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Three Keys for Fury FC against Toronto FC

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 07/17/18, 6:02PM EDT

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What can Ottawa do to gain an edge in Wednesday’s Canadian Championship Semifinals first leg at TD Place?


Photo courtesy Steve Kingsman / Freestyle Photography / Ottawa Fury FC

OTTAWA – Ottawa Fury FC plays host to Major League Soccer’s Toronto FC on Wednesday night at TD Place in the first leg of the Semifinal contest between the clubs in the 2018 Canadian Championship (7:30 p.m. ET | CanadaSoccer.com). The two-legged affair is a rematch from the 2017 season, when Ottawa took a 2-1 victory on its home turf before ultimately being eliminated on aggregate after the second leg at BMO Field.

With Toronto FC’s struggles this season in Major League Soccer after its run to the 2018 Concacaf Champions League, however, there might be an opening for Fury FC to spring a surprise this time around. Here are three keys for Wednesday night’s first leg as Ottawa looks to take an advantage before heading on the road next week.

1. Embrace Being the Underdog 

With the format of the Canadian Championship, Ottawa has quickly shifted to becoming the hunter instead of the hunted after getting past AS Blainville of the Premiere Ligue du Soccer de Quebec in the previous round. Embracing that underdog status against the reigning MLS Cup and Canadian Championship-holder should help free the team to play its game with less pressure than in the previous round.

“It’s OK to be the underdog sometimes,” said Fury FC goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau. “I don’t think we have any pressure on our shoulders. We can go out there and enjoy it and for the guys it’s a game that’s not coming every year, so you’ve got to really take that opportunity to step up your game. Yes, there are some MLS players, but it’s OK, it’s all the guys are aiming for and we’re ready. It’s going to be exciting.”

2. Find the One-on-Ones

By the numbers, Fury FC has had difficulty finding success this season from its set plays, creating only 11 chances from set pieces compared to 92 from open play this season according to Opta. That means getting the likes of Kevin Oliveira (14 key passes), Steevan Dos Santos (13 key passes) and Adonijah Reid (12 key passes) into space for one-on-one matchups is going to be important if Ottawa is going to break down Toronto’s defense. With Dos Santos coming off a goal and assist against Penn FC on Saturday, the big Cape Verde forward could be pivotal, and Ottawa should look to feed him as often as possible.

3. Feed Off the Crowd

For Fury FC fans, there’s nothing like the magic of the Canadian Championship. Last season the club welcomed a crowd of 7,611 fans to TD Place – one of its highest attendances of the season – and another strong crowd should be expected on Wednesday night for what will be one of the biggest home games of the season. With that type of atmosphere, led by supporters groups the Bytown Boys and Stony Monday Riot, Ottawa should get a strong boost of adrenaline that they can feed off emotionally to get out on the front foot early.

“This game gives us a chance to play against the best,” said Fury FC defender Nana Attakora. “In order to be able to consider yourself a good team, you have to beat and compete against the best. It doesn’t get bigger than Toronto FC, MLS Champions, finalist in the Concacaf Champions League… they’ve done everything. This will be a great contest for us and hopefully we can prove ourselves.”

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