Starting Lineup
GK Romuald Peiser started in net, after recording his first shutout the week before at Tampa Bay, while LB Ramon Soria and CB Mason Trafford continued to make up the left side of Ottawa’s defense. CB Omar Jarun started on the bench for this game, possibly due to the leg injury he suffered in the previous match, with the (yet again) surprise return on loan by RB Ryan Richter, who came back into the starting XI. CB Drew Beckie started in place of Jarun.
Ubiparipovic returned to the starting XI after recovering from his back flare, with the captain Ryan filling in his usual spot at DM. Donatelli earned the nod over CM Nicki Paterson for this match, in a fiercely competitive battle for starting berths in the strong Ottawa midfield.
Mayard continued his run in the starting XI at LW, as the front 3 remained unchanged from the win at Tampa Bay the previous week, with Heinemann and Oliver in at ST and RW, respectively.
GK and Defense
Peiser had a good solid game, where he did not have to make as many heart-stopping saves as he did the past few games. He made his diligent saves, and came off the line the times he was needed, putting off the Atlanta attackers just enough to ensure that they did not have the time needed to lob the ball over his head when they got free past the last defender.
Beckie had a fine game, heading the ball out with regular basis and getting stuck in when needed. However, his partner Trafford had a bit of a struggle with the physical play of Atlanta ST Jamie Chavez, winning less than half of the aerial challenges between the duo, which often resulted in possession in good field position for the Silverbacks.
Richter had a good game offensively, and looks like he has developed a stronger understanding with the players around him, such as Donatelli and Oliver. Some of the interchanges between the three made for some of the best plays from the Fury during the game. He did have a bit of an ugly clearance with his weaker foot in the early minutes, which he will have to improve. Soria was a solid presence as usual, but was given the runaround in the 1st half by the pace of Atlanta RW Alex Harlley, nephew of Togolese ST Emmanuel Adebayor. He had a better 2nd half making challenges and got forward on the counters, creating some good chances.
Midfield
Donatelli and Ubiparipovic often hold the key to Ottawa’s success, as their composed midfield play and passing will often unlock the opposing defenses, but only if they are allowed to do so with the space and time needed to make those passes. This is particularly true for Donatelli, who is not exactly the most fleet-footed player in the team. He needs the time and space to do so, but when he finds it, he can make delightful chipped passes to free up the attackers, whereas Ubiparipovic is often quicker and plays shorter passes more.
Donatelli had a hand in all 3 Ottawa goals, with a nice cross from the right flank that led to Heinemann’s volley, then a nicely lofted pass down the right flank for Mayard, who eventually crossed it to Heinemann and led to Oliver’s tap-in, and finally, the presence to draw a defender to him and feed it on the right to Oliver, who crossed it for Haworth’s insurance goal. Donatelli also freed up Mayard with a delightful 40-yard pass down the middle in the 65th minute mark which could have sealed the game, and nearly scored himself off a Richter cross just two minutes later. He had a similar chance near the end of the 1st half as well from an Oliver cross.
Ubiparipovic showed his quick feet and constant probing of the defense, whether with his dribbling or with nice short through passes to open up the wingers. While he didn’t have a hand in any major chances for the Fury this game, he was the player that was consistently linking the midfield and offense and pushing the ball up.
Ryan’s game was a pleasure to watch as well, with the right one-touch passes in the heart of midfield needed to feed the ball to the advanced midfielders, or back to defense if the attack needed to be re-organized. He was lucky not to end up with an injury after a bad studs-up challenge by Atlanta AM Pablo Cruz. Paterson came in for Ubiparipovic and continued the fine link-up play between midfield and offense.
Offense
Oliver deservedly took home the plaudits after another fine goal-scoring performance, for his 3rd consecutive match. The winger/striker has shown natural goal-finishing skills with his heading ability, and showed this game that he can poach off of rebounds as well. In addition, he provided a wonderful chipped ball for Haworth’s goal, and was on hand to create and take advantage of numerous other chances, including nice crosses from the right flank and a shot that just blazed over the bar in the 2nd half. The one thing that we didn’t see from Oliver this game was taking on defenders 1 on 1, but it did not seem to be needed this game at all.
