Well, Ottawa Fury FC remain unbeaten, thanks to a 1-1 draw at the NSC Soccer Complex in Minnesota. Fury frontman Tom Heinemann’s 75th minute goal from the penalty spot cancelled out Minnesota striker Christian Ramirez’s sublime 32nd minute opener, extending Ottawa’s unbeaten run to seven matches (2W-5D-0L).
Fury Extend Unbeaten Run to Seven
Saturday night’s draw in Minnesota wasn’t all roses and lollipops for Ottawa, who lost midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic to what appeared to be a hamstring/quad injury in the first half. The injury woes worsened for Marc Dos Santos’s Ottawa side in the second half, as Brazilian winger Oliver – fresh off of the injured reserve – was booted in the face on the foul that led to Heinemann’s equalizer. The 22 year-old was immediately substituted with what appeared to be a broken nose, marking one more on a growing list of injuries in the past year which have prevented him from developing his undeniable potential.
Minnesota looked to have opened the scoring on eleven minutes off of a free kick, however the assistant had raised his flag to signal an offside, negating Daniel Mendes headed goal (pictured). In all honesty, the offside was karma, as the foul which led to a Ryan Richter yellow card and the free kick itself was a complete sham.
Ramirez put Minnesota ahead in the 32nd minute, racing onto an incredible ball from Tiago Calvano before one-timing home superbly. Ramirez’s goal, the 2014 NASL Golden Boot winner’s second of the year, will be optimistically seen as a sign of things to come by Minnesota fans, who’ve been left dumbstruck by his lack of production thus far in 2015.
Tom Heinemann drew Fury FC deservedly level with a quarter-hour remaining, sending Minny ‘keeper Sammy N’Djock the wrong way. While the equalizer was appreciated by Ottawa, the club could have done without another seemingly freak injury to enthusiastic winger Oliver.
The draw was a hard-fought one, and in typical Ottawa fashion, not possible without the acrobatics (and occasional theatrics) of veteran goalkeeper Romuald Peiser. Despite the end of his NASL-record 648-minute shutout streak, the Flying Frenchman put in another superlative shift, making three saves including a crucial one in stoppage time.
Tempers flared in the final ten minutes, with angry spats of Portuguese being volleyed between fiery Minnesota centre back Tiago Calvano and the Brazilian contingent in the Ottawa dugout. The exchange was the result of another horrendously officiated NASL match in which the referee failed to outline the clear parameters of the game. With bizarre calls seemingly alternating between one team’s favour and the other, both staffs and sets of players were understandably frustrated in the closing moments.
Fury FC now sits on the brink of achieving something for the first time in club history: sitting in a playoff spot come the end of an NASL weekend. If Ottawa can knock off its 2014 expansion brethren Indy Eleven next Sunday at home, the club will vault over the Eleven and into the fourth and final NASL playoff spot.
Photo Courtesy NASL.com
