Alhassane Keita of Jacksonville Armada FC is Named NASL Player of the Week
Alhassane Keita of Jacksonville Armada FC is named NASL Player of the Week after leading his side to a 2-1 victory Ottawa Fury FC with two goals on the night. The Guinea native has scored three goals in his past three matches as he now leads Jacksonville in scoring for the 2016 season.
NASL Soccer News: Jacksonville Armada FC forward Alhassane Keita has been named North American Soccer League (NASL) Player of the Week after scoring both of his club’s goals in a 2-1 win over Ottawa Fury FC at TD Place on Saturday night.
The Guinean international scored a first-half equalizer in the 28th minute before eventually heading home a dramatic winner in the 87th minute. The 2-1 result was the Armada FC’s first road victory in the NASL, snapping a 25-game winless streak away from home. It was also interim head coach Mark Lowry’s first win since taking over for Tony Meola earlier this month.
“It was very important to win that game on the road, and everybody gave it all they had,” Keita said. “The two goals just came [to me], and we were able to win the game and put forth a great team effort.”
Keita, 33, now has three goals in his last three games after not being able to find the net in his first eight league appearances of the year. In Ottawa over the weekend, the 5-foot-5 forward took a pass from midfielder Jemal Johnson to draw Jacksonville level after Fury FC’s Carl Haworth had scored the opener just two minutes earlier. Later, with the game still even at 1-1, Johnson again found Keita, who flicked a glancing header past Ottawa goalkeeper Romuald Peiser to seal all three points for the visitors..
“We said before the game that big names step up in the big games, and we thought this was a big game,” Lowry said. “I think we can all agree that with the career that Keita has had, he is definitely a big name – not just on the squad but in the league. I think he showed people on Saturday night that he’s still a force to be reckoned with. He had two fantastic goals, real striker’s goals.”
A native of Conakry, Guinea, Keita now leads the Armada FC in scoring. It’s familiar territory for the veteran forward, who finished with a team-high seven league goals in Jacksonville’s inaugural NASL season a year ago. Now, under the direction of Lowry, he seems to have found a new level of confidence in front of goal – something the Armada FC will need as it tries to make up ground in both the Fall Season and Combined Standings.
Keita signed with Jacksonville prior to the 2015 season after most recently playing with Swiss side St. Gallen. The quick, crafty forward showed well for himself in Switzerland, winning the Swiss Super League’s Golden Boot award as a member of FC Zurich. He has also spent time playing at the top levels in Spain, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Jacksonville has a quick turnaround this week as it returns home to host the Fort Lauderdale Strikers at Community First Park on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET. The game will air live on CBS Sports Network.
Check out Keita’s pair of goals versus Ottawa Fury below:
Source/Photo Credit: North American Soccer League
