

Posted by

Stuart Mactaggart ,

September 12, 2014 Email

Stuart Mactaggart

On Twitter:

@BBSC_Mac

Initial Thoughts

Ottawa Fury have spent this week using training to build on the confidence of their dramatic 2-2 draw last weekend against Carolina. Oliver headed home the equalizer in the 95th minute, while Heinemann, Peiser and Ubiparipovic all had great performances, and coach Marc Dos Santos is hoping to see continued improvement from the squad on the road this week. Ottawa played Tampa just two weeks ago in a lacklustre performance at TD Place that saw Fury struggle to impress as they fell 2-0.



Fury will look for an important win as they need to boost themselves off the bottom of the Fall Season table; meanwhile, Tampa continues to battle for a playoff spot. The Rowdies sit third in the Fall Season standings and could move into second with a win on Saturday, as they sit just two wins behind third placed New York Cosmos in the combined standings. Although the Fury have seen their playoff chances dwindle in the past few weeks, each game is very important for Dos Santos as he looks to see who will be the core set of players the club will build around for next year, and who is not living up to expectations.



Keep Thinking

Ottawa will likely be without Carl Haworth again after the forward picked up an injury at training last week. Haworth is working his way back to fitness but we will likely see Davies start up front again alongside Heinemann and Paterson, after returning from his suspension. The Fury midfield will likely see Ryan play defensively with Donatelli and Ubiparipovic on either side attacking, a line up that proved useful last weekend vs the Railhawks.



The defense for Ottawa has been questionable the past few games with the departure of Maykon, Richter being recalled by Toronto FC from his loan and Drew Beckie sustaining an ankle injury. However, Marc Dos Santos mentioned that he hopes to see Beckie return to the right back position in Tampa, with Jarun and Trafford playing centrally and Soria on the left.



In The End

A win in Tampa is possible for the Fury, as Marc Dos Santos commented “We are very careful with the details that we know can make us win in Tampa. It’s a place where you can win, Atlanta won in Tampa, Carolina won in Tampa. They [Tampa] also beat New York and San Antonio, so I believe Tampa can be unpredictable. We need to focus on how to win road games, we haven’t won a road game against one of the top four yet”



The team hopes to build on the confidence from the 2-2 draw last weekend, as last time they had a late equalizer at home they went on to beat Indy Eleven on the road. Fury will rely on key performances from Ubiparipovic, Heinemann and Peiser if they are to claim all three points at AL Lang Stadium in Tampa.



Prediction

Ottawa Fury FC 2-1 Tampa Bay Rowdies