Match Preview | Ottawa Fury FC V Richmond Kickers
August 14, 2018 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Ottawa Fury FC News Release
OTTAWA - Ottawa Fury FC will look to maximise their home advantage and take the most number of points from the two consecutive games at TD Place. They first face Richmond Kickers in a mid-week battle this Wednesday, followed by a weekend fixture against Indy Eleven. With Fury FC having a total of five home games left this season, a strong performance in these games will significantly boost their playoff chances and help them get to a comfortable position in the standings.
Fury FC have got a mini five-day break after having played three games in eight days. But they head into another busy schedule where they will end up playing four games in 10 days. The advantage this time around is that two of those games will be at TD Place. The Ottawa side has a 6W-2D-4L record at home this season so far.
Fury FC are coming off a 2-0 loss against Nashville SC in their last game. It was a result that didn't reflect the effort that the Ottawa side put in that game. They ran Nashville close and fired eight shots with three of them on target, and they also had two blocked shots but the goals refused to come. They players are eager to continue the strong performance and get a positive result in this upcoming game.
Richmond Kickers are not in the best of form right now. They are coming off a 1-0 loss to Toronto FC II and the last time they got a 'W' was seven games ago. They have lost their last four consecutive games, conceding 10 goals in those. In their last ten games they have a 1W-2D-7L record. Fury FC have won both of their previous meetings and will be looking for another solid performance that will get them their third win against Richmond.
Fury FC are celebrating I Heart Soccer Week this week - August 13 to August 19, and in addition to the many free events and opportunities for fans to connect with their favourite players, this Wednesday game will be another great way for the Ottawa soccer community to rally behind their club and help Fury FC grab the points. Tickets for Fury FC remaining home matches are available at OttawaFuryFC.com/tickets.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
Head Coach Nikola Popovic
On the two home games... "It's good that we are back home after a difficult road trip. We travelled for two games out of which one was a strange one where we ended up playing only 45 minutes. The second one was played in a very different and a very tough environment. However, I believe that we had two good games. The team performed well and now we expect to continue the same way. We expect to come here now and perform even better in the next two games."
On the opposition... "When you face teams who are not having a good run, it's always tough. We know they are a very good team but sometimes the ball bounces out of the net. We have to be very careful and cautious. We will prepare for this game like any other game. We don't expect an easy game. We expect a tough game and our boys have to be at their bet to win this game."
On the assimilation of the new players into the squad... "They're new but they are adapting fast. They are showing some good signs at the beginning. But let's give them time to adapt to the new culture, to the new core values and the new model of play. They need time but what we are seeing during this initial period of time that they have been here, we're satisfied with the indications that we are getting from these players."
Midfielder Cristian Portilla
On playing the next two games at home... "We're really excited to be back. In our last game we deserved a better result. So now we want to come here and play even better. We are playing really good football and the team is really confident and we are looking to get a good result at home."
On his leadership role in the team... "It's what the coach asked me to do. It's my role in the team and I try to do it as best as I can during training and during the games. Sometimes during a game, the team needs someone to be a leader. And I do that. But we have many players who are leaders."
On the business end of the season coming up... "The last part of the season is always crucial. We have six away games left in the season. We need to make sure that we take nine points from our three home games this month. We know how crucial these games but we are ready for them."
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Matt SOUARE
Assistants: Andre PICKLER and Erick LALIBERTE
Fourth Official: Pierre-Luc LAUZIERE
MATCH DAY INFO
Ottawa Fury FC v Richmond Kickers
Kickoff: Wednesday, August 15 - 7:00 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
United Soccer League Championship Stories from August 14, 2018
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- USL's Week Ahead - August 15-19, 2018 - USL
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- FCC's Barrett Earns Spot on USL Team of the Week - FC Cincinnati
- Match Preview | Ottawa Fury FC V Richmond Kickers - Ottawa Fury FC
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- Louisville's Lancaster Voted USL Player of the Week - USL
- Jake McGuire Earns USL Team of the Week Honors - Philadelphia Union II
- Troy Lesesne Named as Head Coach for USLNM - New Mexico United
- Kickers Travel to Ottawa Wednesday - Richmond Kickers
- Indy Eleven to Play on New Turf, Football Lines for Remainder of 2018 - Indy Eleven
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
