Match Preview | Ottawa Fury FC at Hartford Athletic
May 24, 2019 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Ottawa Fury FC News Release
OTTAWA - With two consecutive wins in a row, Fury FC prepares to take on Hartford Athletic at the Pratt and Whitney Stadium this upcoming Saturday, May 25 (kick-off 7:00 p.m., OttawaFuryFC.com). Fury FC heads out on the road once again, armed with a favourable record while away from home, and with the aim of keeping the winning streak alive and building even more momentum.
STORYLINES
Fury FC moves up the ranks and now sits in sixth position thanks to a solid performance away from home and a 3-0 win at Bethlehem Steel FC. Meanwhile Hartford Athletic is coming into week 12 after finally capturing a first win for the club against Loudoun United on Sunday.
Christiano François earned a spot on the USL Championship Team of the Week for Week 11 after a splendid showing against Bethlehem with one goal and two assists. He is the second Fury FC player to get the honour in full rights, with two more making the bench over the first third of the season.
Kevin Oliveira has joined the league's leaders in shots taken with 23 (tied 10th), while Charlie Ward sits in 5th all conferences for the number of passes completed (599). As a club, Ottawa is tied for 7th in the league with 4 clean sheets.
Fury FC is now 2W-1D-1L away from TD Place this season, and 3W-1D-1L in its last 5 matches, undefeated in its last 4.
Ottawa has rocketed up the USL Championship Power Rankings after Week 11 making the most of its 10 points in four games. This is the form Fury FC will look to keep as it enters a busy summer.
Ottawa will face former Fury FC Ryan Williams who has joined Hartford Athletic for the season. Williams, well-known by Ottawa fans for his "Wednesdays with Williams" videos, played in the Nation's Capital club for two seasons (2016 in NASL & 2017 in USL Championship) featuring in 38 matches and tallying 9 goals.
SCOUTING HARTFORD ATHLETIC
There's a familiar look to Head Coach Jimmy Nielsen's squad at Hartford Athletic, which saw the former OKC Energy FC sideline boss bring a number of his former players in to lead the way for the expansion side as it prepares to enter the league at historic Dillon Stadium. The attacking duo of Jose Angulo - who sits only three goals away from 50 for his USL Championship career - and Alex Dixon is joined by Sebastian Dalgaard, Jonathan Brown, Philip Rasmussen and Wojciech Wojcik in joining Nielsen with the Athletic, a foundation that could mean early success for the side.
In a tough Eastern Conference, though, there will be some questions as to how quickly this will come together. Nielsen fell short of the postseason in his first year at Energy FC before the side took a jump forward to the Western Conference Final in Year 2. There could be a similar learning curve here, familiarity or not. (via USL Championship)
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
**Video and Audio clips of the below are also available on request.
Head Coach Nikola Popovic
"We cannot get complacent. They (Hartford) are coming off a win, they are motivated. Now the question is how we are going to come on the field and maintain our level since we have been playing very well these past few games. We have to be as good as we can be."
"They (Hartford) have very dangerous players. I know some of them from their time with Western Conference teams. These players have a lot of quality. Every ball that appears in front of our box, they can finish so this will be the danger."
"Again, we have to do what we do. We have to be able to play fast and in transition when needed. We have to be able to possess the ball and create spaces. We have to be able to open their defence and create the space and then create our chances to score goals."
Forward Christiano François
"It (last game) was good. We needed it. To go to Bethlehem and win 3-0 is not easy but we made it happen so it was a good feeling."
"We have the same motivation (facing a team that hasn't known much success). We have been working this week on things we'll use during the game, and we are ready. We're ready to face a tough team who's coming off a win. It's going to be a tough game for us but we'll go there and do our best."
HOW TO WATCH
LIVE STREAM: OttawaFuryFC.com
TWITTER: Follow @OTTAWAFURYFC for LIVE updates #HFDvOTT #ForTheFury
VIEWING PARTY: ByTown Boys SC are hosting a viewing party at The Senate Tavern (1156 Bank St), all are welcome
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