April 22, 2017 USL Toronto FC II--Ottawa Fury FC vs Toronto FC II Match Recap (from OttawaFuryFC.com)
Match Recap: Fury FC -v- Toronto FC II By OttawaFuryFC.com, 04/22/17, 5:15PM EDT Fury FC dominant, but held to a draw in Home Opener Recap It was a cloudy and chilly start to the early afternoon at TD Place, however, after a six-month hiatus, the Fury faithful began trickling into the stadium and filling the stands, the excitement of another season of soccer in the nation's capital began to permeate all corners of the stadium. As kick-off loomed, the supporters were booming, the crowd was excited, and the players were jumping, raring to go – the clouds parted and the sun made its presence just in time for the 2017 Fury FC home opener in front of a 6502 crowd. The energy of the home crowd infected the players as Fury came out with a very high tempo early-on in the match. Just six minutes into the game, Fury FC earned their first corner, which lead to an ambitious, yet honourable bicycle-kick attempt by Dos Santos which unfortunately did not connect, and Toronto FC II cleared quickly. This would be the first of three crosses earned by Fury FC in the first half. Fury FC went on to earn two shots on target - Toronto FC II gave Irving little to do, registering no shots on net. Toronto FC II held their own, and possession eventually evened out to 50% for each side. Fury FC finished off the half with three shots on net and three corners. Both teams returned to the pitch without any changes to begin the second half. While the sun began to hide retreat behind the clouds, the enthusiasm and energy of the crowd continued to fuel the players on the pitch. Fury FC came out arguably even hungrier in the beginning of the second half, forcing two corners within the first three minutes of the half, both unable to produce quality scoring chances. Fury FC continued to apply pressure, managing another three shots on net over the next. Things got interesting in the 81st minute when a penalty call was awarded to Fury FC. Tucker Hume, who had an immediate impact following his substitution just seconds before, was taken down in the box by midfielder Brian James, who appeared to touch the ball first. Gerardo Bruna lined up to take the penalty kick, Toronto FC II captain Mitchell Taintor went down hard on the edge of the 18th. After the dust settled, Andrae Campbell’s marching orders were handed to him, as the referee gave him a perhaps deserving red card. Things got worse for Fury FC as the former Liverpool and Real Madrid product caught Cavalluzzo diving the other way, and cannoned a solid left-footed strike off the left post. The sequence of events left Fury FC worse for wear as a zero was still up on the scoreboard, and were now down to 10-men. The penalty was symbolic of the Fury’s inability to convert on the plethora of scoring opportunities this afternoon. Despite being down a man, the players continued to dig deep, appearing the aggressor even in the latest stages of the game. Coach Paul Dalgish’s cries for more pressure up-field in additional time lead to one final corner in the 90+4 minute. Unfortunately, a Williams corner sailed over the heads of all players, leading to the referee blowing the final whistle. Fury FC will hit the road again next weekend with a fixture against the Charleston Battery scheduled for next Saturday, April 29th, before returning to TD Place on May 3 to host FC Edmonton in the Canadian Championship. Fury FC single-game tickets and Season tickets for the 2017 USL season are available at OttawaFuryFC.com, by calling 613.232.6767 X1 or in person at The Box Office at TD Place. Post-game comments Fury FC GM and Head Coach, Paul Dalglish: "It feels like a loss right now because the players worked really hard, defended really really well, we had enough chances to win the game, but it wasn’t to be. We need to put this one behind us and take the positives from it and get focused on winning this game next week against Charleston. Even when we had 10 men, we were the aggressor and looked as though we could score then as well” Fury FC Captain, Lance Rozeboom: "We played well today, we had chances and obviously the penalty at the end. It was frustrating, you obviously want to come out and win that first home game. The performance was good - second shutout in a row, you have to take the positives from it.” Fury FC midfielder, Gerardo Bruna: “The only thing you can say is that I should have scored and we should have won that game because the team deserved it.” “There were a lot of things going on with the sending off, but I knew when I was taking the penalty, where I was going to put it but I don’t know, I cant explain what happened… I should have scored” Match Report: Starting XI Ottawa Fury FC(3-4-3): Irving; Obasi (Meilleur-Giguère 90+2'), Del Campo, McEleney; Campbell, Rozeboom, Dixon, Edward (Hume 81'); Sito (Bruna 73’), Dos Santos, Williams Toronto FC II (3-5-2): Cavalluzzo; Peters (Onkony 79’), Taintor, Aubrey; James, Osorio, Uccello, Alseth, Camargo (McCrary 63’); Spencer (John 63’), Hamilton 2017 Record Fury FC: 1W-1D-2L, 4 pts, 11th place (Eastern Conference) Toronto FC II: 1W-2D-2L, 5 pts, 10th place (Eastern Conference) Scoring Summary: None Caution Summary: 17’ TOR - Peters 74’ TOR - McCrary 81’ TOR - Aubrey Ejection Summary: 81' OTT - Campbell Attendance: 6502 Next Match: April 29 @ Charleston Battery - 7 p.m. - MUSC Health Stadium Next Home Match: May 3 vs FC Edmonton - 7 p.m. - TD Place *Canadian Championship
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