PREVIEW: FURY FC -V- ROWDIES

Fury FC look to make it three straight wins Saturday night when Rowdies visit TD Place

MATCH DAY INFO:
OTTAWA FURY FC -v- TAMPA BAY ROWDIES
KICKOFF: JULY 30, 2016 - 7:00PM (TD PLACE - OTTAWA, ON)
LIVE IN-GAME STATS: CLICK HERE

BROADCAST INFO:
TV: ROGERS TV
LIVE STREAM: OttawaFuryFC.com/Watch-Live-Stream (Blackout USA) | NASL.com/Watch-Live
ENGLISH RADIO: TSN1200 / TSN1200.ca
FRENCH RADIO: 94,5 Unique FM / UniqueFM.ca
TWITTER: Follow @OTTAWAFURYFC for LIVE updates

MATCH PREVIEW:

After a tough start to the NASL Fall Season, patience appears to being paying off for Fury FC. The club commitment to their style of play, coupled with some key additions as seen Paul Dalglish’s side earn a pair of decisive 2-0 victories – their most recent win coming Wednesday night at TD Place over Carolina.

Fury FC now look take aim at a third straight win Saturday night when they clash against former England International Joe Cole and former Fury FC striker Tom Heinemann and the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Saturday’s fixture will mark the third game over the past seven days for both clubs with the Rowdies coming into town following a 2-2 draw Saturday at home against the Cosmos and a 1-0 loss Wednesday night in Oklahoma against the Fall Season leading Rayo OKC.

For weeks, head coach Paul Dalglish has been preaching patience and that his team needed just a bit of good fortune to get them on the right track. His side hasn’t conceded a goal in over 188 minutes and have potted a pair of goals in each of the past two games – statistics that Dalglish chalks up to his players consistency.

“We’ve been building and we’re very close to the consistence performances that we showed in the last two games so I’m very pleased. Learning each other’s tendencies can sometimes take time and I think on both sides of the ball we are looking much better now.”

Romuald Peiser displayed another strong performance on Wednesday collecting his fourth shutout of the season and his 21st overall which now puts him third place on the NASL all-time shutout list, behind Jimmy Maurer (31) and Matt Van Oekel (25). The Frenchman feels like Fury FC have found a formation that suits them better.

“In our last three games we conceded only three goals and didn’t give the opponents a lot of scoring chances. We take less risks in the back, we are very poised with the ball and at the same time we do things well offensively. Also, taking the lead early in the game makes a huge difference.”

On Wednesday, Carl Haworth found the back of the net for a second-straight game, scoring his team leading fifth goal of the 2016 NASL campaign. The 5-foot-8 forward is having his career-best season and is playing with a lot of confidence right now, which seems to be making all the difference in the final third.

“Once you get a couple of goals you know that you are capable of scoring and you tend to keep your composure way more,” said Haworth. “You saw it last game, I had tons of time in front of the keeper, usually those are the most difficult ones but I stayed calm, looked at the keeper and placed the ball, so I definitely feel comfortable and confident out there.”

On Saturday evening, former Fury FC forward and all-time goal scoring leader Tommy Heinemann (18 goals) will be making his return to Ottawa while three-time English Premier League champion and former England international Joe Cole will be making his first visit at TD Place.

“They have a lot of quality within the team,” said Dalglish. “They invested heavily in their squad with the likes of Joe Cole, Georgi Hristov, and Tommy Heinemann, who we know very well here, so we expect a very good challenge once again. But, with the way we are playing right now, we don’t fear anybody, so we are going to welcome them here and try to defend this house. “ 

“Joe Cole is a quality player. Even if he might not have the legs that he used to, his touch and his vision are still on point,” added Dalglish. “He’s clinical in front of goal so we know what to expect from him and the rest of their squad.”

Stuart Campbell’s side has a record of 1W-2D-2L in its last five games. Saturday’s match will mark the second time both teams face each other this season. Tampa Bay won the first game 2-1 at Al Lang Stadium on June 4th.  Fury FC have an all-time record of 1W-4D-2L against Tampa Bay, being outscored 8-7, and have yet to record a win at home against the Rowdies (0W-3D-1L).

Fury FC will be back on the road next week-end for a clash with Indy Eleven at Michael A. Carroll Stadium on Saturday August 6, before coming back to TD Place the following week to host Jackonsville Armada FC. Fall Season tickets are available by clicking here, calling 613-232-6767 x1 or in person at the TD Place Box Office. The Fall Season schedule is available here.