First thoughts

Ottawa Fury FC return to TD Place at Landsdowne Park after two games away, which saw them lose soundly at Carolina 3-0, but fare better in a 2-1 loss at Minnesota. The scoring drought was broken this weekend by Sinisa Ubiparipovic, but Ottawa are winless in its 4 NASL Fall Season matches, still sitting at 1 point.



Fort Lauderdale is only one position above Ottawa in the fall table, in 9th, yet they sit on 5 points from their 5 matches, after a 0-0 draw away at Indy Eleven mid-week. The Strikers had a hugely morale-boosting 1-0 victory at home the past week, in the Florida derby with the Tampa Bay Rowdies, with Fort Lauderdale taking home the Coastal Cup that was at stake. Ottawa has a record of 2-1-3 at home in league play, while Fort Lauderdale is 1-2-4 away in NASL action this season.



Fort Lauderdale Strikers was the first opponent ever for the Fury FC in Ottawa’s NASL history, as Ottawa lost 2-0 away in Florida back in April. The Strikers scored a somewhat fortunate goal from a set piece in the 1st half, with the low free kick going through multiple Fury defenders before being poked into the net. Ottawa dominated possession for most of the match, but this suited the Strikers’ preference for their counter-attacking play, which netted them the two-goal cushion in the 2nd half with a break down their right flank, and a failed offside trap from Ottawa.



Keep Thinking

For Ottawa, CB Omar Jarun is out with an injury expected to sideline him for another 3-4 weeks, while CM Tony Donatelli is day-to-day after missing out on the 18-man squad last week with injury. DM Richie Ryan is day-to-day as well after picking up an injury during the warm-up session that kept him out of last week’s game, while RB Andres Fresenga is also day-to-day after niggles in training this week.



While the Fury are currently winless in 4, they have looked positive in 3 of those 4 matches, and a return to the 4-3-3 formation has seen them make their possession game count, and create chances throughout the game. GK Romuald Peiser and DM Mauro Eustaquio made very strong debuts in the starting XI last week, with Peiser showing his veteran composure, and Eustaquio playing beyond his years with great maturity. The performance of winger Carl Haworth was also eye-catching against Minnesota, with his usual spark and aggressiveness.



Manager Marc Dos Santos told reporters during mid-week that he sees the team going through what are “growing pains” but he says that he is sticking to the process of building up a “core that has a certain mentality” in the 1st season. Dos Santos asked the fans to “believe in what he is building” and stressed the medium and long-term goals of this club, for not just this season but for next season and beyond that as well. The Fury have certainly played an attractive form of possession-based football this season, and the wins that have come have been highly impressive, but they have also lost several close games that they would love to have obtained a result in.



Fort Lauderdale had a tough start to the Fall Season, after coming in 5th place in the Spring Season with 13 points, 1 place above Ottawa. After two heavy losses to start the fall, the Strikers have since picked up 5 points in their last 3 matches, and have picked up momentum. Fort Lauderdale usually lines up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, and their pacy and counter-attacking play is led by their wingers and their full-backs.



RB Darnell King constantly overlaps on the right flank and combines well with RM Mark Anderson, while LM Martin Nunez is dangerous and potent in front of the net. ST Fafa Picault leads the team with 5 goals, while LB and captain Ivan Guerrero leads the team in assists and boasts significant MLS and international experience with Honduras. Summer signings GK Kamil Čontofalský and CAM Jenison have settled in well, and the team recently picked up veteran CM Walter Ramirez, who was released last month by Indy Eleven.



Final Thoughts

This has become a match of great importance for the Fury, who will look for this match to turn around what has been a tough Fall Season so far. To take the win over a team one spot above them in the standings would be a huge morale-booster for the team, as they hit the mid-point of the season, in their 14th league match of a 27-game season. Ottawa will be wary of Fort Lauderdale’s quick counter-attacking play, which hurt them in their first match-up, as the Fury FC will be looking to avenge their loss in their 1st game in franchise history.



Injuries and Suspensions

CB Omar Jarun (out), CM Tony Donatelli (day-to-day), RM Andres Fresenga (day-to-day), DM Richie Ryan (day-to-day)



TV (Ottawa)

Rogers TV Ottawa 22, NASLLive.com, Saturday 7:00pm EDT



Prediction

Ottawa Fury FC 2-1 Fort Lauderdale Strikers