Fury getting ready to change leagues

TIM BAINES

While not yet mathematically eliminated from the North American Soccer League playoff chase, Ottawa Fury FC is already thinking about 2017.

Following a 1-1 draw with the powerful New York Cosmos Sunday at TD Place, Fury FC sits in 10th place in the NASL combined standings. There are five teams within three points of the fourth and final playoff spot. Ottawa has a pair of road games — in Oklahoma and Tampa — before closing out the season Oct. 29 at home vs. Fort Lauderdale.

With an announcement expected soon that Fury FC will jump ship from the NASL to the United Soccer League, coach Paul Dalglish will have some tough decisions to make. Who’s back and who’s not?

“We have one eye on next year,” said Dalglish. “All spots are up for grabs. We’ve got players who have been fantastic this year that we want to sit down and renegotiate deals with. We’re already having those conversations. Most of the guys are under option so it’s not a case of negotiating a new contract, it’s a case of deciding if we’ll take the option and informing the player we’re going to take the option.”

With plenty of departures from last year’s championship finalist team, Dalglish had to juggle bodies in and out after he took the job late last year.

“It was really a baptism under fire,” he said. “I came in and I was really happy with the team from last year. I wanted to look at the team and see what was good and where we had to improve. That was the plan when I took the job. Within 10 days, it had all changed and it was a rebuilding job. Certainly it was a much bigger job when I first came in than I thought it was going to be.

“There’s been a lot of player turnover, but I think we’re starting to see now in the past 10 games, the type of football we want to play — with the counter-pressing style and trying to make sure it’s difficult for teams to possess the ball, especially in our half. We’re getting there and we’re really disrupting teams. The next and final step for us is to be more ruthless when we have the ball in more dangerous areas, by turning that into more goals.”

tbaines@postmedia.com

Twitter: @TimCBaines