Heinemann also had a fantastic game, and was nearly unplayable in the 65 minutes he was on, winning a high number of aerial duels, and getting on the end of all sorts of crosses that led to the first two goals. A well done performance that I believe has gone under-appreciated this week.
Mayard looked more comfortable with the team than he did all season, linking up with all those around him, though he did lose the ball time to time. For the 1st goal, it was interesting to see the 3 Fury attackers in the box compared to only 2 Atlanta defenders, and that sort of presence in the penalty area can only lead to more chances from crosses for the Fury. His pull-back cross to Heinemann for the 2nd goal was top-notch.
Dantas and Haworth both had excellent games off the bench, with Dantas recently performing a super-sub role. His dogged determination in midfield won the ball back and led to the 3rd goal, while he ran hard to create chances for himself. Haworth controlled the ball well to ensure that Ottawa would not drop back holding the lead, and nearly carved up the Atlanta defense with a run from the right flank, before getting on the end of Oliver’s cross from a difficult angle. Haworth can always be counted on for an energetic performance from the flanks.
Next Match Preview
After an upsurge in form that has delighted the club and its fans, Ottawa comes in full of confidence back home to welcome Minnesota United FC on Sunday at 3:00pm EDT (Rogers TV, NASLLive.com). Minnesota is just coming off a table-topping performance with a 0-2 away win at San Antonio, who previously led the Fall Season charts, and will be full of confidence themselves, having lost only 1 game in the entire Fall Season.
Ottawa has lost by a score of 2-1 in both matchups between the two teams so far this season, with a heartbreaking loss in the 96th minute in the club’s first ever home match in NASL in April, followed by a controversial loss in August from a hotly debatable penalty call that led to the Loons’ winner.
Minnesota won the Spring Season title and tops the Fall Season as well, with 24 points from its 11 matches (7-3-1), while Ottawa is now 8th with 12 points from 11 matches (3-3-5). Minnesota has a comfortable lead in the yearly standings as well, and has only lost once in 11 games. AM/LM Miguel Ibarra was the star of the clash of the titans last week, with a brace to take the game past San Antonio, and being named NASL Player of the Week for his performance. CM Greg Jordan provided both assists, while ST Christian Ramirez is easily the frontrunner for both the NASL Golden Boot and Golden Ball at this point with his electrifying goal-scoring display.
Minnesota usually plays in a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-1-4-1/4-3-3 formation, depending on the opponent and its personnel. As Ottawa has yet to win at their new stadium this season, Minnesota may seek to take advantage of this hoodoo, but the players and the supporters are full of confidence that this match may be the positive defining performance of the season.
RB O’Brian Woodbine will be in contention for the matchday squad after his signing last week, though he may still have to build up his match fitness.
CSN OFFC MotM
RW Oliver for his coolness around the penalty area, with honourable mentions to ST Tom Heinemann and CM Tony Donatelli
Lineups and Stats
Ottawa (4-3-3) – Peiser; Soria, Trafford, Beckie, Richter; Ubiparipovic, Ryan ©, Donatelli; Mayard, Heinemann, Oliver
Atlanta (4-2-3-1) – Ati, Gonzalez, Roushandel (Sousa 79′), Espinoza (Canovas 77′), Carr (McCauley 46′), Sandoval, Gavin, Poku, Cruz, Harlley, Chavez
Ottawa Subs – Dantas (Heinemann 63′), Haworth (Mayard 71′), Paterson (Ubiparipovic 76′)
Ottawa Goals: Mayard (3′), Oliver (38′), Haworth (83′); Assists: Heinemann 2 (3′, 38′), Oliver (83′)
Atlanta Goals: None
Ottawa Injuries and Suspensions: None
Ottawa Stats Leaders: Shots – Donatelli, Oliver, Mayard (3); Challenges Won – Soria, Ryan (11)
You can follow Namu Yoon on Twitter at @BBSC_SeoulBro, and his blog on Ottawa Fury FC at OFFCReview.wordpress.com, and at @OFFCReview.