OTTAWA – Jamar Dixon is a stalwart for the Ottawa Fury FC midfield, starring for his hometown club for the past two seasons. As Dixon enters his third season with the club, with preseason training beginning last week, Dixon took some time to reflect on the journey that brought him to Fury FC, where last season he earned the club's Player of the Year award.

Dixon comes from a sporting family, his mother even making it to the highest level in her sport, playing for the Canadian National Netball team. That bred a love for sport in a young Dixon, which continued through to his earning his first professional contract in Sweden.

A midfielder who looks up to the legendary Brazilian, Ronaldinho, Dixon fondly remembered his time in Ottawa’s youth teams. Starting his love for the sport at St. Anthony’s Soccer Club before playing the bulk of his youth soccer at the Gloucester Hornets, and it was there where he was formed, and had advice to pass on to young players.

“Be willing to learn. It’s a team game, first and foremost, so you have to work as hard as you can, help your teammates. Be humble and stay focused and open-minded,” said Dixon.

On the other end of the scale is goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, who has just moved to Ottawa after joining the club on a season-long loan from Major League Soccer's Montreal Impact. The Impact's Homegrown signing, who brings experience from the Canadian Men's National Team, is already settling into his new environment, has found a new home that he enjoys, with a team he is feeling welcomed by.

“It’s nice and calm and beautiful here, with the canal, we’re right by it on TD Place and there’s a good group of guys here, and they welcomed me very well and now I’m comfortable working with them on the field,” said Crepeau after training. “I just feel welcomed to be in an environment like this, where goalkeepers push themselves and it’s great for us and the group as well.”

FAMILIAR FACES: San Antonio FC has 18 players from its 2017 squad in its preseason training camp which began last week, a significant change from 2017 when SAFC brought in more than 18 players for preseason. That change has made life easy for both players and coaches who have been raring to get the new season underway.

“It’s great to see some familiar faces and it’s great to be back on the grass and I know the players are excited, the coaches are excited and this is where the 2018 journey begins,” SAFC Head Coach Darren Powell told the club website. “To have a lot of familiar faces that creates that consistency and that loyalty from Day 1. It’s not so much about learning and getting to know each other, and playing the name game, but it’s now about how we take this to the next level.”

One of those familiar faces is defender Greg Cochrane, a leader on and off the park for the club over the past two seasons. Cochrane knows that having such a strong core is helpful in building for a new season, and can help in integrating new players.

“Obviously it’s nice to see so many familiar faces, we know each other’s tendencies on the field but more than that, off the field we hang out with each other so it’s a good way to ease back in,” he said. It’s easier to incorporate only a few people as opposed to if it was a lot of people.”

Texas local Mikey Lopez is one of those few newcomers to the group, which can often be tricky for a new player. But Lopez has felt at home, perhaps because Texas is home. The former New York City FC midfielder previously lived in Austin with his family, just 80 miles north of San Antonio, and has received a warm welcome from the club's returning core.

“It’s good to come here and see so many familiar faces and know that they’re already a really good family and they just embraced me as another brother,” said Lopez. It’s really good feeling for me knowing the family connection is really tight and really close.”