MONTREAL — Take a deep breath, Fury FC fans.

There were shockwaves on Twitter Thursday when it was suggested that the professional soccer franchise was going to pull out of the North American Soccer League at the end of the 2016 season.

Yep, there’s usually smoke where there’s fire. In this case, though, there’s a strong chance Fury FC isn’t going anywhere and will be back in 2017.

It makes sense that the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment group bean counters would be trying to account for why the team loses as much as $2 million a year, how that team can survive if it averages about 1,500 less each game than it needs to break even.

But there’s also a fondness for soccer within the ownership group and there is a belief that the Ottawa market can work for the franchise. Remember, the soccer team entered the city’s sports landscape at the same time as the Redblacks, who swallowed much of that oxygen at home. In their third season in the CFL, the Redblacks have had several sellouts.

While there was a cone of silence thrown up from the FCers after the tweeting began, 2017 seems like a sure thing and from there, who knows?

Here’s what Ottawa Fury FC had to say in its official spin: “Ottawa Fury is an NASL franchise and a league member in good standing. Over the last three seasons, Fury has forged strong ties with Ottawa/Gatineau soccer associations and the community at large and those efforts, combined with Fury’s high calibre of play, have established a growing fan base for professional soccer in our region. Our long-term focus is on gaining even greater fan support, this season and in future seasons, starting with (Friday) evening’s match against FC Edmonton at TD Place.”