The Carolina Railhawks are on the road for a mid-week matchup versus the Jacksonville Armada. Railhawks fans are hoping for a repeat performance from the Spring Season, when the visiting Carolina Railhawks defeated Jacksonville Armada 4-0 thanks to an early barrage of goals. Sinking another Armada battleship is not only the goal for Carolina, but very much needed in order to stay in the hunt for the NASL playoffs. For Jacksonville, they need to pull out a result to try and resurrect their floundering season. After last weekend’s matchups, Carolina sits in sixth place in the fall standings and tied for fifth in the combined standings. Jacksonville is in last place in both the fall and combined standings.
Last time out, Carolina hosted the Tampa Bay Rowdies, and had to come from behind to walk away with a 1:1 draw. Carolina’s bye last weekend likely gave them an opportunity to study their upcoming opponent. Jacksonville’s last opponent just so happens to also have been the Tampa Bay Rowdies, but Jacksonville fell on the road 2:3, falling further into the NASL basement. Despite the loss, Jacksonville played with a determined effort after going down 0:3. It is this Armada guns-a-blazing attack that should concern the Railhawks this Wednesday.
Jacksonville’s style of play has been very aggressive all season, requiring an exhausting defensive effort from each of their opponents. However, their attacking mentality has left them highly susceptible to counterattacks, and they have not been strong enough defending these breakaways in most of their matches. The Armada’s back line depth will be thinned out this match, since defender Lucas Trejo will be serving a one game red card suspension. Defensive discipline will likely be the story of this match, starting with their sweeper keeper who tends to have a quick trigger to take on breakaway opponents well away from goal. Despite lacking favorable results, this still entertaining Armada attack is led by Keita, their leading scorer, who is tied for 4th in the NASL in goals at six. Expect Jacksonville to come out salivating at Carolina’s recently weakened defense, and seeking revenge from the embarrassing loss earlier in the spring season.
Carolina should be rested and ready for Jacksonville’s fleet of forwards, but will have to fill a significant hole in the defense. With Wes Knight’s recent retirement, the Railhawks will likely look to either Daniel Scott or Blake Wagner to step up into a starting role, joining defensive staples Futty Danso, Kupono Low, and Conner Tobin. Both offer unique positive qualities, with Scott being a big body disciplined defender, and Wagner eager to join in counterattacks as an offensive minded defender. Where the real sparks will likely fly will be with Ty Shipalane and Nacho Novo ready to take advantage of counterattacks and one-on-one opportunities. Shipalane leads the Railhawks in assists, and is a speedy threat on the wing at all times, while Nacho brings his scoring moxie and veteran finishing ability. If the Railhawks can avoid defensive breakdowns with their new backline dynamic, their counterattacking style of play is a perfect match-up against Jacksonville.
You can follow the game on One World Sports, unless you are in the Carolinas and you have Time Warner Cable, then you can catch the game on WRAL-2 and enjoy this mid-week treat.
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