The next chapter begins

Ottawa Fury announced on Wednesday that head coach Nikola Popovic and the club have decided to part ways. Fury FC must now decide if they will stick with their current model of a general manager, assistant general manager and head coach, and if so, how they will go about finding a replacement for Popovic. Although, Popovic has left the club; Julian De Guzman and his assistant Carrie McKay remain in charge of building towards their 2020 USL season.

It was during the cold, windy days before Christmas 2017 that the club announced they had signed Nikola Popovic. He was the third head coach since Fury went professional in 2014 (NASL). The Serbian born manager was brought in to work under Julian De Guzman, who himself, was interim manager following Dalglish’s departure. De Guzman was named General Manager of the club in the 2017-18 off season to oversee recruitment and signings, while Popovic was focused on coaching the squad. This model allowed the club to have a Canadian GM but also have a head coach with a strong knowledge of the USL.

Throughout his tenure as head coach, Popovic guided Ottawa Fury to the USL playoffs once, in 2019, losing to Charleston on penalties in the first round. He also navigated them to the Voyageurs Cup quarterfinals twice but fell short against Toronto FC on both semi-final occasions. His time at Ottawa included over 70 matches which was more than both his predecessors Dalglish and Dos Santos.

Popovic talks with Falvey during the 2018 pre-season. Photo: Ottawa Fury FC

Popovic had his share of issues while at the club, including a falling out with central defender Colin Falvey. The details of the events still remain quiet however, what is clear, is that Popovic opted to leave Falvey out of starting line ups for the rest of his time at the club. He also had him train separately from the first team. Falvey eventually left the club along with other highly rated players Sito Seoane and Gerardo Bruna. During the 2019 season Nana Attakora also vanished from the squad for a lengthy spell without being listed as injured, however the Canadian defender made a return near the end of the year which proved vital to Fury’s playoff push.

Consequently, the club will now have the task of looking for Popovic’s replacement, although they will likely be in no rush. With De Guzman at the helm as GM, the club will not fall behind in player contracts and new signings for 2020; however, they will need to find a coach who is prepared to work with a team built by De Guzman.

The ideal candidate for Ottawa Fury would be a Canadian coach. A Canadian could likely connect best with the community and its supporters. While the Canadian Premier League is employing most of the top Canadian coaches in the country, there are still several options the club could look at.

Martin Nash is likely the front runner to replace Popovic

Photo: Wayne Cuddington/Ottawa Citizen

The first could be Martin Nash, who worked under Dos Santos as an assistant manager. Many backed Nash to be named Dos Santos’ successor at the time however, the club opted to go with Dalglish. Nash is currently assistant manager with Cavalry FC and is focused on his club’s second leg of the Canadian Premier League Finals this weekend.

Another option is to look at some of the coaches who have coached at a similar level but are currently without a club, such as Colin Miller, Frank Yallop or Alen Marcina. However, the odds are the club will want someone either on their way up, perpahs promote from within, or find a coach with their foot currently in the game as a coach. Other names that have been added to the pot include Paul Stalteri and Mark Watson.

The club may yet again opt to go for a coach with extensive USL experience and in that case would likely wait until the USL playoffs have concluded to see which coaches are available. There is still much speculation about Ottawa’s future in the USL as CONCACAF has yet to making a ruling regarding the 2020 season. Nevertheless, the club has indicated they are planning for the USL and have been doing so for months.

While the club looks for its replacement for Popovic, De Guzman will be hard at work negotiating contracts for players he wishes to keep and deciding which players won’t return next year. Some players have already posted on social media to say goodbye or confirm they will return next season, whereas others remain vague as to their future.

Like what you read? Become a Patron.

Stuart Mactaggart Stuart has covered Ottawa soccer for six years, most recently covering Atletico Ottawa.

Share with a Friend Facebook

Twitter

Reddit

LinkedIn

WhatsApp

Telegram

Email



Like this: Like Loading...