a high scoring affair.
Armada lost the ball in the center of the park in what sparked a ferocious counter attack by Boca Juniors. A cutting edge ball was sent to the right side of the field where Sebastian Palacios picked it up and whipped in a great cross to find Jonathan Calleri at the near post who tapped in past Gallardo to send the visitors up 1-0. Though the cross was pinpoint sharp, both Fabricio Ortiz and Lucas Trejo were right on top of the attacker and fell asleep on the play, in what could have been an aggressive yet clutch clearance. Attacks kept on hitting the Armada defense and Palacios nearly picked out another teammate on a cross three minutes later but Jacksonville goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo was equal to the task and saved. After the cheaply given up goal, Lucas Trejo appeared to be a rock at the back heading out any and all danger, also coming up with huge tackles to end any Boca Juniors opportunities. Finally after a dominant display by the Argentine giants, Jacksonville found a breakthrough.
Armada pressed Boca Juniors deep into their defending third, eventually taking control of the ball where Lucas Scaglia found Marcos Flores on a beautifully timed run and an equally brilliant ball. Flores controlled on his first touch and on the second smashed the left post. On the rebound, Flores sent a ball in the air where Boca Juniors defender Daniel Diaz came crashing into target Alhassane Keita and a penalty was awarded to Armada in the 23rd minute. Strangely enough, Lucas Trejo was the one to step up and take the spot kick and he slotted it right under goalkeeper Agustin Orion to draw the home team level. Boca Juniors looked to go ahead just three minutes later from a free kick but the attempt went just over the bar.
It took a little longer than it should have, but Jacksonville finally appeared to find themselves in the match after 30 minutes. James Johnson made a darting run down the left flank and fed the ball to Jaime Castrillon in the box but the Colombian could not get a shot off at the most crucial moment. The match started to get a little chippy as Boca Juniors received two yellow cards in quick succession, the second which was a horrible two-footed tackle from behind Lucas Trejo. Defenses held firm as Boca Juniors had plenty of chances in attack, and Armada had a few decent opportunities including a Bochy Hoyos rip that produced a diving save from the opposition’s goalkeeper. Defender Lisandro Magallan crept inside the Armada box and looked poised to shoot on goal in the 43rd minute but Armada defender Matt Bahner sought out the player’s ambition and heroically made a huge slide tackle to knock the ball away. A minute later a Boca Juniors cross came in and an effort was chipped just over the crossbar. Though Jacksonville played to a 1-1 draw in the first half, Goliath(Boca Juniors) had a firm grip on the match, taking the best chances and controlling a good percentage of the possession.
The second half whistle blew and substitutions were made all over the field. Boca Juniors subbed out all eleven of their starters while Jacksonville also made a few additions to the team that took the pitch in the second 45 minute period. Play on the field was very even in the second half but there were not as many great attacking chances among the substitutes. Boca Juniors finally broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute.
Jordan Gafa headed out a cross from the Boca Juniors right side but his header was delivered straight to midfielder Marcelo Meli, 25 yards out. After one touch, Meli decided to have a crack from distance and smashed the half volley past Armada substitute keeper David Sierra to put the score at 2-1. Twelve minutes later the lead was increased by Boca Juniors.
A fantastic switch of play from the right to left side of the pitch found midfielder Franco Cristaldo and on a great first touch he took the ball around Ramak Safi and chipped past David Sierra to put the team up 3-1 in the 74th minute. Ironically enough, seven Armada players surrounded the man on the ball and every one of them had eyes on the one man. At the same time, two were left unseen on the back end of the play, one being Cristaldo, and he took advantage on a defense that was not heads up. Salt was rubbed into the wounds when Boca Juniors went up 4-1 in the 82nd minute. On a counter attack the ball was sprayed wide to Andres Chavez and with the smallest pocket of space, he advanced with the ball around Nico Perea and fantastically curled one past another Armada goalkeeper, Sebastian Evers.
The game was not finished for Jacksonville, and they still had another goal in them, no matter how much the attack may have lacked in the second half. It was #ChaimTime. Perea received the ball in the midfield who passed to 16-year old Chaim Roserie and from there was absolute class. Roserie brilliantly back heeled the ball to Ramak Safi on his first touch, which resulted in Safi shooting a laser into the bottom corner from about 25 yards out. At 4-2 the game finished and Boca Juniors went on to claim the International Community Cup, but there was nothing for Armada to hang their heads about.
Though the result was not in favor of the home team, losing out 4-2, they proved that they could play with a massive club like Boca Juniors. The first team for Armada held the opposition to only one goal and went into half time tied at one a piece. Sure, many efforts went Boca Juniors way and they controlled a good portion of the game, but what was great to watch was the fierceness of Jacksonville and the ability not to put themselves down after going down to a good team like Boca. The back line played superbly in the first half, eliminating any chances the opponent may have had in front of goal and stopping attacks coming down the field. Lucas Trejo, Matt Bahner, and Lucas Scaglia were an electrifying implant into the play of Jacksonville.
In the second half things did not go as well due to three goals being given up, but it just shows the depth of Boca Juniors squad. They rotated their whole starting eleven after the half time whistle and still played with the same swagger thatwas shown in the first half by the actual starters. Jacksonville Armada were faced with a huge task and fell short but gave the Argentine team a good run for their money in what was a high tempo and great match played between two teams with major connections and similar play styles.
Must it be said, by myself and for many other Armada fans, we are pumped for Chaim Roserie and what he can do for this team. Though it is still a developmental process for the young player, he is energetic and a quick player never lacking in effort while playing for his side. The twenty minutes we saw from him were great and when is he going to get his license to play because I want to see him in more matches, other than friendlies!
Also, the star striker Alhassane Keita is back in action! It seems so long ago that we last saw him play and finally he is back in action and put in a full 90 minutes for Jacksonville. It will take a week or two for the Guinean to find his form again but seeing him play the full time against Boca Juniors shows that he is fit and ready to go which is fascinating to hear as the Armada attack has been lackluster as of late.
At the end of the day, Jacksonville did not look bad at all. Possession favored Boca Juniors 52-48 which was a surprise honestly. They had seven shots on goal in comparison to Armada with three shots on goal. It is important for Armada to start putting shots on frame! Boca Juniors were only forced into one measly save, the diving effort on Bochy Hoyos’ shot. Too many times we sky balls over the bar and that is not good enough. Anything can happen if shots are put on goal.
Next up for Jacksonville is a date with Ottawa Fury in the first match of the Fall Season and the first chance to start their push for the playoffs. Kick-off is set for 3:00pm local time(EST) on Sunday, July 5th in a rematch from just under a month ago where the two teams drew 0-0 at Community First Park in Jacksonville, Florida.
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