Goalkeeper: Fury FC added one of Canada’s top young goalkeepers this offseason in Callum Irving, and he appears likely to enter the season as the starter after a 2016 season that saw him post a 0.65 goals-against average for Rio Grande Valley FC and earn his first cap for Canada’s National Team this past January. Andrew MacRae returns to club for a second season, while David Paulmin arrives from Montreal with USL experience, having made eight appearances a season ago for FC Montreal.

Defense: Led by veterans Eddie Edward and Kyle Venter, Ottawa’s defense appears to have both quality and depth available. Edward has made more than 100 professional appearances, including 19 with Fury FC last season, while the likes of Onua Obasi – a 2015 USL Cup winner with Rochester – and Andrae Campbell have also proven themselves at this level. Maybe the most intriguing player in the group, however, is Thomas Meilleur-Giguere, who recently captained Canada at the CONCACAF U20 Championship, and made 21 appearances in the USL last season.

Midfield: Canadian international Jamar Dixon leads a good returning group of midfielders, with Gerardo Bruna, Ryan Williams and Lance Rozeboom also back for the new season. Dixon joined Fury FC midway through last season from Finnish club FF Jaro, and made 12 appearances by the end of the season. Williams was also a midseason addition last season, and notched four goals in 18 appearances, but the player to watch this year could be Gerardo Bruna, who played only six games in 2016 because of injury. A former Liverpool and Real Madrid youth product, Bruna’s creativity could be crucial in the attacking third.

Forward: Ottawa made one of the bigger offseason moves when it swooped in to sign former Rochester Rhinos forward Steevan Dos Santos. The Cape Verde striker had 16 goals in the past two seasons for the 2015 USL Cup champions and joins an attack that also boasts Canadian international Carl Haworth and former PDL standout Sito Seoane, who was MVP when the Austin Aztex won the 2013 PDL championship with Dalglish at the helm. Another member of that side, Tucker Hume, also signed with Fury FC this offseason after graduating from the University of North Carolina, and will bring size to the forward line.