2014 was a year of tough lessons for Ottawa Fury FC. The club found out in its debut season in the North American Soccer League that no lead is safe, nor insurmountable, and every team is capable of claiming three points on any given weekend. While the club slumped to an 8th place finish in its inaugural campaign, manager Marc Dos Santos believes the most crucial goal of year one – the forging of a club identity – has been completed.
“We took some time to build our identity,” says the Luso-Canadian Dos Santos, “when the media talks about us, they know how we’re going to play the game.” At 37, the Montreal native was tasked with putting together a team from scratch – something rarely seen in football. “What took longer than building the identity was establishing a club culture,” he explains, “we had players coming in from all sorts of different footballing cultures, and establishing one culture in the dressing room took a long time.”
Ottawa Fury FC 2015 Season Preview
Dos Santos shouldn’t face that problem during the 2015 campaign, with fourteen players returning to his Fury FC squad from the inaugural team. The team will also be fully comfortable in their newly remodelled home, TD Place Stadium, which they moved into midway through the 2014 season.
The club also made some (at least superficially) shrewd signings in the likes of Rafael Alves, Paulo Júnior, and Mike Randolph, though the jury of course remains out until the real football begins for Fury FC in April.
Without further ado, let’s breakdown the squad position-by-position.
Goalkeeper
2014: Fury FC made what was for my money the best in-season signing of the year in the NASL in early July, when the club brought in former Académica starter Romuald Peiser on a free transfer. Now-departed goalkeeper Devala Gorrick was passable in net during the spring season, but the Peiser signing understandably stapled him to the bench.
Romuald Peiser: The thirty-five year old Frenchman was excellent in the fall season for Ottawa, making numerous spectacular saves while allowing only one howler. Strong in the air, he takes great command of his area and will no doubt be the starting goalkeeper on opening day.
Marcel De Bellis: The twenty-three year old De Bellis will be hoping to see competitive action for the first time in Ottawa colours in 2015 after failing to make the team sheet once in 2014. With Chad Bush and Devala Gorrick both gone, De Bellis should be the second-choice ‘keeper, and could get some serious reps if Peiser goes down with an injury.
Waleed Cassis: In camp as a trialist, the former University of Buffalo standout makes sense as a third-choice ‘keeper.
Defenders
2014: The Fury FC backline was decent in 2014, giving up 28 goals in 27 games, but manager Marc Dos Santos tinkered regardless. The end result of his tinkering is a much-improved backline that boasts a whole lot more NASL experience than 2014’s did.
Mike Randolph: A veteran defender who captained the hapless Atlanta Silverbacks in 2014, Randolph comes to Fury FC as a well-respected defender who seems a virtual lock for the opening day spot at left back. With over 100 games of Division II experience, Randolph brings much-needed NASL experience to Fury FC’s back four.
Ryan Richter: At twenty-five years old, Richter joins Ottawa on a full-time basis after having made fifteen appearances for the club on loan last year. While never quite good enough for MLS’ Toronto FC, Richter showed good poise and marking skills during his NASL debut in 2014. Will likely battle Drew Beckie for time at rightback.
Colin Falvey: A bit of a flyer signed towards the end of the off-season, the twenty-nine year old Irishman comes to Ottawa with plenty of stamps on his passport but minimal higher-level experience. A former teammate of Tom Heinemann and Nicki Paterson’s, Falvey appeared over 100 times for the third-tier Charleston Battery over the last five seasons. With time spent in the Indian Super League and the ASB Premiership (New Zealand), it remains to be seen whether or not Falvey will be able to make the jump to the second tier of North American football.
Mason Trafford: The club’s ironman in 2014, Trafford appeared in twenty-seven matches for Ottawa and defended, for the most part, very admirably. That being said, with four centrebacks all in the mix, Trafford will have to earn his minutes.
Drew Beckie: The former Canadian youth international was arguably Fury FC’s best defender during the spring season, but a nasty injury limited his time in the fall season. Nonetheless, the versatile draft pick of MLS’ Columbus Crew should log some serious minutes either at centreback or rightback for Dos Santos’ side.
Omar Jarun: Likely the odd-man-out in the heart of Ottawa’s defence, Jarun was an old warhorse in 2014; slow, awkward, but constantly working as hard as anybody. Unfortunately for the thirty-one year old, there are simply stronger, more fluid options in the squad now and it seems likely he will not see much of the pitch.
Rafael Alves: Arguably the crowning jewel of Fury FC’s offseason, he is the man probable to replace Jarun. A big, physical defender who can pose a threat off of set pieces, Alves is widely regarded as one of the best defenders in the NASL, and many were left scratching their heads when Fort Lauderdale allowed him to walk this offseason.
Midfielders
2014: While creative and offensively productive in the spring season, injuries and inconsistencies derailed Ottawa’s midfield during the fall, stalling the attack. Richie Ryan was the only bright spot down the stretch, as Sinisa Ubiparipovic and Tony Donatelli threw in the towel with weeks remaining in the season.
Brandon Poltronieri: Another signing completed close to the opening of training camp, the twenty-nine year old joins Ottawa as a versatile left-footed player. The American-born Poltronieri has spent most of the last six seasons in the Costa Rican first division, and it will be interesting to see whether or not he can penetrate Dos Santos’ starting XI.
