Strong Fury FC Performance Gets Ottawa Past Nashville
July 21, 2018 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Ottawa Fury FC News Release
OTTAWA - Ottawa Fury FC may have left it late, but ultimately prevailed against Nashville SC winning 2-0 on Saturday night at TD Place. Two extra time markers by Tony Taylor and Kevin Oliveira gave Ottawa three crucial points against a team they are jockeying with for playoff position.
The match began at a brisk pace, with both teams attacking at will. Both outfits saw significant possession in their respective attacking thirds in the first 15 minutes, but neither could find the space to have a shot, leaving it a very even battle.
In the 20th minute, the visitors looked to run into the Ottawa box, but Eddie Edward puts his shoulder into Ismaila Jome and swept the ball away in the blink of an eye.
Ottawa nearly caught Nashville on the break when Jamar Dixon sent Steevan Dos Santos into the box. Dos Santos's run was thwarted by a last-ditch tackle by a defender, but it was an early warning from Fury FC.
Edward was involved again a few minutes later, when he darted down the right-hand side and whipped in a high cross to the penalty spot. Daniel Haber, making his first start as a member of Fury FC, charged the ball but couldn't direct his header towards the Nashville goal.
The first real chance for Nashville SC came late in the first half when Justin Davis floated a cross that was snatched out of the air by Maxime Crépeau, who was commanding as ever in the Ottawa penalty area.
Quality scoring chances were at a premium in the first half, which ended scoreless.
Fury FC started the second half well. Tony Taylor drew a foul beside the Nashville box and Christian Portilla stepped forward to take it. His left-footed attempt was heading towards goal, but sailed just over the bar.
Taylor nearly helped Fury FC break the deadlock in the 58th minute. He threaded a cleaver ball with the outside of his foot to Haber, who was through clear on goal. A good tackle from behind by a Nashville defender broke up the dangerous chance.
Ottawa carved out a promising opportunity in the 77th minute. Adonijah Reid danced into the middle of the pitch and fed Dos Santos. The big striker turned and fired a low shot that beat goalkeeper Matt Pickens but missed the net by a whisker.
Fury FC were incredibly unlucky in the 80th minute. Nana Attakora tried to clear the ball in his own penalty area, but it ricocheted up and caught his hand. Alan Winn took the spot kick, but thumped it off the crossbar and out, restoring Ottawa's faith, and shifting momentum clearly in Ottawa's favour.
With the additional time still being announced, Fury FC broke through. Onua Obasi started a counter-attack that saw Jimmy-Shammar Sanon make a calm play on the byline to lay the ball back to Taylor. The stocky forward's shot was clinical and unstoppable as he blasted it into the top corner to give Ottawa the lead very late on.
If Taylor set the TD Place crowd into a frenzy, Oliveira shut the stadium down with a jaw-dropping strike from 25 yards out. His shot went off the crossbar and down into the goal, in what served as the last kick of the game.
Ottawa will now shift their focus to a big Canadian Championship match with Toronto FC at BMO Field on Wednesday, July 25 (KO 7:30 p.m.). Their next match in the USL is at home on Saturday, July 28 (KO 2:00 p.m.) against Louisville City.
POST-GAME COMMENTS
Head Coach Nikola Popovic
"It was an even game. The halftime score of 0-0 was fair I think, but in the second half we started to press them and create some chances. We were very lucky. The penalty was unlucky, but being able to come back after that and score two goals was fantastic. We have to congratulate our players."
"We felt Nashville was perhaps not has reactive as we expected. So this is something we explored, even more in the second half, and has time went by, we just kept pressing and being aggressive. But the moment of the game as to be when they missed the penalty. This could change the game completely."
"We are getting better and better. We have players coming back, like Portilla, that give us a little bit more time on the ball that we can use. And then the switch of the play, with players like Jimmy [Sanon], like [Adonijah]Reid, Carl [Haworth], Daniel now... all of these players have speed that we can use. But at the end of the day, we want to play too. So we are now an uncomfortable team [to face] because we can attack fast, and we can attack slow."
