Fury FC is sticking with USL, CEO says
Ottawa team, Canadian Premier League will continue to have dialogue
So much for the rumblings that had Ottawa Fury FC leaving the United Soccer League and joining the Canadian Premier League, which is expected to begin in 2019.
Mark Goudie, Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group’s CEO, shot down the rumours on Wednesday at TD Place in an impromptu media scrum.
“There is no truth (to the rumours),” Goudie said. “We’re not happy with our standing in the USL, but we’re happy with the USL. We’ve confirmed to the USL that we will be back in the league next year.”
PL teams announced for next year are HFC Wanderers FC (Halifax), York City 9 (Toronto), Forge FC (Hamilton), Valour FC (Winnipeg), FC Edmonton, Cavalry FC (Calgary) and Pacific FC ( Victoria). It had been rumoured that Ottawa would be the league’s eighth team.
Asked if there was pressure to move to the new all-Canadian league, Goudie said: “I don’t think so. The pressure is internal. The CPL and what they’re trying to put together is awesome. I think it’s really good for Canadian soccer. We’ve had dialogue with them and we’ll continue to have dialogue with them.
“For us right now, the best place for us to be playing professional soccer is in the USL and we look forward to a successful season next year.”
Asked why the Ottawa club would stick with the USL, Goudie said: “We’ve been in two leagues in four years now. We started with the NASL, and the USL is a stable league. It’s a good league. We kind of know what to expect.”
Asked if the door was open for a future move, Goudie said: “For sure. The USL’s aware of that, we’ve been upfront with them. We’ll continue to talk to the CPL and see how their business unfolds. We wish them all the success in the world in 2019 and we’ll see where it goes from there.”
Fury FC is in Toronto Thursday for a league game against Toronto FC II. In the first edition of the CapCity Cup Friday, Fury FC hosts Montreal Impact, its MLS partner, in a friendly. There have also been rumours about the future of Fury FC coach Nikola Popovic.
Asked about whether the coach would return for 2019, Goudie said: “He’s under contract for next year. We had a two-year contract. We review everything operationally every year.”
We’ve been in two leagues in four years now. We started with the NASL, and the USL is a stable league. It’s a good league. We kind of know what to expect.