Here’s what you need to know about Sunday’s Soccer Bowl game between the Ottawa Fury and New York Cosmos.
What is the Soccer Bowl?
It’s the championship final of the North American Soccer League, a second-tier division that’s one level below Major League Soccer.
Eleven teams from across the United States and Canada compete in the NASL, whose regular season is divided into two campaigns: spring and fall. The Cosmos went undefeated (5-0-5) in winning the 2015 spring season, while Ottawa (13-1-6) finished first overall in the fall.
Two best teams in the NASL
The two clubs tied for first in the combined standings with 15-4-11 records and had an identical goal difference of plus-19. But the Cosmos earned home-field advantage thanks to a superior goals total, and will host Sunday’s final Shuart Stadium in Hempstead, N.Y.
They also split the regular season series, with one win apiece and a draw. New York is 11-3-1 at home in 2015, with Ottawa being the only club to defeat them at home in the last two seasons— a 4-1 win on Sept. 22 the last time these teams faced each other.
“It’s definitely one of the tougher teams we play all year. We take a very humble approach before every game but we go in with the mentality that we’re the bets team in the league,” Ottawa defender Mason Trafford told Sportsnet.
“We respect New York, but we’re the Ottawa Fury, and we made it to the final and finished as high as we did in the table for a reason.”
More on the Ottawa Fury: Dos Santos named NASL coach of the year || Trafford: ‘We never lost belief’ || Continuity the key to Ottawa’s success
Red hot Fury
New York topped the overall standings, but Ottawa comes into Sunday’s game as the hottest club in the NASL. The Fury is unbeaten in a league-record 13 games (8-0-5) since dropping a 2-1 decision to Minnesota United on Aug. 15, with just one loss in its last 26 matches overall (with 15 wins).
Ottawa advanced to the Soccer Bowl after beating Minnesota United in a playoff game last weekend, setting a new league record with a crowd of 9,346 fans in attendance at TD Place Stadium. The Cosmos bested the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in their semifinal. They’ve also won five straight and are unbeaten in six
Ottawa: Players you might know
Ottawa has a number of players with MLS experience, including forward Andrew Wiedeman and defender Ryan Richter (Toronto FC), Canadian defender Drew Beckie (Columbus), midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic (Montreal and New York Red Bulls) and forwards Tom Heinemann (Columbus and Vancouver) and Paulo Junior (Real Salt Lake).
Montreal Impact midfielder Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare is on loan at Ottawa.
No Julian de Guzman
Former Toronto FC designated player Julian de Guzman also plays for Ottawa, but the veteran midfielder is away on international duty with Canada and is unavailable for Sunday’s championship.
Ottawa coach Marc Dos Santos admitted it’s an “awkward” situation, but knows his hands are tied, as clubs have to release players during FIFA dates, and he questions the NASL’s logic of scheduling its final in the middle of the international break.
“It’s going to affect us a lot. He’s an important player for us … and we don’t have the luxury of leaving good players out if we want to win a final. Julian brings a lot of experience and he knows how to deal with different moments of the game, the pressure,” Dos Santos said.
Raul’s last game
Spanish icons Raul, formerly of Real Madrid, and Marcos Senna, a key member of Spain’s Euro 2008-winning side, play for the Cosmos, and both will retire following Sunday’s match.
Despite his big reputation, Raul didn’t exactly light it up in the NASL this season, scoring a modest eight goals in 28 matches.
“He’s a fantastic player. He has the reputation and he has the name Raul, so we all know what he’s done. But at the same time, he’s not an alien. He has two legs. He’s the same as us,” Trafford offered.
“He has extra quality but every time we’ve played him I don’t think anybody could say ‘Oh my gosh! Raul destroyed the Fury,’ or ‘He’s impossible to mark.’ If we do our regular job against him then he’s not overly concerning for us.”
Dos Santos’ take on New York
“Their game is based on possession; they’re a very technical team with fullbacks who like to join the attack, especially Hunter Freeman.
“Their wingers are very direct and very aggressive in 1-on-1. (Midfielder) Leonardo Fernandes is a handful for centre backs—he likes to drag defenders out of position and get them to commit, and it creates space for Raul. The midfielder gives temp to their attack, especially Senna.
“When they los possession sometimes they’re very open, and they give space for opponents to exploit. We have to be compact defensively and recognize the space they give us.”
Plenty of awards
Ottawa’s Romuald Peiser won the NASL Golden Glove as the league’s top goalkeeper. The Frenchman posted a 648-minute unbeaten streak and finished the season with a 0.76 goals-against average. He gave up 22 goals in 29 games.
Peiser, defender Rafael Alves and midfielder Richie Ryan were named to the league’s 2015 Best XI squad. Beckie was selected the league’s humanitarian of the year, while Ottawa earned the Fair Play Award after picking up one red card and 45 yellows in 30 games.
Dos Santos, who is making the jump to MLS next year with an undisclosed team, was named the league’s coach of the year.
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