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Midweek Amway Canadian Championship Match Creates History

April 22, 2014 - North American Soccer League (NASL) News Release


NEW YORK (April 22, 2014) - For the first time in history, two Canadian clubs from the North American Soccer League will meet on the pitch in Wednesday's Amway Canadian Championship.

FC Edmonton travels to NASL expansion club Ottawa Fury FC for the first leg of the seventh annual national competition on Wednesday, April 23 at 5:30 p.m. MT / 7:30 p.m. ET, before returning home for the second leg on April 30. The eventual winner of Canada's domestic cup qualifies for the 2014/15 CONCACAF Champions League.

The Eddies and Fury FC will go head-to-head in a home and away round, with the winner over both matches advancing to face the Montreal Impact in the semi finals on May 7 and 14. Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Toronto FC will meet in the other in the semi-final.

The ACC will be the first ever meeting between Canada's two NASL teams before they clash again in league play in May. The two preliminary round matches will be streamed lived on canadasoccer.com/championship.

NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson noted, "Wednesday is another step in the continued growth of the NASL and an exciting first match for these two Canadian teams. It will be great soccer to watch this rivalry be born contesting the Canadian Championship and it will be further stoked by the opportunity to qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League."

The game will feature two clubs playing in good form but still working towards their first victory of the new NASL Spring Season. FC Edmonton drew 1-1 with the Tampa Bay Rowdies in their first game and dropped their home opener 1-0 to the New York Cosmos. Ottawa Fury FC was defeated 2-0 by the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and dropped their home opener 2-1 against Minnesota United FC by conceding a heartbreaking last second goal.

"It's a huge week for us and it won't be easy," said FC Edmonton coach Colin Miller. "We'll freshen the team up a bit, get some players a chance that haven't played much so far. I'm glad we can turn our attention away from home for a couple of games. We're in a good frame of mind."

"This will certainly be one of the most important games of our short history," added Ottawa Fury FC coach Marc Dos Santos. "Our players and staff want to make this dream possible and qualify for the semifinals. For that we will need to show incredible commitment, organization and passion during all 180 minutes."

Fans are encourage to follow @CanadaSoccerEN on Twitter using #canChamp for tournament updates, but also to connect with the five Canadian professional clubs involved for live match coverage (@impactmontreal, @OttawaFuryFC, @torontofc, @FCEdmontonNow, @WhitecapsFC). Match highlights and reports will be available on canadasoccer.com/championship as well as on CanadaSoccerTV .

The Amway Championship final home-and-away that will crown the winner will be played on May 28 and June 4, with the winner receiving a coveted berth into the CONCACAF Champion's League.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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