JACKSONVILLE – A record crowd of 16,164 packed the stands at Everbank Field to watch the Jacksonville Armada make history on Saturday night with a 3-1 win over FC Edmonton.
The team could not have scripted a better start as Jemal Johnson scored the fastest goal in NASL history, 12 seconds, to give his team a 1-0 lead.
Alhassane Keita and Marcos Flores added goals in the first half to extend the lead to 3-0. Edmonton's Ritchie Jones put his team on the board with a goal in the 53rd minute. But the Armada defense finished strong in the second half to secure the victory.
"They proved they are the best fans in the league," Flores said in the post-match interview. "We are really proud to have the fans we got. Congratulations to Mark Frisch, to Dario Sala, to everybody who works in the office because we are a family. We are not just eleven guys."
The Armada go on the road to Fort Lauderdale to face the Strikers next Saturday at 7:30 as they look to move to 2-0 on the season.