Another major piece of Jacksonville’s winter offseason is on the move. After last month’s sale of Richie Ryan, FiftyFive.One has learned that the Armada have sold striker Matt Fondy to Carolina RailHawks. The target man, who was kept off of the scoreboard during Jacksonville’s ten-game Spring Season, will be off to his third team in six months with the sale. He will be under contract for the remainder of the 2016 season.
While his Spring Season did not go according to plan, Fondy does have a pedigree of scoring success. He was the 2015 USL MVP, setting a league record by scoring 22 goals and leading Louisville City to the USL Conference Finals. As a part of the Armada’s big offseason overhaul (which saw them bring in, among other pieces, NASL Best XI midfielder Richie Ryan and esteemed USMNT goalkeeper Tony Meola in his first coaching gig), the club bought Fondy’s contract from Louisville, looking to make him the center of the attack. Fondy was left out of the 18 for the Armada’s US Open Cup loss to Orlando City SC.
While the transfer fee was never specified, it isn’t expected to come near the high number set by Ryan’s sale last month. Fondy still will be faced with major expectations in his new club. Carolina won the first four matches of the Spring before crashing in the standings, only securing two points in their final six games. With Nazmi Albadawi, Tiyi Shipalane, and Austin Da Luz all fueling the attack, Fondy will see a vast improvement in his distributors. It sounds like the RailHawks aren’t done looking to bolster their attack and are in contention for other NASL starters.
Both Jacksonville and Carolina were reached for comment and did not reply. Per club policy, Carolina didn’t wish to comment until official world from the league. Jacksonville did not respond.
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