Hodges Stadium | Jacksonville, Fla. — Aug. 15, 2026
The Sporting JAX men’s team put up a strong fight against Eastern Conference rival Indy Eleven on Saturday, but ultimately fell, 1-0, after the visitors took the lead in the closing minutes.
Strong Night in Net
Saturday’s match served as Sporting JAX’s first home match in nearly a month, with fans returning to Hodges Stadium to cheer on their team.
“I think the crowd tonight was really nice,” Sporting JAX goalkeeper Jake McGuire said. “They brought some good noise for us and it’s good to be back on our own field.”
While Indy ultimately edged ahead at the end, it did not erase the impressive performance that the fans were treated to from McGuire in net. Throughout the match, the California native made four saves. One came in the 39th minute, when he stopped a dangerous Indy header off of a free kick to help keep things scoreless going into halftime.
Following the match, McGuire spoke on the work that allows him to make saves like these, along with the work that the team as a whole is putting in to continue building during its inaugural season in the USL Championship.
“I think it’s just focusing on my own process and focusing on the backline’s processes,” McGuire said. “Everybody working on themselves individually and collectively, it’s going to come together.”
Godinho’s Debut
The showdown saw the debut of Sporting JAX newcomer Marcus Godinho, who started the match. The defender played the entirety of the match, helping the Sporting JAX defense keep Indy’s attack scoreless for a majority of the night.
“It’s exciting; I’ve been looking forward to it,” Godinho said regarding his first match in a Sporting JAX kit.
The Canadian is excited to continue building chemistry with his new squad, and believes in what Sporting JAX Head Coach Liam Fox and company are building on the First Coast.
“There’s some really good players here and I think there’s a really good project that’s going on here,” Godinho said. “I really believe in the manager Foxy, so I think that I can really improve as a player and hopefully give back to him and help out as well.”
Looking Ahead
Sporting JAX will take to the road for the next two matches, the first of which being a showdown with Birmingham Legion FC on Saturday, August 22. Following is another away tilt with Brooklyn FC on August 29 in the Empire State.
“Every week we’ve got an opportunity to bounce back,” Fox said. “As has been the message all throughout the season, we’ll get back in to work and we’ll look forward to the next one.”
Fans looking to attend the next home match on Saturday, September 5 at Hodges Stadium can purchase tickets by clicking here.
