September 5, 2018 USL Toronto FC II--Toronto FC II vs Ottawa Fury FC game preview (from uslsoccer.com)
Crepeau’s Absence Opens Opportunity in Fury FC Net By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 09/05/18, 4:53PM EDT Experienced Monsalve looking forward to chance to make league debut vs. TFC II Goalkeeper David Monsalve could be in line for his first league appearance for Ottawa Fury FC on Thursday night against Toronto FC II. OTTAWA – It could be quite a thing for a goalkeeper, making your league debut for a side in what is a critical game to its season, but David Monsalve is looking forward to potentially a first official opportunity for action in Ottawa Fury FC’s colors on Thursday night when the side visits Toronto FC II at Lamport Stadium (8 p.m. ET | Match Center | ESPN+) looking for a boost to its postseason hopes. With regular starter Maxime Crepeau away on international duty for Canada this week as it prepares for Sunday’s Concacaf Nations League qualifying game against the U.S. Virgin Islands, the 29-year-old offers what the club expects will be a safe pair of hands as he steps in for the USL’s co-leader in shutouts. “When you come in, you come in with a professional mentality and you’re competing every day – anything can happen, whether it’s national team call-up, injuries, etc. – you expect that,” said Monsalve. “I’ve been long enough to know that. So, I was always ready. You don’t want to not be ready for an opportunity, especially when it’s the first one in a while. Happy to be back in the lineup and looking forward to putting in an effort that’s going to help the team.” Fury FC is in ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings after a three-game losing streak that continued this past Friday night in a 1-0 loss against the New York Red Bulls II, putting it in a tough position with six games to go in the regular season as it looks for its first trip to the USL Cup Playoffs. The side is sitting three points back of eighth-place Nashville SC, which also has two games in hand on the side from Canada’s capital, making victory against its fellow Ontario side essential. With Crepeau absent, Ottawa Head Coach Nikola Popovic said he is confident whichever of Monsalve or fellow Fury FC goalkeeper Callum Irving gets the call as the club looks to add a second victory against Toronto this season. “It’s a chance for Monsalve and Callum [Irving] to show that they are very good goalkeepers, that they have good qualities,” said Popovic. “It is a position that is hard to make changes throughout the year, but like everything in life, when you have a chance, you have to be ready. Now it’s their chance, in those two games, they have to show their quality.” If there’s a silver lining to Ottawa’s playoff predicament it’s that it certainly could have gone into Week 26 of the regular season in a tougher spot. Nashville’s loss to the Charlotte Independence last Saturday kept NSC within reach for Fury FC, which will be hoping for more favorable results this weekend after its game with TFC II as Nashville visits 10th-place North Carolina FC, which is also looking to close the gap on the playoff positions, this Saturday night. There is, however, a balancing act for Head Coach Nikola Popovic to navigate over the next two days as following Thursday night’s game, Fury FC returns home for an exhibition against the Montreal Impact that the side would also like to fare well in. “It’s very unique,” said Popovic. “Both games are very important for us. Our idea is to rotate perhaps the players that play less against Toronto will play more against Montreal Impact. However, it’s a long season, so we have to be very careful to avoid injuries. It’s two games that we want to win. Our team will do everything possible to win both games.” While that’s an admirable goal, with the club’s playoff chances in the balance it’s likely the scale will tip in favor of Thursday night’s game when it comes to the strength of the lineup that opens the game as Fury FC looks to right its ship entering the home stretch.
.
.