Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (8-1-7) will travel north this weekend to face Ottawa Fury FC (6-7-3) for the second time this season at 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 8 at TD Place Stadium.
After defeating Indy Eleven, 1-0, this past Wednesday, Ottawa holds a 6-7-3 record, while registering 3-2-2 at home. The last meeting between these two clubs saw the Hounds prevail 1-0 at Highmark Stadium on April 14.
This record places them 12th in the East, only four spots away from gaining a chance at playoffs. Looking back at its last five games, Ottawa has collected two wins and three losses.
Canadian goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau leads the defense with eight clean sheets in 15 starts. Crépeau is currently tied with Nashville SC goalkeeper Matt Pickens and Hounds goalkeeper Dan Lynd for the most clean sheets in the Eastern Conference. In his 15 matches played, Crépeau has 39 saves on 52 shots faced.
Strengths
Defense: As mentioned before, Crépeau has led a strong defensive unit overall, racking up eight clean sheets this season to go along with a .750 save percentage. On average, Fury FC’s defense allows 1.3 goals per game.
Spreading the Wealth: Eight different players have notched their names in the scoring column, and three goal scorers (Steevan Dos Santos, Kévin Oliveira and Adonijah Reid) have tallied three goals each.
Weaknesses
The attack: While the scoring options have been diverse, Ottawa’s attack has struggled to find the back of the net, scoring only 16 goals this season – tied for last in the Eastern Conference. In addition, Fury FC has 150 shots this season, which slots them second-to-last in the East.
Discipline: Conceding 239 fouls, Ottawa Fury FC leads the league overall in the statistic. Fury FC has accumulated eight yellow cards in its last three games.
