By Dan Plouffe
There’s no question what the objective is for the Ottawa Fury this summer. After hammering through the USL W-League regular season and conference playoffs last year, the Fury were forced to settle for a silver medal – the third in franchise history. That leaves only one option for this season.
“Win it all – that is the only goal,” states Mallory Outerbridge, the W-League’s reigning MVP and top goal scorer. “Everyone wants to have fun too, and the more you’re winning, the more fun it is.”
The 5-1 defeat to the Atlanta Silverbacks in the championship final remains a painful memory for the team, but it’s also a distant one.
“It seems like years ago now. We’ve moved so far beyond that,” says coach Dom Oliveri, who believes this year’s team is even better than the last. “Our focus immediately turned to the next year and on fixing what happened.”
The Fury received a big boost in that quest when they were awarded the 2012 W-League final four championship, which will take place July 27-29 at the Algonquin Soccer Complex.
Ottawa carries a home undefeated streak of 25 games, and if that record alone wasn’t intimidating enough for opponents, the club plans to pack as many seats as possible on all sides of the Algonquin field, boosting capacity to at least 2,000.
“Wherever we can put a bleacher and fill it, that’s what our intent is to do,” says Fury owner and CEO John Pugh, whose team gets a guaranteed semi-final berth as hosts. “The fans will be almost too close to the field, and I think they’ll get behind the home team.”
On top of getting to eat and sleep in familiar surroundings, Outerbridge is expecting the hometown support will provide a big lift as well.
“Last year when we had the playoffs to get to the final four, the crowd was just unbelievable. They were so behind us the whole time. It was awesome,” recalls Outerbridge, a key offensive weapon along with Melissa Busque for the squad that also features several strong goalkeepers. “And we do so well when we play at home. I can’t wait. It’s going to be so much fun.”
O’Kane wants PDL turnaround
The Fury USL Premier Development League men’s squad also has high hopes despite a sub-par 2011 season where they finished below .500. Stephen O’Kane, who resigned after leading the club to its first-ever post-season on the shoulders of an undefeated regular season in 2009, returns as head coach.
“I’m thrilled to be back,” O’Kane says. “The PDL is something I care deeply about, and when I had the opportunity to coach again, it was a no-brainer decision.
“I have two kids at home and the PDL feels like a third kid, so the last few years not being involved with my third kid was absolute agony.”
The Fury PDL lineup features plenty of homegrown talent, including reigning CIS soccer MVP Robbie Murphy and Duke University-bound goalkeeper Chad Bush. The squad also boasts players from Sweden, Jamaica, England, Spain, and Brazil.
Both Fury teams kick off their home schedules on Saturday, June 2.