First Thoughts
In a match that pits the North American Soccer League’s two Canadian clubs against each other, Ottawa Fury FC and FC Edmonton will be looking to salvage a spring season which has largely been disappointing for both camps. The two sides, who come into the game sporting similar league records, are reeling from frustrating home efforts which saw them lose their respective previous matches on goals conceded in the final minutes on home turf. The Fury allowed a 90th minute goal in a 3-2 loss to the San Antonio Scorpions at Keith Harris Stadium, while the Eddies conceded in the 80th minute on route to a 2-1 loss at Clarke Stadium.

Ottawa will be playing its final home game at Carleton University, as they look forward to their move into a refurbished Lansdowne Park to kick off the NASL fall season. The expansion Fury has played Edmonton at Keith Harris Stadium in the Amway Canadian Championship, a match that ended in a 0-0 draw. With the NASL’s eight American-based teams playing in the US Open Cup this week, Ottawa and Edmonton are the only two clubs who will not feature in mid-week matches.

Keep Thinking
Ottawa and Edmonton come into this match looking to improve upon similarly disappointing spring season campaigns. Only two points separate the two sides, with Ottawa’s seven points placing them eighth in the standings, ahead of Edmonton’s five points and Indy Eleven’s three points. An Ottawa victory could potentially move them up to sixth position in the league, as they are merely two points behind both the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Atlanta Silverbacks. An Edmonton win, meanwhile, guarantees the Eddies a move into the eight position, while pushing the Fury further away from a mid-table spot.

With seven match-days completed in the league’s spring season, Ottawa and Edmonton enter this game with a combined total of three wins from fourteen games. Two of those victories have come in away matches, at the expense of league new-comers Indy Eleven. Ottawa, meanwhile, has also defeated the Carolina RailHawks in a 4-0 home effort which was arguably the best performance from either side this season.

The Fury and the Eddies last met in the Amway Canadian Championship, with a 0-0 draw at Keith Harries Stadium setting the stage for a 3-1 Edmonton victory in their home leg of the aggregate match-up. They were later eliminated from the tournament by the MLS Montreal Impact. Seventeen year-old Canadian Hanson Boakai created headlines in his sensational performances for the Eddies in the two games, as he followed up a solid outing in Ottawa with a night which saw him notch one goal and two assists in his club’s second-leg victory.

Despite his exceptional performances in the Canadian Championship, Edmonton coach Colin Miller prefers employing Boakai as a late-game substitute in the league. The Fury’s defense will instead need to contend with Daryl Fordyce and Franke Jonke for the majority of the match. While Fordyce and Jonke have led a mostly stale Eddies attack through the spring season, Ottawa’s back-four will be given the key task of ensuring neither finds a scoring touch. In their previous match against San Antonio, the Fury’s defensive unit failed to achieve a similar objective, as they allowed a struggling Scorpions’ offense to generate three goals in a losing effort. Edmonton will continue pressing Ottawa’s defense with the potential additions of both Tomi Ameobi and Boakai to their attack later in the game.

Ottawa will be missing centre-back Omar Jarun for the second straight game, as he continues a spell of international duty with Palestine. In his absence, Drew Beckie looks to once again play at centre-back, while 21 year-old Canadian Andres Fresenga will make his fourth start as a right-back. The Fury’s scoring threat, which has generated thirteen goals in its seven matches, will once again be led by Tony Donatelli and Oliver. Donatelli co-leads the NASL in both goals and assists, and was featured, for the third straight time, on the most recent NASL team of the week. Sinisa Ubiparipovic, meanwhile, will continue to bring a creative spark in the Fury’s midfield, as he looks to build upon his goal against San Antonio. Tommy Heinemann may also make his long-awaited league debut for the club in his return from an ankle injury.

Edmonton right-back Edson Edward will be a familiar face to fans in the nation’s capital, as the Ottawa native featured with the Fury during both the 2007 and 2009 PDL seasons. He will be joined in defense by Albert Watson, Lance Liang, and Kareem Moses as they look to silence Edward’s home-town team. Likewise, Edmonton fans will recognize the Fury’s Kenny Caceros, who, after playing for his home-town Fury in PDL and Capital City FC in CSL, signed his first professional contract with Edmonton in 2012.

Final Thoughts
With Edmonton and Ottawa set to feature in the new North American Soccer League’s first ever all-Canadian match-up, the two sides will be looking for positive results to redeem largely disappointing spring seasons. The Fury’s defensive unit, which has suffered from inconsistency in its seven league matches, will be tasked with recovering from an uninspired effort against the San Antonio Scorpions. It will be important for Ottawa’s defenders to avoid late-game lapses in concentration, which have led to last-minute goals conceded in losses against both the San Antonio Scorpions and Minnesota United this season.

Edmonton will be looking to contain the Fury’s high-flying offense, while pressuring Ottawa’s back-four. The outcome of the match will rely heavily on the success of both teams’ defensive units in silencing opposing attacks. The Eddies’ are looking to continue the troubles of an Ottawa back-four which is missing a key leadership figure in Omar Jarun, while Edmonton’s defenders need a solid effort against the Fury’s creative attackers in order to obtain a result.

Prediction
Ottawa Fury FC 3 – 1 FC Edmonton