It was a busy day of roster transactions for Ottawa Fury FC yesterday, with the signing of LW Paulo Araujo Jr., release of GK Devala Gorrick, and temporary loaning out of DM and captain Richie Ryan. Your correspondent was right on top of things on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit and the forums.

However, in between welcoming Paulo Jr. to Ottawa and thanking Gorrick on behalf of the Bytown Boys, battling a cold that’s been passing around the workplace, and trying to play peacemaker between two of my fellow Fury FC blogging collaborators, on top of the actual work that he was assigned to do, I was just a little bit exhausted of social media and typing up lengthy articles for the day 🙂

By now, you’ve probably read various articles and maybe even posted your thoughts on all 3 players, so I will just add some various comments to the 3 movements, and will link various articles that have been written on the transactions.

Signing of LW Paulo Araujo Jr.

The winger seems like a very friendly guy on social media who is excited to return to North America after a year home in Brazil with Nautico in Serie B. As you may already have read, Paulo Jr. boasts experience at Real Salt Lake, Miami FC/Ft. Lauderdale Strikers, and the Vancouver Whitecaps reserves.

From the Youtube videos and from comments on social media, Paulo Jr. seems like a speedy and technical player who is right-footed and likes to cut in from the left wing, though he was stationed on the right wing while at RSL. The video footage shows a player who is more than eager to go for lengthy dribbles and a shot from various spots on the pitch, while one Strikers fan did comment that he does like to hold on to the ball as long as he can.

He will certainly be a contender to start at LW in Dos Santos’s 4-3-3 formation, fulfilling the same role that Oliver and Haworth did in the system, as an inverted winger cutting inwards looking for quick passes and shots more so than crosses. While Mayard did not return, there has been encouraging signs from Dos Santos that both Oliver and Haworth will be re-signed for 2015 and will compete with Paulo Jr., though there hasn’t been much word on Davies.

Paulo Jr. is represented by Nicolas Clavijo, who is also the agent for Richie Ryan. Clavijo was a teammate of Paulo Jr. on the 2012 Ft. Lauderdale Strikers squad, and is the son of Fernando Clavijo, technical director of FC Dallas, and part of the 1994 US MNT WC squad. As Ft. Lauderdale Strikers was owned by Traffic Sports back in 2012, and with the elder Clavijo having been the manager of the 2009 version of the team, on which Paulo Jr. also played, there may very well be some lingering connections to Traffic Sports, who is inextricably connected to NASL and CONCACAF.

We wish the best of luck to Paulo Jr. in his new adventure in Ottawa!

Release of GK Devala Gorrick

The keeper was fantastic in his displays throughout the 2014 season, with his reflexes being a particular highlight, and most fans believe that he will have no problem landing quickly on his feet in a league of similar calibre. He has proved himself as a NASL-level keeper, and with experiences in Puerto Rico, Thailand, Sweden and Germany, he may yet decide to set sails abroad again if he chooses.

Gorrick also started a blog midway through the season (devalagk.blogspot.ca), which was notable in its well-composed writing and some great insight into the life of a professional football player, written in a humble and narrative way which fans found quite endearing. He will certainly be missed by Fury FC fans, and we wish nothing but the best to Devala in all his future endeavours.

The very best of luck to you, Devala!

Possible loan out of DM Richie Ryan

The captain is likely heading off to Peterhead FC, in the Scottish League One (3rd tier), on a short-term loan, as first shared by Blog Smith and later expanded upon by Stuart Mactaggart from Fury Fanatic. Chris Hofley of Ottawa Sun reported that the club plays in Ryan’s partner’s hometown, which would serve the couple well during the long NASL off-season. As Ryan is more than comfortable with the 10 to 11-month European season, this sounds like the perfect way for Ryan to keep his competitive season going.

Other 2014 Fury FC players who we currently know are playing in other clubs during the NASL off-season include CM Tony Donatelli and ST Vini Dantas, playing with Baltimore in the MASL. As reported previously, Dantas’s contract was not renewed as he was released, while there has been little news from Ottawa on many other players whose contracts have also expired, including Donatelli.

All in all, the off-season remains busy for Ottawa throughout the festive period. There will certainly be a plethora of news come January!

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OFFC: http://www.ottawafuryfc.com/news/detail/uuid/j505899q6g1f1jmcjnn7nwwy8/paulo-junior-joins-fury-fc#.VJMWV14CA

Ottawa Sun: http://www.ottawasun.com/2014/12/18/ottawa-fury-fc-sign-brazilian-forward

OFFC Review: https://offcreview.wordpress.com/2014/12/19/fury-fc-announces-signing-of-lw-paulo-jr-release-of-gk-gorrick-loan-of-dm-ryan/

Fury Fanatic: https://furyfanatic.wordpress.com/2014/12/18/fury-sign-brazilian-paulo-junior/; https://furyfanatic.wordpress.com/2014/12/18/ottawa-fury-release-devala-gorrick/; https://furyfanatic.wordpress.com/2014/12/18/richie-ryan-to-peterhead-on-loan-its-a-possibility/