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US Open Cup Preview: Jacksonville Armada vs. Charleston Battery

By Richard DeLaurell

Sep 13, 2016; Frisco, TX, USA; A view of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup trophy before the game between FC Dallas and the New England Revolution at Toyota Stadium. FC Dallas defeats the New England Revolution 4-2 to win the U.S. Open Cup. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 13, 2016; Frisco, TX, USA; A view of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup trophy before the game between FC Dallas and the New England Revolution at Toyota Stadium. FC Dallas defeats the New England Revolution 4-2 to win the U.S. Open Cup. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Top NASL and USL Sides Clash in 2017 US Open Cup 3rd Round Action

The meeting tonight between Jacksonville Armada and Charleston Battery highlights a very full night of US Open Cup 3rd round matches.  JAX currently sit 2nd on the NASL league table as they look to host a weekend battle with first place Miami FC.  Meanwhile Charleston are just about hanging on to first in the USL East title race.  The winners will move on to face Atlanta United of MLS.

Jacksonville Armada (H)

  • Current Record (W-D-L): 4-1-4
  • Last Time Out: Just this past Sunday Armada scored an important NASL league victory at home to Carolina Railhawks, 2-1.
  • Player to Watch For: Midfielder Zach Steinberger leads Jacksonville in goals for the season with six.  But the majority of the offense comes through 2017 acquisition and line mate, Jack Blake.  If he plays to form, Charleston will likely have already seen too much of him by halftime.
  • Why They Win: JAX boast some of the best goalkeeping stats in the NASL and hold a share of the league lead in goals scored.  That’s a pretty good formula for winning in any league.  (The club mascot, Squid Vicious, AKA “the Kraken”, is pretty awesome too.  See photo above.)
  • Why They Won’t:  Battery may be one of the few sides that can match Armada’s quality in-goal.

Charleston Battery

  • Current Record(W-D-L): 7-2-2
  • Last Time Out: Battery lost 1-2 away to New York Red Bulls II on Sunday.
  • Player to Watch For: If manager Mike Anhaeuser stays true to his rotation Charleston’s keeper for this match could be Alex Tambakis.  Romario Williams leads the Battery with 8 goals this season.  (Check out the video above.) The combination of Portillo to Lasso on set pieces creates many chances.
  • Why They Win: Solid goalkeeping from rotating starters and dangerously efficient execution on free kicks..
  • Why They Won’t: Charleston have been in a pitched battle for the lead in their league conference competition for a while now.  They have also been away throughout the Open Cup thus far and they may finally be running out of gas.

Score Prediction: JAX 3 Charleston 2

Next: Focus on Atlanta United's Supporters Group

How to Watch:

Where: Southern Oak Stadium, Jacksonville Univ., Jacksonville, FL

When: Wed., May 31, 6p ET.

Channel: Live Stream Here

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