Match Preview | Canadian Championship: Ottawa Fury FC v Blainville
Published on June 19, 2018 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Ottawa Fury FC News Release
OTTAWA - The Canadian Championship has always featured high on Ottawa Fury FC's priority list and the 2018 edition will be even more so. Promoting Canadian talent is the focus of this tournament and that aligns with Fury FC's vision as a club. This tournament provides a great opportunity for the Ottawa side to showcase their Canadian talent and it's under this spotlight that Fury FC will take on AS Blainville in the first leg of the second qualifying round of the Canadian Championship this Wednesday.
It's the 10th anniversary edition for the tournament, and teams from Première ligue de soccer du Québec (PLSQ) and League 1 Ontario were included for the first-time ever. PLSQ's AS Blainville defeated League 1 Ontario's Oakville Blue Devils 3-2 over two legs in the first qualifying round to earn a battle against Fury FC. The second qualifying round will also consist of a home and away format with the first leg being held in Blainville this Wednesday (KO 7:30 p.m.) and the second leg being held on June 27th at TD Place.
The winner of this round will take on Toronto FC in the semi-finals. The other semi-final round will take place between Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Fury FC will be keen to defeat Blainville and get another shot at defeating the MLS clubs.
The Ottawa side has consistently punched above their weight in this tournament. In the last two editions, they won the first leg at TD Place against MLS teams, unfortunately losing on aggregate in the return leg. They have shown that they have been able to hold their own against MLS teams at home. Now they will be eager to get that positive result on the road and make it to the final. But first they will have to get past a spirited Blainville side.
Blainville are enjoying a good run of form this season in the PLSQ. They are yet to be beaten and have a 4W-3D-0L record. They have scored 11 goals and conceded six in their league so far. They earned their berth in the Canadian Championship by winning the PLSQ title last season. They dominated proceedings on the way to their 2017 PLSQ title. In their 18-game season, they scored 45 goals and ended up with a goal difference of +31, with their closest rival's next best goal difference being +6. They also won the 2017 PLSQ Cup. Their attacking spearhead is Pierre-Rudolph Mayard who scored 14 goals for them last season. So far this season, Mayard has scored 7 goals. This six-foot striker is the one Fury FC should watch out for.
Fury FC will be keen to get a positive result in Blainville before they return for the second leg at TD Place in a week's time. Fans are urged to come out and support the Canadian team in the Canadian Championship and take part in "The Project". 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 the importance of the Canadian Championship for Fury FC... "I think it's very important. We have said that from the beginning that the Canadian Championship is the most important competition that we are involved in. So there are no excuses. The pressure on us is very, very high because this is the most important game of the year for us until now."
On the opposition... "They're very good. The frustrating part in soccer is that these players are very good but sometimes you don't have the high-level stage to showcase their abilities. And we have a few players over there who have had a taste at higher levels like Nazim [Belguendouz], [Abdoulaye] Sylla and others. We expect they're going to be a very difficult opposition."
Midfielder Maxim Tissot
"These two games are very important for us. The first one is in Laval on Wednesday. We cannot take this game lightly. We all followed what happened with Blainville in Oakville. The winner of this game plays TFC, an MLS squad, and the guys are actually waiting for that. We have to be focused throughout the two games. It's going to be hard over there. Blainville have a lot of fans who are very passionate as we saw during their home game. But I like our chances going forward."
Importance of the Canadian Championship for Fury FC... "It's extra important. We have something to prove this year with all the Canadians in the team. I think people were doubting us at the beginning but we have turned it around and we have shown that Canadian players can play. We play for more than Fury FC. We play for Canada and for those players who do not have a chance to have a club; for those who are waiting at home for the CPL to begin. It's extra motivation for us."
On his recovery from injury... "I feel good. It has been while. The last game I played was back in November 2017. It feels good to be back. I'm not fully fit yet but I played for about 20 minutes and I felt good. I'm just getting my feet sorted out and that will come with games and playing time. I'm looking forward to possibly playing on Wednesday."
Midfielder Jamar Dixon
On the Canadian Championship... "It's extremely important for the team, for the country especially with all the stuff that's going on right now. It's big and this year there are two extra teams added to the mix and now we have to face these guys and it's going to be a very important match. It's exciting."
On the progress of Fury FC... "It's definitely a team that's being built step by step. We have a new foundation and it takes a little bit of time but as you can see we are getting better with time. And that's a good thing. It's a great group of guys and we are starting to gel and there's an extreme amount of positivity in the room. We want to just keep going."
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