As a Brazilian with two names, but who by tradition goes by one, jogged off the field in the 80th minute, soccer fans waving Ottawa Fury FC scarves chanted his name ... Oliver, Oliver, Oliver.

Oliver Minatel had scored three goals. Each goal huge. Each goal sending the 2,158 fans into a bit of a frenzy. Each goal representing a bit of history. Each goal pushing the hometown lads, Ottawa Fury FC, toward its first-ever victory.

The North American Soccer League expansion team overwhelmed the Carolina RailHawks 4-0 Saturday afternoon at Carleton University's Ravens Field, a temporary home until July when TD Place becomes home.

It was no contest -- the team that hadn't won dominating the team that hadn't lost.

It may not happen overnight, but Fury FC is winning hearts, battling a perception that the league is second-rate, that it's not really professional soccer at all.

For the long term, Fury FC needs a mosaic of Ottawans to jump on board and establish a culture at each game day. When games shift to TD Place, more will be expected.

"It's going to take some time," said Fury FC president John Pugh.

"Pro soccer is new to the city. I don't believe it's necessarily going to happen overnight. If you look at the growth of soccer in Vancouver, Montreal or Toronto, they've had their ups and downs. Vancouver was playing in front of 5,000 to 6,000 people before they entered the MLS."

Those who question the level of competition must be doing it from their couch. These guys can play. Last year, Carolina knocked out MLS teams LA Galaxy and Chivas USA in the U.S. Open Cup.

"On any given day, these teams are good enough to give MLS teams a good game," said Pugh.

"We've done our own surveys. One of the things that comes out is they look at the North American Soccer League and wonder where is (NASL)? Is it MLS, is it below MLS, is it a reserve league, is it a Canadian thing? Slowly but surely we've got to break down that lack of knowledge. Then we just need to get people out and watch."

Fury FC coach Marc Dos Santos isn't worried about perception. He knows what his players can do, he knows what the team can do. Saturday's 4-0 result was a big step forward.

"What me and my players and the club have to worry about, every time we come here, is to give our best," said Dos Santos. "I really believe if we work hard every day, we're going to get the fruits from everything. We can't focus on who's going to come or not. I really think, to be honest, the turning point will be TD Place against the New York Cosmos."

A soccer game day is unlike something you would get at a football field in a hockey arena or in the bleachers at a baseball game. It's interactive, with a bit of a European influence. It's fun.

"The type of atmosphere you see in Seattle, Portland, even at TFC or Vancouver, is what we'd like to emulate in miniature," said Pugh.

"Against Edmonton, it was so cold, on a difficult night to come and on a Wednesday night and still there were a lot of people here," said Dos Santos.

"Today, it was raining and cold, not comfortable to watch outside. Still, people came. When we play in Ottawa, we feel we're playing at home and that's important."

It's hard to knock the team's progress so far.

"In every game, we've been in it," said Pugh. "We've now played four teams and we've shown we can play with any of them. I'm very happy."

"We didn't score four goals because of this game," said Dos Santos. "We scored four goals because of the effort from Day 1."

As more than 2,000 fans, many with their umbrellas protecting them from the drizzle of a dreary Saturday afternoon, will attest, there are sunny days ahead for soccer in this city.

tim.baines@sunmedia.ca