

Posted by

Stuart Mactaggart ,

March 30, 2015 Email

Stuart Mactaggart

On Twitter:

@FuryFanatic

Ottawa Fury FC is just one of five high level professional soccer clubs in Canada, and Montreal native and Fury Head Coach Marc Dos Santos has put a lot of emphasis on the club developing Canadian players. Of course, there is nothing stopping Dos Santos from fielding an American-majority squad, with the US player pool being much larger than Canada, but Dos Santos has targeted Canadian talent when available and last season the Fury led all soccer clubs globally in Canadian minutes played.



With players like Drew Beckie, Mason Trafford, Mauro Eustaquio and of course Julian De Guzman, it’s not hard to argue that Ottawa Fury may be the most Canadian club in Canada; and that is excellent for Canadian soccer.



“We are trying to help Canadian soccer develop, and we give a lot of chances to Canadian kids. It’s not even our obligation [to play Canadians] because at the end of the day if we want to have 24 Americans we are allowed, because it's the rules of the NASL. But we respect the fact that we are the capital, we respect the fact we are in Ottawa and we respect the development of Canadian soccer and giving opportunities to Canadian players" – Marc Dos Santos



Here is a look at the Canadian players on the 2015 Ottawa Fury roster.



Marcel De Bellis – #24



Marcel De Bellis is an Oakville, Ontario native who will start the 2015 as Ottawa Fury’s number two goalkeeper. De Bellis, 24, has received a lot of praise from his coaching staff, including both Marc Dos Santos and Bruce Gorbbelaar, the latter saying that De Bellis is a better keeper, with better distribution, than current Liverpool keeper Simon Mignolet. De Bellis spent time with Benfica’s U19 squad as well as a number of years in Italy before returning home to Canada, spending the majority of 2014 as the number three keeper behind Devala Gorrick and Romuald Peiser.



Drew Beckie - #4



Drew Beckie is a Regina, Saskatchewan native who has played with the Canadian U23 squad, signing with MLS side Columbus Crew before joining Ottawa Fury FC. Last year was his first season playing professionally and he fit in well at the centre-back position, pairing up well with fellow Canadian Mason Trafford. Beckie is a dedicated athlete who can play both centre-back and right back and he has developed well while playing under Marc Dos Santos. This year he will have more competition for a starting position in the defence, but Drew continues to grow as a player and will enjoy being pushed in his development



Mason Trafford - #3



Mason Trafford was born in Florida but grew up in North Vancouver, claiming Canadian nationality and earning a cap for the Canadian national team. Trafford played in the USL with the Vancouver Whitecaps before moving to Finland and China, finally returning home to Canada in 2014. Trafford played nearly every minute for Ottawa Fury last season and brought the experience to the defense that Fury needed in their inaugural season. Trafford and Beckie were both important parts of the 2014 Fury squad and continue to be part of Marc Dos Santos’ effort to field a team that is both strong and that represents Canada.



Philippe Davies - #15



Phil Davies is a Longueuil, Quebec native who, like Trafford, spent time with Whitecaps residency and the Vancouver USL squad. After some time with the MLS Whitecaps U23 team, and a move to the Richmond Kickers in the USL, Davies moved to Ottawa to work under Dos Santos. Davies has played for Canada at several levels, including U17, U20, U23 and the senior men’s national team. His versatility is vital to Ottawa Fury’s depth, having played down the wing, through the middle and in defense in the past.



Mauro Eustaquio - #20



Mauro Eustaquio is a Portuguese-born midfielder who moved to Canada at a young age, before returning to Portugal at 11. He developed his game in soccer-crazed Portugal, playing for several youth squads before going professional at aged 19. Eustaquio played with the Canada U20 squad under Fury technical director Phil Dos Santos and played an important role last season when Fury captain Richie Ryan was out injured. His development under the leadership of Ryan and both Marc and Phil Dos Santos may lead to a call up for the Canada U23 squad this year at the Pan Am Games, as well as with the Canadian Olympic squad.



Patryk Misik - #27



Patyrk Misik developed in Brantford, Ontario before moving to Poland at a young age to pursue a professional career. Misik signed with WKS Slask Wroclaw in the top division in Poland, featuring for their academy squad several times. He now returns to Canada, where he played with the Canada U20 squad under Phil Dos Santos and alongside Mauro Eustaquio, hoping to continue developing at a professional level. Much like Mauro, Misik will be hoping to impress this spring and earn a spot on the Canada U23 team for the Pan Am games and Olympic qualifiers.



Julian De Guzman - #25



Julian De Guzman returns home to Canada in 2015, signing with the Ottawa Fury following a nearly a year without a club. The captain of the Canadian national team will form a strong partnership in the midfield with Richie Ryan and his experience will hopefully help Fury push for a position in the NASL Championship. De Guzman’s arrival is a big step forward for Ottawa Fury, as Marc Dos Santos continues to put strong faith in the Canadian talent in his squad. De Guzman wasn’t expected to feature for Fury right away, however, with preseason injuries piling up he may get the start in Ottawa’s season opener on April 4th.



Carl Haworth - #17



Carl Haworth was born in England but moved to Canada when he was young, developing in London, Ontario before moving to the Ottawa Fury PLD team. Haworth stayed with the club as they changed into an NASL squad and scored Ottawa’s first ever goal at TD Place last season. Following his first season as a professional last year, Haworth has had an impressive 2015 pre-season and it is expected that Haworth will have a great 2015 season. If he can find the right form, Haworth could get some attention from the Canadian national team coaching staff this season.