Fury FC Claims 2-0 Win at Home against Atlanta United 2
April 28, 2019 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Ottawa Fury FC News Release
OTTAWA - On a cool but sunny Sunday afternoon, Ottawa Fury FC hosted to Atlanta United 2 at TD Place as it looked to garner momentum leading into a busy stretch. The lads in black and red revelled the home crowd in a convincing 2-0 win against a good ATL UTD 2 side. Fury FC closes out Week 8 in USL Championship sitting in 8th position in the Eastern Conference.
Ottawa got on the scoresheet first when Fury FC captain Carl Haworth dropped a perfectly weighted ball to Christiano François in the box. François didn't waste the opportunity to get his first goal of the 2019 season and drilled the ball in the bottom left corner past Castanheira's outstretched arms. Fury FC added a second goal in the 67th minute following a quick free-kick played in the box trying to surprise Atlanta when Mour Samb found teammate Thomas Meilleur-Giguère for a clean finish and a 2-0 lead. Atlanta got a lone shot on goal late in the game but could not alter the outcome of the game, the locals capturing their third win of the season, a third clean sheet.
STORYLINES
Ottawa got the first goal of the match for the fourth time of the season. When scoring first, Fury FC is now 3W-1D-0L in 2019, 49W-19D-7L all-time.
Fury FC returned to its possession-based style and its high passing numbers, connecting for 405 passes against an Atlanta United 2 team that focuses on a similar style and averages 461.5 passes per match.
Ottawa's captain, selected Man of the Match by Fury FC fans, was instrumental in his team's movement and attacking build-up. He completed 42 passes and led both sides with 81 touches. He also recovered the ball 15 times for his club.
Callum Irving gets credited with Fury FC's third clean sheet this season, his second.
This marked both Thomas Meilleur-Giguère and Christiano François' first goal in Fury FC uniform. It was François' seventh in pro career and Meilleur-Giguère's fourth (all in USL Championship for both).
POST-GAME COMMENTS
Head Coach Nikola Popovic
"Our players deserve all the credit. We've had a difficult week (because of injuries and weather) however they were all able to understand very quickly the strategy for this game. We were very strict and precise in how we approached this game and almost everything went according to plan."
"(Carl Haworth) is a player who's able to be dangerous in almost every moment of the game... and when I say every moment I'm including the set plays too. I think the National Team should be looking at this player. He's a player with fantastic skills and that fits very well in our model of play."
Defender Thomas Meilleur-Giguère
"I watched the replay: I don't even know what I'm doing in the box! I don't know why I was there, but I received the ball and just the instinct... my left foot and I scored. I didn't know how to celebrate even I wasn't ready so that's that."
Forward Christiano François
"I feel great. I needed to score. I've been working on finishing. I always keep working hard and I know the goals are going to come. I don't put too much pressure on myself... it was the same thing when I was in Pittsburgh, it takes me some games to score. But when I scored, I kept going. So I think this year will be like that: I look forward to scoring more goals."
MATCH REPORT
Download match photos (credit: Freestyle Photography / Matt Zambonin)
Watch match highlights | Review match statistics
Starting XI
Ottawa Fury FC (4-3-3): Irving; Obasi, Meilleur-Giguère, Attakora, Haworth ©; Gagnon-Laparé, Barnathan, Ward (81' Mutambala); Oliveira, Samb (88' Daniels), François
Atlanta United 2 (4-2-3-1): Castahneira; Benitez, Decas, Ruthven (59' Asiedu), Metcalf; Wyke, Vint; Kissiedou (68' Samuel), Carleton (69' Castro), Fernando; Conway
Scoring Summary
40' - OTT François (Haworth)
67' - OTT Meilleur-Giguère (Samb)
Caution Summary
-none-
Attendance
3,691
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