Initial Thoughts



Ottawa Fury FC will host New York Cosmos this Sunday as they play their first match ever at their new home, the TD Place Stadium, at Landsdowne Park. Last week, Ottawa fought out a 0-0 draw away in Edmonton in a match that saw them battle through 40 degree weather and down a man for over half an hour. The Cosmos, who finished 2nd in the NASL Spring Season and have high hopes of taking the Fall Season crown, fell to a surprising 1-3 home loss vs. San Antonio, conceding as many goals in the match as they had during the entire Spring Season.



Earlier this week, Fury FC President John Pugh announced that ticket sales for the home opener have broken the NASL attendance record, currently set by San Antonio in 2012 at 13,151. The squad looks to impress the 13,000+ fans as they look to continue the momentum set by the home win of their CFL cousins Ottawa RedBlacks on Friday, and help write an exciting new chapter in Ottawa football history.



Keep Thinking



CB Ryan Richter, on loan from Toronto FC, will miss this weekend’s home opener after picking up two yellow cards last week, a loss that coach Marc Dos Santos described to RNO as, “we felt that Richter was growing in the group, doing well with Mason (Trafford), so losing him will make us have to touch up our back four”. The Fury could see a return of Omar Jarun or Drew Beckie in the centre-back position alongside Trafford, who was named to his 2nd NASL Team of the Week after his contribution versus Edmonton. Apart from Richter, Fury will also continue to miss CM Nicki Paterson, who is getting close to match fitness but may still be a couple weeks away from his return, as well as GK Romuald Peiser, who is still not match fit following his arrival at the club last week.



The Fury will need to be on top of their game if they are to get a win over the Cosmos, who finished 2nd in the Spring Season with a 6-1-2 record. New York is easily the most well-known NASL club, with the Cosmos name having a rich history and the team president being the one and only Pele. Their defense will welcome back starting CB Jimmy Ockford, who missed last week's loss. They also announced the loan signing of El Salvador captain and forward Andres Flores this week, to add more competition to the forward positions in their preferred 4-4-2 formation, with the Cosmos looking for a consistent partner for Mads Stokkelien. ST Alessandro Noselli, who scored the lone goal in the Cosmos' 1-0 home win over Ottawa in the Spring Season, will miss the match due to family matters. The Cosmos showcase a quick short-passing game in their midfield, similar to the Fury, and the central midfield play of Danny Szetela and Joseph Nane or Marcos Senna, when he's fit, will be a concern for Ottawa, who will rely on their strong midfield trio in their 4-3-3 formation. The Cosmos were one of the few teams to possess the ball for a longer period during a Spring match versus the Fury.



Ottawa were happy to add a goalkeeping coach on a temporary basis this week, Bruce Grobbelaar, who fills the void of David Bellamare, who left at the beginning of June. Grobbelaar, known most famously for winning 6 English league titles and a European Cup with Liverpool FC, chatted with RNO during training, stating that “we’ve got two great goal-keepers [Peiser, Gorrick] and two very good up-and-coming goal-keepers [Bush, DeBellis], and from what I’ve seen of the players, there is no reason this team and club cannot expand and grow”. Grobbelaar discussed how the NASL and MLS have the correct approach to the game today, very different from what he saw when he played in Vancouver in the late 70’s/early 80’s, suggesting that the current model that the MLS and NASL are using focuses more on building the clubs and not simply bringing over top players to wow the crowds.



Final Thoughts



It has been a very busy week for the Fury since they arrived back in Ottawa from Edmonton. With all the hype around the new stadium, a new high-profile goalkeeper coach (currently on a temporary basis), as well as the return of Nicki Paterson to training, there is a certain buzz that is around the club. The squad will hopefully feed off the support of the 13,000 fans packed into TD Place, and produce a winning result in this historic match. Although they have the Spring Season under their belt, this game will be the first chance the club get to truly showcase who they are to the city on a big stage, and this is hopefully the start of much bigger things for football in Ottawa.



Injuries and Suspensions



Injury/fitness: CM Nicki Paterson (out), GK Romuald Peiser (doubtful)

Suspension: CB Ryan Richter (1-game suspension)



TV

Rogers TV Ottawa 22, NASLLive.com, Sunday 3pm EDT



Prediction

Ottawa Fury FC 1-1 New York Cosmos