Game two following Friday’s Fury comeback in Missouri, the team in red and black set to make it two wins in roughly 24 hours. Ontario came full circle last night, putting double digits to a tired and short membered Ambush. Here is the post-match report.
Report
Staying consistent with Friday’s performance, Frank Tayou finds the net to kick off the Fury to a great start within one minute. This first goal would explain how the match was a continuation of Friday’s performance; Fury maintaining most of the possession, not be afraid to be physical to win the ball via tackles or shoulder bumps, making 1-2 passes, having pace throughout the game and drive in the middle. They also had the same weakness of not pacing back to defend. For the Ambush, they also continued to be conservative and defend but found tight angle goals to get back in the match.
The match would be back and forth for 3 quarters, tied at 3-3 until a Jorge de Leon score broke the tie and made way for the Fury to continue the scoring streak to double digits. The Fury would continue their same strategy to the fourth quarter till the final whistle. Also, not to forget, a nice bicycle kick from Cory Adamson for Ambush’s fourth goal was definitely the goal of the night.
Opinion
For the Ambush, it was simply too much with a shortage of players to keep up with Ontario’s fast pace and high pressure, and we are looking forward to a much-needed break before facing rivals Kansas city. They are a patient team, which is a good strength, and they can learn from these two games that the transition of the counter should result in more passing plays and taking risky shots to shake the keeper up. Off the pitch, they could look for more squad depth or hope players can come off the COVID list sooner and utilize Howard Miller Jr more. He is the most technical, does pass-move plays, and can keep possession, but it’s hard to have just one creative player do it all himself.
For the Fury, these matches were something they have been waiting for; simply playing again. Their anticipation showed on the pitch, and the results reflect that. As mentioned before, their game plan is a winning formula, and with their schedule, they can afford to be at a high pace and not suffer fatigue. Their real challenge, in my opinion, is San Diego and Florida Tropics. I think those two teams can catch the Fury’s high pace style off by surprise and can punish them if they don’t pace back fast enough on the counter. Since it’s only their second game, they haven’t been challenged by a team with a high-paced style of play, and once they play the best in the league like the Tropics, we will see if the Fury can meet the challenge or adjust.
Ontario moves to 3rd place behind the Ambush with a 2-0 record and 6 pts in two days. They will face the San Diego Sockers, who are 1-1, on the 18th of February. Ambush stayed in 2nd despite the losses but fell to a 4-5 record, 6 points ahead of the Fury and 6 points behind 1st place Tropics. St. Louis will play rivals Kansas City on the 12th of February.