Match Preview | Canadian Championship: Ottawa Fury FC V AS Blainville
June 26, 2018 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Ottawa Fury FC News Release
OTTAWA - It will be a charged-up Ottawa Fury FC side that will look to complete the job when they take on AS Blainville in the second leg of their preliminary round of the Canadian Championship this Wednesday. The confidence boost for Fury FC comes from two fronts: first is their impressive 3-0 victory over New York Red Bulls II in USL over the weekend; second is that after four consecutive away games, Fury FC will return to the comfort of TD Place for this match.
The Ottawa side will be looking to benefit from the home advantage and the cheering crowd, boost that will come in handy as this will be their fifth game in 15 days. Adding to that will be the physical battle that one expects this Blainville clash to be and Fury FC players will welcome all the support the fans can provide.
Fury FC Head Coach Nikola Popovic spoke about player recovery being the focus during this tough schedule and that will be a major factor in which line-up gets selected for this Wednesday's game. The good news for Popovic is that the players will be fired up after their win over NYRBII.
The 3-0 victory margin equalled Fury FC's best show this year when they had defeated Toronto FC II by a similar score. USL Player of the Week Adonijah Reid entered the history books when he scored the first-ever hat-trick for Fury FC. It was also the first time that he scored for the club this season. Goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau delivered another standout performance with excellent saves that gave the team another clean sheet. This is Crépeau's seventh clean sheet in USL play this season and that takes him back to the top spot in the USL standings, tied with Nashville SC's Matt Pickens and Orange County SC's Andre Rawls.
The attacking unit also delivered and the interlinking between Reid and Tony Taylor will be another encouraging factor for Fury FC. It was Reid who produced the great through pass for Taylor to score against Blainville last Wednesday. And Taylor returned the favour setting up two of Reid's goals against NYRBII on Sunday. In addition, the defence will be confident having delivered another clean sheet.
It's these positives that will see the Fury FC players head into this Canadian Championship game with their tails up. A win or a draw in this game will see them progress to the semi-finals where Toronto FC awaits. The lure of taking on an MLS side will be added motivation for Fury FC. Coach Popovic had stressed that this tournament is of huge significance to the club and its vision of promoting Canadian talent.
Fury FC will be looking to put in another strong performance to get over the Blainville hurdle and enter the semi-finals for the third successive year. It will be a full-strength Fury FC team that will take to the field this Wednesday and they will be looking for a full-strength fan turnout too. Tickets for all home games can be purchased at OttawaFuryFC.com/tickets, by calling 613.232.6767 X1 or in person at the TD Place Box Office.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
Head Coach, Nikola Popovic
On facing the underdog... "We have to prepare like every other game. We're going to give our best, the team is prepared for this game. Again, we expect a very difficult game; they [Blainville] have showed that they have a lot of quality, so we have to be very focused. For us, this is one of the most important games we have."
On his message to the players... "The players know. They are taking this competition with a lot of responsibility, we all know what this project is about, and by all means this is the most important competition for us."
On his message to the fans... "I would like to see... Like Blainville brought their fans, at their home field... I would expect that our fans come out in good numbers and fill the stadium, and give us a lot of support. This is what we need."
Forward Adonijah Reid
On the team's chemistry... "We've played together a lot, so I think that the more you play together, the more our attackers are getting used to each other. You can see, in the game against Blainville, I set up Tony [Taylor], and in this past game he assisted on two of my goals. So the more we play, the more we'll get good chemistry and it gives us great chances in the game."
On the physicality of the opponent and the roles of fans... "You can see how their fans were, there was a very big crowd and a very big atmosphere, and I think it helped the players a lot. I just think the same will happen with us. We have good fans here, they give us a lot of support, so I think we'll get the same here."
"To prepare, we'll do what we always do. Get our rest, get our recovery, and prepare for the next game."
Defender Thomas Meilleur-Giguère
On the team's chemistry... "I think it has a lot to do with the culture we have developed off the field. Together with the coaching staff and players, we play well and you can see that the chemistry is there."
On preparing for the physical matchup... "We keep the same preparation, but we have to bring more energy to the game. I think having our fans there also help us to bring more energy. I'm not sure if they [Blainville] are ready to play in front of a big crowd and on a big field like this so I think we have a big advantage for this match."
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- Match Preview | Canadian Championship: Ottawa Fury FC V AS Blainville - Ottawa Fury FC
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