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Ottawa Fury host Minnesota United Sunday afternoon in the NASL Championship Semi-final. Fury finished second seed in the combined standings, earning them a home playoff match, with the winner of Sunday’s game heading to New York to face the Cosmos in the Soccer Bowl.
The last match Fury lost was at home to Minnesota United earlier this year, and Dos Santos will hope to avoid a heart breaking ending to Sundays match. The Fury gaffer has sequestered the squad in a hotel room on the eve of their big match in hopes to get the players focused and avoiding distractions.
Keep Thinking
Dos Santos should have a full squad available for selection, with captain Richie Ryan and centre back Colin Falvey returning from injury in time. Julian De Guzman, who earned a national team call up, could feature in the midfield, although he would miss a potential final on November 14th/15th on international duty.
Tom Heinemann will be favourite to start up front, while Oliver and Paulo Jr have been Dos Santos’ choice on the wings when both are fit. Andrew Wiedeman has impressed since being moved out wide and could also be in the mix for a spot in the starting eleven.
In The End
Although the last ten matches of the season have each been seen as “finals” in Dos Santos’ mind, this match is in fact the biggest match in club history and certainly puts Fury in a great position to make the final in New York. The match kicks off at 3pm at Lansdowne Park on Sunday afternoon.
Prediction:
Ottawa Fury 2-1 Minnesota United
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