LESS IS MORE FOR FURY FC GOALKEEPER
Lest people think he is too easily replaceable, it’s possible Callum Irving shouldn’t be so open and honest about things when he says his best games are the ones where he does very little.
The Ottawa Fury FC keeper is second in the United Soccer League in shutouts with five through 14 games and fifth in saves with 38 which, come to think of it, is the equivalent of kind of an easy night Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson could only wish for.
That said, Irving says less is more for him as the Fury FC head to Louisville, Ky., for Saturday night’s potentially statement-making game against second-place Louisville City, losers of just two through their first 13 matches.
“As a goalkeeper, my perfect game is when I don’t have to do anything,” said Irving, a Vancouver native and member of the Canadian national team. “I like to play my part but if I’m doing very little, we are likely playing great.”
All of that means, if Irving does very little Saturday night in Louisville, Fury FC should be in great shape to pick up its biggest win of the season, or biggest points since a 2-2 tie with conferenceleading Charleston back in late April. Fury FC has just three losses in their last 16 games and a win over Louisville could propel them into a coveted Top Four positioning in the USL’s Eastern Conference standings.
“From our first day here, our focus has been on becoming a tough team to play against,” said Irving. “It’s been a bit of a bumpy road, but we’re really starting to turn what might have been draws into wins.”
A win in Louisville won’t come easy. For starters, the Louisville City side has a goal-differential of plus-nine, second only to Charleston’s plus-16.
LouCity is also coming off a rare 1-0 loss in Harrisburg last weekend which interrupted a three-game win streak.
“They’re a good side,” said Fury FC head coach Paul Dalglish. “They know the league inside out.”
After Louisville, the Fury FC closes out the first half with a road game in Toronto before beginning its longest homestand of the season, four games between July 15 and Aug. 12.