Fury back on familiar ground
Team will have to win on the road for shot at PDL Final Four berth
Except for the location, the 2013 Eastern Conference championship for the Premier Development League will have a strong resemblance to the 2012 version.
The same four teams that were at Greensboro, N.C., in July 2012, including the Ottawa Fury, will be vying for the title this weekend in Ocean City, N.J.
The Carolina Dynamo won the conference last year with a 1-0 win over the Fury on a goal that came during injury time. The two could meet again in this year’s final, but the Fury will need first to defeat Reading United DC Saturday and the Dynamo will need to take down the host Ocean City Nor’easters.
The winners of the two semifinals on Saturday will meet in the title game Sunday, with a berth in the PDL Final Four on the line.
“We are really looking forward to this weekend. This is where we wanted to be again after getting here last year,” Fury coach Stephen O’Kane said.
“It is the same four teams as last year, so we are familiar with who we will be facing. There are different players and we are aware of them, but the level will rise and we need to be prepared for that.
“We are training on a grass pitch to simulate the conditions we will face in Ocean City and to prepare for that difference.”
The Fury should be preparing on their home turf at the Algonquin College Soccer Complex but, through a series of events, Ocean City was named hosts for this weekend despite the fact the Fury had the best record in the conference and met all the criteria to host.
“The guys are still playing with a chip on their shoulder, as we should be hosting and not driving to Ocean City,” O’Kane said, adding they just have to go out and perform.
“We all expected to be here at this point and have built a team prepared for it, now it’s a matter of getting on the field and doing it.”
The Fury, who led the Conference with an 11-1-2 record, followed by Ocean City at 112-1, defeated the GPS Portland Phoenix 6-0 Tuesday night to claim the Northeast Division crown.
With Ocean City winning the Mid Atlantic Division, Reading (8-1-5) needed a 3-1 win over the Baltimore Bohemians Tuesday to get the other berth from that division. The Dynamo (9-2-3) won the South Atlantic Division with a 2-1 win over the Virginia Beach Piranhas, also Tuesday.
“With London last year, everything just came together at the right time,” said Fury captain Carl Haworth, who was a member of the defending PDL champion Forest City London squad who beat the Dynamo 2-1 in the championship game.
“Things just started to click and that’s exactly what’s happening here right now. We know it will be hard and have a different feel with the different teams.
“We’re confident, but it’s cautious confidence. We know we deserve to be in this situation and if we execute and use our game plan we can be successful.”
The Fury haven’t allowed a goal in the past nine games and have won eight of those. During their 9-0-1 run, they have outscored their opposition 38-1.