Forward Daniel Haber
"I feel good. The team won and that's all that matters. Now, I want to bring positive energy and an attacking presence to the team and help us win any way we can. I feel confident that I'm fitting in nicely so far."
Midfielder Kevin Oliveira
"It's all about trusting the process. We trust the process, we trust the coach, and we what we're here for and what we have to do. And now we're putting in all on the pitch, and that's the important thing."
"The game was tough. They missed the PK [penalty kick], and I think that when they missed the PK we believed more that we could win the game. I think we deserved it more than Nashville, we did more, we controlled the game. We had a lot of opportunities. When we got them on the counter-attack, it was a good chance to shot, so I gave it my best and it was a good goal! But I'm more happy about the three points and the win."
Nashville Head Coach Gary Smith
On the final ten minutes after the penalty miss... "I thought honestly we were getting stronger and stronger and looked the side more likely to win it when we were given the penalty. When you miss that penalty, after the incredible effort we gave, it has a negative mental effect. That combined with Bradley's hamstring and going down to 10-men. It's a fine line. Looked like we were going to score, and then they score. I think the first goal was very avoidable. The second was well-taken. It's just a fine line between winning and losing and we saw that tonight."
MATCH REPORT
Full stats report on USL Match Centre or download the Opta Stats Report
Watch Match Highlights | Watch Post-Game Comments
Starting XI
Ottawa Fury FC (4-3-3): Crépeau; Obasi, Meilleur-Giguère, Attakora, Edward; Dixon © (74' Mannella), Portilla, Oliveira; Haber (67' Reid), Dos Santos (83' Sanon), Taylor
Nashville SC (4-4-2): Pickens; Woodberry, Bourgeois, Doyle, Davis; Washington (60' Hume), LaGrassa, Reed © (70' James), Jome (79' Kimura); Allen, Winn
Scoring Summary
90+1' - Taylor (Sanon)
90+6' - Oliveira (Sanon)
Caution Summary
57' - LaGrassa
64' - Woodberry
90+4' - Woodberry
Expulsion Summary
90+4' - Woodberry (second yellow card)
Attendance
4,267
Next Match: Wednesday, July 25 v Toronto FC (Canadian Championship) - 7:30 p.m. - BMO Field
Next Home Match: Saturday, July 28 v Louisville City - 2:00 p.m. - TD Place
• Discuss this story on the United Soccer League Championship message board...
United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 21, 2018
- Real Monarchs SLC Drop 2-4 Result at San Antonio FC - Real Monarchs
- Switchbacks Win Thriller 4-2 against Tulsa - Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
- Indy Eleven Roughed up by Tampa Bay Rowdies, 1-3 - Indy Eleven
- STLFC Draws 2-2 against Orange County SC - Saint Louis FC
- Roughnecks Surrender Early Lead in 4-2 Loss at Colorado Springs - FC Tulsa
- San Antonio FC Defeats Western Conference Leaders Real Monarchs 4-2 - San Antonio FC
- Atlanta United 2 Draws 1-1 at Richmond - Atlanta United 2
- City Stuns Charlotte in Four-Goal Attacking Thriller - Louisville City FC
- Flemmings Leads Tampa Bay Rowdies to 3-1 Win over Indy Eleven - Tampa Bay Rowdies
- Rain-Soaked Independence Rally Late, Topped by Louisville City FC - Charlotte Independence
- Orange and Blue earn another three points, extend unbeaten run to 10 games - FC Cincinnati
- Strong Fury FC Performance Gets Ottawa Past Nashville - Ottawa Fury FC
- Hounds Fall to Battery on Late Goal, 1-0 - Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
- North Carolina FC Rolls Past Toronto FC II 3-1 - North Carolina FC
- Oh No Canada, Final Ten Minutes Doom Nashville SC - Nashville SC
- Kuzminsky Shines in Win over Pittsburgh - Charleston Battery
- Kickers and Atlanta Play out to Tough Draw - Richmond Kickers
- S2 Concedes Just Once against Second-Highest Scoring Team in the West, But Falls 1-0 - Tacoma Defiance
- Phoenix Rising Downs S2 Thanks to Cortez Goal - Phoenix Rising FC
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.
