P osted by

Stuart Mactaggart ,

April 20, 2015 Email

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Ottawa Fury earned their first win of the 2015 NASL season with a confident performance against last year’s NASL Woosnam Cup champions Minnesota United. A goal from Tom Heinemann was enough to ensure that Fury earned all three points on the day, although the Canadian club could have won by a larger margin had they taken all their chances.



The return of some key players, most notably Julian de Guzman, along with a rowdy home crowd, was enough to spark Fury towards what is arguably their best performance to date. Ottawa coach Marc Dos Santos opted to play the same formation that he set out against Atlanta last week, a 4-2-3-1. This is a bit of a change from the usual 4-3-3 that Fury fans have come to expect from Dos Santos, however with two holding midfielders and an attacking midfielder supporting the centre forward, Ottawa was able to play an attacking, possession oriented game that made them a joy to watch.



Romuald Peiser was starting keeper for Ottawa, with Richter, Alves, Falvey and Poltronieri forming the back four. De Guzman started alongside Paterson in the defensive midfield positions while Haworth, Oliver and Paulo Jr formed the attacking midfield line. American Tom Heinemann started as the lone striker up front for the second match in a row.



The Opening 45



It was a windy afternoon at TD Place and Ottawa had the wind in their favour as the first half kicked off. Fury took control of the game from early on created several chances early on. Paterson, who scored from a free kick last week, nearly score from the edge of the box after Minnesota keeper Ndjock handled the ball outside the box, earning Fury a free kick and lining the Scotsman up with an ideal goal scoring opportunity.



Ottawa appeared to take the lead in the 36th minute when a Nicki Paterson corner was headed on by the towering Rafael Alves and finished off by the extended leg of Oliver, however the linesman ruled Oliver offside and the goal was called back. Ottawa continued to create most of the chances heading into half time, and would have felt that they deserved the lead at the break.



The Second Half



Despite playing against a strong wind in the second half, Ottawa continued to push the ball up field and create chances. United failed to work their way into match or really test Fury keeper Peiser at any time. It was only a matter of time before Fury took the lead, and it came in the 68th minute via Tom Heinemann, who won the ball near the corner and fought off two defenders as he made his way into the edge of the six yard box, slotting the ball past Ndjock.



United attempted to create pressure as the clock wound down, and Fury slipped into a more defensive style of play as captain Richie Ryan made his season debut at the expense of winger Paulo Jr. Canadian midfielder Misik came on for Oliver late on and Fury appeared to be comfortable moving to a 4-5-1 and protecting the lead. The match would finish 1-0 and Fury would walk away with three massive points that keep them in the hunt for the Spring Season championship.



Dos Santos told media “It’s important we understand that we haven’t won anything. We won a very important game, we have four points and we continue to focus on our objective of making the playoffs, but we haven’t won anything. We have to be careful of that, we’re still in Apil”



The win will certainly give the squad a boost heading into their midweek match against FC Edmonton in the first leg of their Amway Canadian Championship match up. With 4 matches in 14 days it was important Fury got off to a winning start, and it means even more when it’s against a quality opponent such as Minnesota United.



Man Of The Match



Nicki Paterson

Nicki Paterson had another great match for Ottawa Fury and seems to fit in much better in a holding midfield position rather than playing in front of the defensive midfielders. With Ryan out of the starting line up Paterson became the one to deliver free kicks and corners and his deliveries have created chances and goals.

Honorable Mentions



Paulo Jr once against had a great match for Ottawa, while Julian De Guzman showcased his ability to control the midfield exceptionally well. Heinemann also had a great match, recording several shots and creating many chances.