Ottawa Fury FC take on Minnesota United in team's first ever NASL playoff game
'We know what they're going to do. They know what we're going to do'
It is, without a doubt, the biggest game Ottawa Fury FC has ever played.
Later today, the second-year soccer club takes on Minnesota United FC in Ottawa's first ever North American Soccer League playoff game.
The winner heads to next weekend's NASL final against the New York Cosmos. The loser calls it a season.
Whatever the result, there's one guarantee: the atmosphere inside TD Place Stadium will be raucous.
BREAKING: With over 7850 tickets sold for Sunday's Semifinal Fury FC will set the NASL postseason attendance record <a href="https://t.co/Fd7lp9kM3x">pic.twitter.com/Fd7lp9kM3x</a>
—@OttawaFuryFC"[I'm feeling] a bit anxious, I think. Not nervous, but excited." said Fury FC defender Ryan Richter.
"It's been a long week since we played last Saturday."
First place vs. second place
Fury FC had a breakout 2015 campaign. After finishing an uninspiring ninth in the spring season — the NASL plays two separate seasons each year — the team won 13 games in the fall season, drew six, and lost only one.
They led the league in goal differential, finished first overall in the fall standings, and at one point reeled off five consecutive wins.
Now, Fury FC takes to the pitch against Minnesota, who finished in second place in the fall season.
"I feel like there's been a lot of, like, special games between the two clubs. You know, we played our first game in club history at home against them. We've played some big games against them," said Fury FC forward Tom Heinemann.
"I think all of that leads into the buildup and makes it that much more special of a game."
'We know what they're going to do'
If things don't work out today for Fury FC, it would be head coach Marc Dos Santos's final game with the club. In September, Dos Santos announced he would be leaving at the end of the season to take a position with Major League Soccer.
For now, though, Dos Santos is focusing on the task at hand: beating a Minnesota team that boasts a dangerously potent offence.
"[We have to] be very aware defensively. You're talking about a team that beat the NASL record for goals scored in one year," said Dos Santos.
"We know everything about Minnesota at this point. We know what they're going to do. They know what we're going to do."
The only thing that's not known is the outcome. The game kicks off at 3 p.m.