Fury FC set to switch leagues next year

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Fury FC set to switch leagues next year

Tim Baines

Published on: October 25, 2016 | Last Updated: October 25, 2016 7:13 PM EDT

Set to lose about $2 million this season, Ottawa Fury FC officially announced on Tuesday that it is pulling out of the North American Soccer League and joining the United Soccer League for the 2017 season.

Heading out of the NASL with Ottawa, which is expected to save at least $200,000 with the move, are the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

“We’ve been looking at the USL for a period of time, recognizing all the good news that’s coming out of that league,” said Fury FC president John Pugh. “To expand from 14 teams to 29, and more next year, is something special. Also, the increase in attendance — 33% year over year (to 1.5 million this past season) — is phenomenal.

“I’m excited about it. I read this morning that MLS is the seventh-most attended league in the world. North America is really getting on the map. The next four to five years are going to have explosive growth and we want to be part of it. The USL has a clear mandate or vision — to be the best second-division league in the world. It’s a lofty goal, but they’re committed to try and make that happen. It’s a league with a very bright future and we want to be part of it.”

So what’s the USL all about? Is it as good as the NASL? How does the soccer compare?

.  .  . 

The Rowdies and Fury FC are expected to be placed in the USL’s Eastern Conference, alongside reserve teams for Toronto FC and Montreal Impact. The 2017 season will kick off on the weekend of March 24-26 with the regular-season schedule expanded to 32 games from 30 this past season (there is no mid-season break).

There’s also the issue of signing current players to USL contracts. Pugh said the team would be trying to get many of its players under contract for next season.

There were talks of the formation of a Canadian Premier League, but that’s on the backburner for now.

“There still exists a goal, which has been stated by the Canadian Soccer Association, which is to have a national league in the near future,” said Pugh. “At the moment, there is no high-level Canadian professional league. If one was established and it was good for our fans and our franchise, we would look at it. Right now, it’s impossible to say.”

Fury FC will close the NASL chapter of its history on Saturday at TD Place, facing the Fort Lauderdale Strikers at 2 p.m. on Fan Appreciation Day.