Jacksonville Armada U-23

History

Jacksonville United FC was founded in 2010 in Jacksonville, Florida, and began play in the 2011 season of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), considered at the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid. The team was owned by Barry Dixon. While the team started their first season with four straight losses, they finished the season on an 8-game winning streak through the playoffs, finally defeating the Hollywood United Hitmen to claim the NPSL Championship with a 3–2 victory on July 30, 2011, in Madison, Alabama. Tommy Krizanovic was named Jacksonville's MVP, scoring a hat-trick in the final.

In 2016, Jacksonville Armada FC of the North American Soccer League (NASL) announced they would establish an under 23 team to compete in the NPSL as part of the club's development system. Jacksonville Armada U-23 replaced Jacksonville United in the league for the 2016 NPSL season. The Armada retained head coach Pat Cannon.

Following the 2017 NASL season, the league was denied Division II sanctioning by the United States Soccer Federation and canceled its 2018 season while legal proceedings played out. During this time, many NASL teams fielded teams in the NPSL including the Jacksonville Armada. The main team took part in league play with a mix professional and amateur players while the U-23 side went on hiatus for the season.

For the 2019 NPSL season Armada U-23 returned to the league and announced Aaron Pitchkolan as the new head coach. The team reached the playoffs for the first time since 2014 but fell in the conference semifinals to eventual national champions Miami FC.

In late 2019 the club announced it would be a founding member of the NPSL's new Gulf Coast Conference, joining teams from the Gulf Coast Premier League and a returning New Orleans Jesters for the 2020 season.

On April 5, former Armada player Tommy Križanović returned to the organization as the team's third-ever head coach.

Coaching staff

Current technical staff

Head coaches

Results

Year-by-year

Honors

• 2011 NPSL National Champions
• 2011 NPSL Southeast Division Champions
• 2013 NPSL Southern Region Semi-Finalist
• 2013 NPSL Sunshine Division Champions
• 2021 NPSL Gulf Coast Conference Division Champions

References

References

1. (July 30, 2011). "Krizanovic Leads JUFC to NPSL Championship". NationalPremierSoccerLeague.com.
2. . (February 10, 2016). ["Armada FC announce launch of U-23 team"](https://www.news4jax.com/sports/armada-fc-announce-launch-of-u-23-team). *WJXT*.
3. "North American Soccer League Announces Cancellation Of 2018 Season".
4. "Statement from Armada FC Owner Robert Palmer".
5. "Armada FC to Field U-23 Team in 2019 NPSL Season".
6. "JACKSONVILLE ARMADA U-23 JOINS NEW NPSL GULF COAST CONFERENCE".
7. "U-23 Coaching Announcement".
8. (2 April 2018). "Jacksonville United 2011 NPSL National Champions".