Carl Haworth is the first Canadian signed by Ottawa Fury
Fledgling NASL club signs striker Haworth
Carl Haworth, who has never given up on his dream of playing soccer for a living, is to get his chance as the first Canadian signed by Ottawa Fury FC.
Coach Marc Dos Santos, who watched the 24-year-old striker play four or five times as captain of the Fury Professional Development League team this summer, made the announcement Wednesday.
Haworth joins Scotsman Nicki Paterson and Brazilian Oliveri Minatel on a roster which is expected to have 10 of its 25 players in place by the end of the year.
In his latest reveal, Dos Santos spoke of Haworth matching the attitude and profile of player he is seeking for the fledging club.
He believes players in the North American Soccer League need to be dynamic and prepared to offer an extremely high work ethic, because technical skills alone are not enough.
“He needs to be a worker, a worrier, a guy who fights for every moment,” Dos Santos said. “When Carl scores one, he wants two. When we watched Carl, we saw him lose possession and go racing back to help ... that is a characteristic of players we want to sign.”
Haworth’s soccer journey has certainly shown that type of determination. He played with FC London in the PDL until being drafted by the Montreal Impact in the MLS Supplemental Draft in 2012. But he could not make it stick, so he returned to London where he helped the club win the PDL championship.
He must also have been encouraged by his selection to the Canadian U-23 squad.
Perhaps because he knew Fury FC was preparing for a pro kickoff in 2014, he decided to put himself in the local limelight and accept a move to Ottawa with the 2013 Fury PDL team.
He captained the team, scored a club-record 18 goals and caught Dos Santos’ eye sufficiently to be rewarded with a contract.
The announcement came on the same day Dos Santos, assistant coach Martin Nash, goalkeeping coach David Bellemare and technical director Philip Dos Santos got their first look at 46 players with a far longer shot at making the squad than Haworth. It was the first of two days of open tryouts for hopefuls.
There were some nervous young men stepping out at the Ben Franklin Dome in Ottawa’s west end, especially since the chances of success were so slim. Dos Santos will no doubt be pleased if one or two show enough promise to get the chance to join the Fury FC pre-season camp in late February.