The Sporting Jax men’s team fell to El Paso Locomotive 2-0 on July 25.
Jacksonville played a physical game but had trouble capitalizing on some golden opportunities.
Ventura Alvarado made his long-awaited debut for Sporting Jax in the 64th minute of the match. He made an immediate impact with multiple clearances throughout the remainder of the game.
“It felt good,” said Alvarado. “I’m starting to get some confidence playing with the team, and hopefully from here I can get more time and help make an impact.”
Alvarado has made 13 international appearances with the U.S. Men’s National Team so he is no stranger to the spotlight. Jacksonville is hoping he can be an anchor on the backline.
A common theme this season for Jacksonville has been the inability to finish chances, which was still an issue against El Paso.
“I thought in the second half, our performance was really good, we had some really good chances that we just weren’t able to capitalize on,” said Head Coach Liam Fox.
Captain Ryan Edwards remains focused on his responsibility to encourage his teammates.
“I think our goal is just to try to get back to that win,” said Edwards. “We just need to get a few more positive results on the board and look to the next match.”
Fox said that the team will continue to work together as a group.
“We’ve got some work to do on certain parts of the game, but we just need to work harder as a team,” he said.
The men’s team will be out on the road again Saturday, Aug. 1, against Sacramento Republic FC.
The Sporting Jax women’s team has been hard at work during their offseason and will return to the pitch Saturday, Aug. 15, against Fort Lauderdale United FC. The women’s team will return to Hodges Stadium for their first home game of the season on Saturday, Aug. 22, against Tampa Bay Sun FC.
