Match Preview | Ottawa Fury FC V Charleston Battery
October 12, 2018 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Ottawa Fury FC News Release
OTTAWA - It could have been easier. It could have been secured earlier. But there is nothing quite like playing a last match of the regular season with so much still on the line. And that is what awaits Ottawa Fury FC this Saturday when they host playoff-bound Charleston Battery at TD Place.
The last time the two sides met, the match ended in a 0-0 draw. This time around, Fury FC will be looking to break through in attack and get their scoring opportunities as they chase the all-important three points. A win is what they are after; nothing short of that will do.
Charleston comes into the game locked into fourth place and assured a playoff appearance. But they should not be taken lightly, as the southerners may be looking to get their rhythm back after dropping two recent results against bottom three teams in Toronto FC II and Atlanta United 2. Fury FC will also want to keep an eye on Ataulla Guerra, Charleston's leading scorer, who despite being called into the Trinidad and Tobago National Team for a Friendly this weekend, will be travelling with the team to Ottawa due to travel issues getting to his National Team camp.
With their hopes still strong of breaking the top 8 and participating in the playoffs for the second time in club history, Fury FC will need to win on Saturday, and look to receive some help from other friendly foes around the league. A Fury FC win combined with a Nashville loss to FC Cincinnati on Saturday night would see Ottawa through. A Fury FC win and a Nashville win/draw plus a Bethlehem draw/loss would also see Ottawa squeak in thanks to their total 14 wins on the season.
Bottom line is: it all starts with a Fury FC win, and the lads will be hungry to prove how strong-willed and character-tested they are. All of that, in front of their supportive home fans who will fill TD Place for one last time this season.
The battle starts at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets are still available, and fans are encouraged to come down and take full advantage of the new Fan First Fare concession pricing in celebration for a great season. A perfect afternoon for soccer that will hopefully be topped off with a great win!
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
Head Coach Nikola Popovic
"First of all, it's fantastic that we are going to be in the playoffs [run] until the last moment. To be able to fight, we have to be very proud about that. The team mindset is very good. We are focused on our game, we cannot be thinking about other things. Sometimes the danger is trying to think about what is going on at the other games so we are focusing on our game. The message is very clear. Knowing that if we have a good performance and bring the three points, then we have a very good chance."
His message to the fans..."They have been great! We have been very lucky to have these fans support us, they've been with us since the beginning. This is the last stretch so we're going to ask them, one more time, to come here to support us because this is perhaps the most important game of the season."
Forward/Winger Carl Haworth
"Sure, we've dropped a few points along the way, and we've put ourselves in perhaps a much more difficult situation than we would've hoped, but at the end of the day, we can take care of business here at home. Put ourselves in a playoff position going into the evening games and into Sunday. At that point, anything can happen."
"Other teams have helped us out a little bit, we couldn't have asked for much better results [this week], but that's outside of our control. Yes, we watch it, we keep an eye on it, but there's nothing you can do about those [other] games. We just have to take care of business here."
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Yusri RUDOLF
Assistants: Phil BRIÃRE & Sean HORNSBY
Fourth Official: Matt SOUARE
MATCH DAY INFO
Ottawa Fury FC v Charleston Battery
Kickoff: Saturday, October 13 - 2:00 p.m. - TD Place
BROADCAST INFO
LIVE STREAM: OttawaFuryFC.com/Fury-Live | USL Match Centre
RADIO: TSN 1200 or TSN1200.ca (EN) | fm1047.ca (FR)
TWITTER: Follow @OTTAWAFURYFC for LIVE updates
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