Welcome to Part 2 of my Season Preview!

In Part 2 we will take a quick look at the coaching staff, the tactics they use and the moves Fury made in the off season. Part 3 will be a quick run down of the roster, who the players are and what their roles within the squad are.

Marc Dos Santos – Head Coach



Marc Dos Santos joined Ottawa Fury in May 2013 with the monumental task of putting together a squad from scratch. Nearly two years later, it is fairly safe to say that Dos Santos was up for the task and has done a tremendous job putting together a squad for the clubs sophomore season.

The Montreal native has a long resume which includes a U15 trophy with Palmeiras in Brazil, and an NASL Championship with the Montreal Impact. Dos Santos was born in Montreal but spent a lot of his youth in Portugal, where he picked up nearly all of his knowledge of the game. Dos Santos`mix of Brazilian and Portuguese coaching/training styles helps bring a fresh, attacking style football to Ottawa.

Dos Santos’ is famously known for sticking with his 4-3-3 formation, with one sitting midfielder and wide wingers. Dos Santos will rarely deviate from his tactics and enjoys offering a possession oriented, attacking style of his play for his squad. When asked about his 4-3-3 formation Dos Santos said “If people don’t like it, they’ll have to fire me, because that’s who I am”

Dos Santos has previously discussed his dream of coaching the Canadian National team and his desire to coach at the top level. There is no doubt that Dos Santos is one of the leading Canadian coaches in the game, having found success nearly everywhere he has gone. Ottawa Fury have been a new test for him, and his determination to do well will no doubt yield positive results for Ottawa.

Simply put, there is no better person than Marc Dos Santos to be the architect of the clubs identity and mentality.

Martin Nash – Assistant Coach

Martin Nash has been Dos Santos’ assistant coach since late 2013, helping Marc put together the roster for its first season. Nash brings loads of experience and knowledge of the game with him to Ottawa, as well as adding to the Canadian presence on the coaching staff.

Nash was born in Regina, Saskatchewan and has a long resume as a professional centre-back. He has played for the likes of Vancouver Whitecaps, Montreal Impact, Macclensfield Town and Rochester Rhinos, as well as earning over 35 caps for the Canadian National team. Nash’s biggest success as a player came in 2000 when he was part of the Gold Cup winning Canada side.



Nash retired from professional soccer in 2010, and worked with the Whitecaps youth system for a few years before joining Ottawa Fury. He is now a vital part of Dos Santos’ coaching staff, using his skill and experience to help develop the young talent as well as giving a defensive expertise to a very attack minded squad.

Phil Dos Santos – Technical Director

Phil Dos Santos is Marc’s brother, and was named technical director shortly after Marc was named coach. Phil Dos Santos has spent time working with the Canada U20 program and has a passion for developing young players for the modern game.

In his role as technical director, Phil has brought in young talent such as Mauro Eustaquio and Patryk Misik, both who worked with Phil as part of the Canada U20 program. Phil Dos Santos has worked extremely hard at developing a strong academy system since joining the Ottawa Fury.

The academy has grown tremendously since Phil has taken over, with the U15 squad finding success in the North American Super-Y League. The U17 and U19 squads will feature in the PLSQ system this season, with Phil and Darko Buser, former Chelsea academy coach, coaching both squads. There is no doubt that Phil Dos Santos plays a very important role at the Ottawa Fury FC.

Bruce Grobbelaar – Goalkeeping Coach

Bruce Grobbelaar joined Ottawa Fury halfway through the 2014 season, taking over a vacant goalkeeping coach position. Born in Durban, South African and raised in Zimbabwe, Bruce is best known for being the Liverpool keeper (1981-1994), including winning the European Cup and 6 first division titles. He has also spent time with the original Vancouver Whitecaps and Southampton FC.

Grobbelaar brings a lot of experience to the job and has already seen great improvement in young Fury keeper Marcel De Bellis. Bruce is an extremely vocal coach and can often be seen getting up off the bench and yelling directions to the Fury’s defensive line and keeper.

Tactics:

As mentioned earlier, under Marc Dos Santos, Ottawa Fury play a 4-3-3 formation with one holding midfielder. Dos Santos likes to optimize the size of the pitch and will use width to his advantage, expecting a lot of pace and quality from his wingers and wing backs. To compliment the pace down the sides, Dos Santos has put a lot of size through the middle with guys like Tommy Heinemann, Rafael Alves and Colin Falvey playing central positions.



Last season, in what was perhaps one of Ottawa`s worst matches, Dos Santos attempted to move away from the 4-3-3 formation. Since that match in Minnesota, Dos Santos has insisted Fury will always start the match 4-3-3 and only alter their formation if the events the match dictate they must.

Off Season Additions

As mentioned, Rafael Alves and Colin Falvey both add size through the middle, playing in centre-back positions. At right back Fury have added Ryan Richter, who spent the majority of last season on load with the club from Toronto FC. At left back Fury added the experience and leadership of former Atlanta Silverbacks’ captain Mike Randolph.

In the midfield Patryk Misik offers a youthful Canadian presence, while Julian De Guzman adds Canadian experience. Brandon Poltronieri has joined Fury as well, bringing versatility in a number of positions down the left wing. Up front Fury have added Toronto FC striker Andrew Wiedeman, as well as Brazilian winger Paulo Jr.

Ottawa Fury’s off season moves are fairly impressive, especially the addition of Julian De Guzman. The squad seems much more prepared for this season than they were for last, and there is no doubt they will be exciting to watch.

Stay tuned for Part 3 coming soon!