

Posted by

Ryan Stead ,

January 27, 2014 Email

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With 11 players under contract, it seemed like the right time to see what a starting line-up would look like if the season started tomorrow. The team boasts players from all over the world as well as several Canadians. Sticking to his philosophy of having a younger team to grow with, Head Coach Marc Dos Santos has signed only one player who has hit 30 years old. Though the team will be young, it still has players with impressive resumes. As to what system the club will employ, we’ll stick with a diamond 4-4-2 for now. GK – Marcel DeBellis



Like many of the Fury’s signings, he has been in Europe the past few years developing his game. At 22, he is a very young keeper that has plenty of upside. He has been with Benefica’s U19 team and with Serie B Ascoli, but I’d be a little surprised if he was the starter come the beginning of the season. A veteran goalie is needed, either as the starter to give DeBellis time to develop or as a calming, mentor type that will help stabilize the position if DeBellis falters. Left Defender – Ramon Soria



I think this signing has gone a little under the radar as I can see much being asked of him. He has one of the more impressive resumes of the new signings, developing with Spanish clubs Villarreal and RCD Mallorca, as well as featuring with Spanish national youth teams. If you’re going to learn the game of soccer there’s worse places than Spain to develop. He can play central defence as well as left back. While not a tall defender, he seems very accustomed to the central role from the videos I have seen, but it’s his vision and tendency to seek attacking options that stood out as a good trait for the Fury’s starting left back. Right Defender – Andres Fresenga



He is an exciting Canadian right back who has been developing his trade in the Uruguayan First Division for the past few years. Almost immediately after signing with the Fury he was called up to the CMNT. Not afraid of making attacking runs, he’s a tough player that has learned a lot while in Uruguay. He might be Canada’s future right back and seemed to be Martin Nash’s choice signing after seeing him trial with the Whitecaps last year. A young CMNT player is just what the Fury need. Central Defence – Omar Jarun and Drew Beckie



Omar Jarun has had a career that has taken him to Poland and Belgium, and he has played in the NASL before. He is the tallest (6’5) and oldest (30) player on the team so far and is a big stopper that should intimidate opposing strikers. I think this signing will help to fill the need for toughness. With a young offensive team, his skills will be needed. Team Captain? Drew Beckie is an interesting signing in that he was a former Fury PDL player that was drafted into MLS. After an injury hampered season, he was released by the Columbus Crew but his MLS misfortune should be to the Fury’s benefit, as he’s a young Canadian defender that can learn from Jarun. The signing again shows that the Fury’s academy is very important to the team. A good signing, if he can stay healthy. Left Midfield – Mauro Eustaquio



For the sake of argument I’ll put Eustaquio at left midfield (though he’s right footed and is more of a central midfielder) since there’s no natural left midfielder at the moment. At 20 years old, he’s one of the younger players. He can take corner and free kicks, which should help. He’s been playing in the lower leagues of Portugal and impressed technical director Phillip Dos Santos (who recommended him) while playing for Canada’s Under-20s. Plenty of potential. Defensive Midfield – Richie Ryan



He’s a more seasoned and experienced player who in 2012-2013 was a regular for Dundee United in the Scottish Premier League and is one of Ireland’s top domestic league players. At 29, he should be a stabilizing presence in the locker room. He will anchor the midfield and could very well be the team Captain. Expectations will be high as he will be looked at to set the tone for the club. Right Midfield - Hamza Elias



The most unknown of the signings, I would question anyone who said they saw this signing coming. Though Nicki Paterson can play right midfield, I have Elias in this spot because he might be the fastest player on the team, which will serve a wide position well. He has been playing in Ghana for the past few years. The wild card of the team, he could be a big signing or not, but I’ll take speed any day of the week. Attacking Midfield – Nicki Paterson



Earning his ticket out of the USL PRO league with his All-Star performance for the Charleston Battery the past few years, he understands the North American style of play. Though he’s a player that can play box to box, he will be relied upon to initiate the transition to attack and open up space for the forwards. His leadership and experience should help settle the young forwards. The Fury will need chemistry between Paterson, Haworth and Minatel to solidify the attack, but it starts with Paterson. Forwards – Carl Haworth and Oliver Minatel



Carl Haworth is a former member of the club’s PDL team and was the team’s first Canadian signing. A college and PDL standout, he will be the first player to go directly from the PDL Fury to the NASL Fury. Head Coach Marc Dos Santos talked about his great work ethic and how he plays the game the same way regardless of the score. A work ethic like that will be good for any team. He should give the coaching staff a clear indication of where the academy is at. I see Carl playing a lot this season. The player with the biggest upside and most potential is Oliver Minatel. He trained with PSV Eindhoven (Holland), Nacional (Portugal), and played in the Europa league. Rather than a dribbling specialist, from the videos I have seen, he seems more of a well-rounded striker. He has flair, pace, is good off the ball and he is hard to dispossess. He is easily the player I look forward to seeing the most. He might be used to drift into wide positions to spread out the defence. If the season started tomorrow this might be what the squad would look like, and as anticipation continues to build toward the start of the season, expectations will as well. This team is shaping up to be an attacking team that seemingly is not going to wait for counter-attacking opportunities, but they are starting to look like the possession oriented team the coach envisioned. Time to get excited.