First thoughts

The North American Soccer League (NASL) Fall Season opener for Ottawa Fury FC kicks off on Sunday immediately after the FIFA World Cup final, with a NASL Canadian derby away against FC Edmonton. With the Spring Season behind them, Ottawa will be looking to make a push into a top-4 spot with their move into the brand new stadium at TD Place in Landsdowne Park next week, as the battle for the playoff spots begins in earnest.



Ottawa ended the Spring Season in 6th place, with a 3-1-5 record for 10 points, and currently sits 4 points behind Carolina Railhawks, who occupy the 4th spot. The Fury FC had the joint-3rd best offense in the league, as they scored 4 goals in a match on two separate occasions, while finishing with the 5th best defense. FC Edmonton are 2 points further back in 9th place, with a 2-2-5 record for the spring, although they concluded the first one-third of the season with an incredible 6-1 home victory over Carolina. Forward Daryl Fordyce scored a hat-trick to lead the Eddies during their romp, but this large victory could not prevent them from finishing with the joint-worst offense in the league, though they did end the season with the 4th best defense.



Ottawa and Edmonton met three times during the first 3 months of the season, with a two-legged affair in the preliminary rounds of the Amway Canadian Championships in the early season, in which the Eddies progressed after a scoreless first leg and a dominant home victory for an aggregate scoreline of 3-1. They later met in NASL league action in Ottawa, with striker Tom Heinemann coming off the bench after a lengthy injury layoff to score an exhilarating stoppage-time winner on a set piece to give OFFC a 1-0 derby victory.



This Canadian derby takes on even more significance this week, with the news that broke two days ago that the NASL, the CFL and the CSA are actively exploring a partnership that could bring as many as 6 new Canadian cities into the league.



Keep thinking

Ottawa did not play any official friendlies during the summer break, with much focus being placed on the friendly coming up later this month at home against Scotland’s Rangers FC. However, about 10 players on the squad, mostly those who were not regular starters during the spring, were combined with about 10 players on the Fury FC youth team and played two friendlies against clubs in PQSL, the CSA 3rd tier league based in Quebec, recording a win and a loss.



Manager Marc Dos Santos told RNO on Friday that he wants to bring the highest quality of football that he can to the nation's capital, and continue to build on the progress that the club has made in the spring season. With that in mind, the Fury FC have signed Romuald Peiser, a French goalkeeper who spent his last 4 seasons at Academica in the Portuguese top flight and has also played at Bayer Leverkusen, and have also signed Ryan Richter, a centre-back/right-back from Toronto FC, on loan over the summer break. However, Zakaria Messoudi, a central midfielder on loan from Montreal Impact, returned to his parent club after not seeing much game action over the season, while Hamza Elias, a Ghanaian youth international attacking midfielder who was often the first option off the bench in midfield for OFFC, was released to free up an international player spot on the roster. With the loss of two CMs, there may still yet be some roster movement for the Fury FC.



Striker Tom Heinemann made a stirring comeback after his lengthy layoff from injury, and will be available for contention in the starting XI, but central midfielder Nicki Paterson is continuing his recovery from his spring season injury and remains doubtful against Edmonton. All other Fury FC players are healthy and available for selection for Sunday’s match.



A big decision for Dos Santos will be selecting who he starts as the target man in his preferred 4-3-3 formation, with Heinemann and Vini Dantas both having staked their claims. There will be no guarantees in the starting XI for the Fury this fall, as Dos Santos told us that, “what I don’t want to have is players in comfort zones saying `this is good enough`. I want players to be in a position where they know they have to fight to play".



This sheds some insight into the competition at the GK position as well, with Devala Gorrick having impressed throughout the season, but with Peiser coming into provide significant competition at the spot with his experience. Peiser has not played or trained in the last month during the European off-season and has just started his pre-season training, while the Fury are firmly in the midst of their preparation. Therefore, he may not be match fit for this weekend and could be a gameday decision. Dos Santos commented, “you never bring in a guy like that (Peiser) in this window thinking he will be the solution against New York or Edmonton, you bring him for what you have planned in the next year and a half".



Finally, the addition of Richter to the backline, and the return of RB Andres Fresenga from his illness at the end of the spring season, will provide fierce competition for the spots in the back four. In midfield, RCM Tony Donatelli, LCM Sinisa Ubiparipovic and DM Richie Ryan will be expected to continue their fine form, and the eventual return of Paterson will provide Dos Santos with great options in the midfield.



FC Edmonton compiled a record of 3-0-0 in their friendlies during the summer, including a victory over the Seattle Sounders FC and a win against Victoria Highlanders FC of USL PDL. They have added CM Cristian Raudales and AM Chad Burt to their ranks over the past week and can count on the continued development of Canadian youth international winger Hanson Boakai, who was instrumental in the 3-1 Canadian Championship victory over Ottawa. Fordyce has established himself as a top striker in the NASL, and right-back and Ottawa native Edson Edward is always a focal point for Ottawa football supporters, while centre-back and captain Albert Watson leads their defense with his workmanlike attitude.



The match will be played away from Edmonton’s home field, Clarke Stadium, with the continuation of a new turf installation. Therefore, the match will be played at the Commonwealth Stadium, the home of the CFL Edmonton Eskimos, for the first NASL match to be played at the stadium in over 30 years. The unfamiliarity of the stadium to the home side may yet prove beneficial for Ottawa.



Final thoughts

Ottawa has shown a pleasing brand of short-passing possession-oriented football and will look to hold possession against the speedier and physical style of FC Edmonton, despite being away on the road. The Fury FC will look to pass their way through the Eddies’ midfield, while FC Edmonton will bring in their direct approach and look more for their big target men, such as striker Frank Jonke.



The players will be refreshed from their summer break and their World Cup viewing, so expect to see fresh legs running hard the full 90 minutes and then some, and perhaps a new move or a set piece that they picked up from the top international sides. If the Fury FC’s midfield can continue its momentum from the spring season, with Donatelli and Ubiparipovic a particularly good barometer of its passing and ball movement success, then this could very well be a bright start to the next two-thirds of the NASL season for Ottawa Fury FC, and a seamless segue into its TD Place home opener versus the New York Cosmos next week.



Injuries and suspensions



Injury: CM Nicki Paterson (doubtful)



Prediction

FC Edmonton 1-1 Ottawa Fury FC