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“You could say the timing could not have been worse,” Pugh said Tuesday from Croatia. “We were surprised, yes, but then nothing should surprise you in sports.

“I won’t elaborate on Paul’s reasons, but, from that point, he said he would not be returning and we had to determine our response.

“So we put our heads together, and we think it’s best to put the team in a position of clarity for the rest of the season. We felt it was best to set the team on a new course. We think this is the best decision to put us in a good spot going forward. We jointly decided it would be better to make the change now.

“We’re still within striking distance of the playoffs. We are coming off one of our best performances of the season. We had Julian in place and ready to take over.

Pugh said the six-hour time difference made all the dealings difficult, but de Guzman accepted the job when it was offered the job late Monday.

Players were then made aware of the change, meaning the only people surprised by Tuesday’s midday announcement were those outside Fury FC’s inner circle.

The team met as planned at Ottawa International Airport before flying to Toronto and then on to Florida in advance of Wednesday night’s contest against Orlando City II (6-6-10), which ranks ninth in the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of Fury FC (7-7-6).

Dalglish was said to have left Ottawa on Monday to join his family, already on a planned vacation outside Canada.

“This decision will give Julian the opportunity to get the rest of the season under his belt, starting with a lengthy three-game road trip that will give the team a solid week together amidst this midseason change,” Pugh said.