Patryk Misik: Likely a depth signing, the Polish-Canadian twenty year-old has spent the past two seasons playing for Polish giants Slask Wroclaw’s reserve team, and returns home in the hopes of finally playing first team football.
Philippe Davies: Returning from last year’s squad, Davies is a versatile player who can feature anywhere on the right side of the pitch. The twenty-four year old appeared in 23 games last season, but with the logjam on the backline it’s unlikely he will be called into defensive duties. He’ll have to provide some creative punch if he wants to match his appearance total from 2014.
Sinisa Ubiparipovic: The inconsistent midfield maestro returns to the club after much speculation over his future in Ottawa. With the heart of the midfield largely untouched, it seems Dos Santos has given Ubiparipovic the creative reins in the centre of the park, for better or worse. He can be the best player on the pitch, and he can be the worst – you usually know within ten minutes of kick-off.
Mauro Eustaquio: The Luso-Canadian youngster was steady in his eight appearances in 2014, and returns to Ottawa likely hoping for a bigger role in this year’s side. At twenty-one years of age, he has time to both develop and to spell aging captain Richie Ryan if need be.
Nicki Paterson: The thirty year-old Scotsman had his 2014 season largely derailed by injuries. A pre-season injury put him behind the eight-ball from the off, and having a fit Paterson essentially gives Dos Santos a whole new midfielder.
Richie Ryan: Fury FC’s most consistent player in 2014, the Irishman returns to wear the captain’s armband again this season. A confident ball distributor who never tries to do too much, he will once again be a staple in the heart of the park for Ottawa.
Forwards
2014: While injuries certainly took a toll on Ottawa in its debut season, the attack simply wasn’t good enough, getting shut out in seven of 27 matches. Chances were squandered, shots missed, passes intercepted; quite simply, the team’s attack lacked punch.
Paulo Júnior: A pacey, skilled winger who likes to run at defenders, the twenty-six year-old could breathe some new life into an Ottawa attack that was relatively stale in 2014. With twelve career NASL goals, he certainly knows how to score at this level. However, he also hasn’t found the back of the net in the last two calendar years over the course of 27 matches.
Tom Heinemann: A hulking target man, Heinemann proved he was the best finisher in the squad in 2014, but this year could prove to be very different with some real competition up top in the form of Andrew Wiedeman. While Heinemann did have more finish than the club’s other striker, Vini Dantas, he still squandered a substantial amount of opportunities and had an annoying habit of flopping. Newsflash: at 6’4, you won’t get any calls mate!
Carl Haworth: Haworth made a credible debut at the NASL level in 2014, but lacks the finish to stand out as a true offensive threat at the second division level. While he did make 24 appearances last season, it’s unlikely he’ll see anywhere near those kind of minutes this year with the club’s additions up front.
Andrew Wiedeman: Signed on a free transfer after MLS’ Toronto FC declined his contract option, Wiedeman will push Heinemann for the lone striker position in Dos Santos’ 4-3-3. He provides Ottawa with a different kind of frontman, and it will be interesting to see how he battles with Heinemann for minutes.
Oliver Minatel: The twenty-two year old Brazilian was Fury FC’s most dynamic offensive player in 2014; he led the team in goals, added three assists, and was consistently a threat to the opposition when on the ball. Fury FC are lucky to have kept him through 2015, as there were rumours swirling of MLS interest in him.
Spring Schedule
- Fury FC will start its 2015 campaign with a pair of tricky away ties. April 4th will see them at WakeMed Soccer Park to face the Carolina RailHawks. Last season’s trip to Carolina saw the club suffer its worst defeat of the season, a 3-0 whipping, on July 26th. April 11th they’ll then face the new-look Atlanta Silverbacks – a team now under league ownership.
- Ottawa will open up their home schedule on April 18th, when they’ll face powerhouse Minnesota United. The middle portion of the spring season schedule doesn’t appear to be too kind to Fury FC, with Minnesota United and Fort Lauderdale – two playoff teams – slated for Weeks 3 & 4, followed by a daunting Week 5 trip to New York to face Raul and the Cosmos.
- Plenty of winnable points towards the end of the spring for Ottawa, with Indianapolis and Edmonton paying a visit to TD Place Stadium on May 23rd and 30th respectively, before the team will hit the road for a June 6th matchup with expansion side Jacksonville.
Outlook
With many new faces dotting the training pitch, it will be interesting to see how Fury FC gel during the spring season. Manager Marc Dos Santos says he believes his team is capable of a playoff appearance, and I would tend to agree with him; the defence is experienced and solid, the club’s first-choice ‘keeper is amongst the best in the league, and new attacking options bring renewed hope for a better scoring record at home.
This team should not finish any worse than 6th in the eleven-team NASL, and could finish as high as 3rd. The likelihood of Ottawa hosting a playoff game is minimal, but they have a better chance of doing that than finishing at the bottom of the table.
The future is bright on the pitch, and in a market that’s completely void of competitive professional teams, success on the pitch could lead to even greater success off it for Fury FC in 2015.
