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Ottawa Fury will host the struggling Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday evening as they look to get back to their winning ways after a loss and draw to United and Cosmos respectively. The club still sit atop the Fall Season standings and are in the hunt for first place in the combined standings, but after dropping points in their last two matches it will be important for the club to pick up a win.
Fury played very well midweek vs the Cosmos in a 0-0 draw, and they will to build upon that performance when Tampa comes to visit. The Rowdies have been struggling this Fall Season, finding them falling down the combined standings and struggling to climb the fall tab le. Following a string of poor performances Rowdies owner Bill Edwards sacked coach Thomas Rongen, meaning Stuart Campbell will be taking the reins for the remainder of the year.
Keep Thinking
Julian De Guzman still remains sidelined with a leg injury, however Ubiparipovic is expected to be fit and ready to play after missing the midweek match. The back four will surly remain unchanged, with Ryan and Eustaquio slotting in with Ubiparipovic in the midfield. Tom Heinemann has earned his spot as the starting central striker, while Wiedeman may questionable to feature this weekend after missing the match vs Cosmos through injury.
Fury has relied a lot on their depth this season and this weekend will not be any different. With two matches in four days, and already a number of players out with knocks, there may be some rotation in the starting eleven to give some legs a rest, however Dos Santos won’t want to change things too much.
In The End
Despite dropping points in their last two matches, Fury have continued to play impressive soccer this Fall Season and will look to get the better of a Rowdies team that is still trying to regroup from a disastrous start. The hunt for a post-season berth in the NASL Championship is real for Ottawa, and a win vs the Rowdies will be a big step towards that goal. The season is just about two thirds completed and Ottawa are sitting in a better position than anyone (apart from Dos Santos) would have predicted and look like real contenders to play in the 2015 NASL Soccer Bowl
Prediction:
Ottawa Fury 3-1 Tampa Bay Rowdies
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