September 7, 2018 USL Toronto FC II--Toronto FC II vs Ottawa Fury FC game review (from OttawaFuryFC.com)
Attacking surge lead Fury FC to 4-3 win over Toronto FC II By Ottawa Fury FC, 09/07/18, 1:30PM EDT OTTAWA - The Ontario rivalry was again renewed on Thursday as Ottawa Fury FC travelled to Lamport Stadium to face Toronto FC II in the second of three meetings between the two sides this season. A steady, confident performance from the Ottawa lads grossed a 4-3 win and three critical points in their quest for a playoff spot. With goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau away on international duty and a few other absences to account for, Fury FC Head Coach Nikola Popovic adjusted his formation once more and fielded six Canadians in his starting eleven, with Monsalve getting the nod in front of goal. Ugandan attacker Luboyera also earned his first start of the 2018 season. It didn’t take long for Fury FC to establish their pace. In the fourth minute, after a dynamic push run forward by Dos Santos, the ball found Tony Taylor on the top of the box and his left-footed shot sneaked in at the bottom corner of the TFCII goal, giving Ottawa a much welcomed early lead. With an already favourable record when scoring first, Ottawa padded their lead in the 37th minute thanks to a curling beauty from Cristian Portilla off a corner kick. What is also known as an Olimpico goal in soccer jargon, Portilla’s second of the season, propelled Fury FC up 2-0 heading into the break. A drastic shift of momentum in the first few minutes of the second half saw Toronto FC II score twice within the same minute, levelling the playing field with goals from Bakero and Endoh in the 47th minute. Not to be undone, Fury FC put their counter-attack tactics to work again mid-way through the second frame when Oliveira dribbled his way up the field and got a dangerous shot on target that just grazed the post. Moments later, Oliveira threatened again off a free kick just outside the box, and his perfectly weighted ball bounced off a TFCII defender to give Ottawa the lead once more. The goal would later be credited to Fury FC’s Meilleur-Giguère. Unfortunately for Ottawa, following a spectacular save by Monsalve to save a goal scoring opportunity and a solid tackle to clear the ball in the box, TFCII Hamilton converted his penalty kick and drew Toronto back in the game at 3-3. Fury FC lit it up one more time not long after that, with another dynamic counter led by Captain Carl Haworth, who crossed the ball to the back post and found Adonijah Reid who calmly headed it home, giving Ottawa their third lead of the night. The attacking surge Fury FC garnered on the night led them to an important 4-3 win over their Ontario rival, also allowing them to jump back into the 8th position in the USL Eastern Conference. Ottawa will now host the Montreal Impact on Friday, September 7th in the first edition of the CapCity Cup before heading on the road again for their next USL matchup against Richmond on Saturday, September 15. POST-GAME COMMENTS Head Coach Nikola Popovic On the team’s performance… “I saw a team who’s been performing well the past four games, the only difference [tonight] is that we were able to take our chances and score four goals. However, we are still committing mistakes – it’s not good when you have to score four goals in an away game to win three points. We have to stop those mistakes.” “I’m very proud of our players. I think the way they were able to react after the bad start to the second half – because of inconsistencies where they score two goals – but after that fantastic behaviour, fantastic mindset, fantastic will. Going back to our culture, this is what you want, a team that will fight no matter what.” On the difference tonight… “Of course, we analyse games differently than most people, and in the all those games [against Nashville, Penn FC, New York] we had a lot of chances but we weren’t able to take our chances and in this game we were able to score four goals. Sometimes, it’s details, it’s a split second. Sometimes it’s related to luck too. But when you have a little bit more time [to practice] like we did this week, you are able to correct some things. In a football game, you have to be prepared for this kind of situation but I think the big difference today was that we were able to finish on our chances.” MATCH REPORT Full stats report on USL Match Centre or download the Opta Stats Report (full) Watch Match Highlights Download Match Photos (Credit: Toronto FC II / USL) Starting XI Ottawa Fury FC (4-3-3): Monsalve; Gagnon-Laparé, Meilleur-Giguère, Attakora (46’ Edgar); Luboyera (66’ Reid), Mannella, Portilla, Oliveira; Taylor, Dos Santos (83’ Sanon), Haworth © Toronto FC II (4-4-1-1): Angotia; Hagglund, Hamilton, Morgan (63’ Bjornethun), Herdandez ©; Endoh, Okello, Campbell (87’ Johnson), Srbely (79’ Daniels); Bakero; Telfer Scoring Summary 4’ OTT – Taylor (Dos Santos) 37’ OTT – Portilla 47’ TOR – Bakero 47’ TOR – Endoh (Bakero) 69’ OTT – Meilleur-Giguère (Oliveira) 74’ TOR – Hamilton (PK) 78’ OTT – Reid (Haworth) Caution Summary 39’ TOR – Hernandez 56’ TOR – Srbely 83’ TOR – Hagglund 90+4’ OTT – Monsalve Expulsion Summary -none- Attendance 207 Next Home Match – CapCity Cup: Friday, September 7 v Montreal Impact – 7:00 p.m. – TD Place Next USL Match: Saturday, September 15 @ Richmond Kickers – 7:00PM– City Stadium
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