Five Fury Teams Head To SYL Finals

OTTAWA – For five Ottawa Fury teams one more task remains at hand for the 2008 season ­ a North American Championship. The five teams all had their tickets stamped to attend the finals after a stirring climax to end the Super Y-League season back in mid-August. In Tampa, the Fury teams will represent the New England Division against the division champions from across the United States and Canada. The five teams representing the Fury are the U15 Boys & Girls; the U16 Girls; and the U17 Boys & Girls.

“To have a record five Fury teams qualify out of the New England Division for the North American Finals is a tremendous achievement for the club,” said Fury President & CEO John Pugh.

“The teams have trained hard and are ready for the challenge of playing against the champions of divisions from all across North America”.

Pugh is hopeful the Club will reach new heights at this years Finals. The Fury’s best finish thus far at this event came in 2005 when the Fury U16 Girls fell in the Semi-Finals.

The Fury U15 Boys were one of seven teams from across North American to finish their SYL season with a perfect record. The Fury were 12-0-0 on the year. Led by two-time reigning Fury Coach of the Year, Steve Hill, the team tallied 39 goals while only conceding five en route to a New England Division title. After their first taste of play in the SYL Finals last season, this young talented group of players looks to continue their remarkable season and keep their undefeated streak intact.

Led by a potent offensive attack, the Fury U17 Boys team captured the New England Division title with a record of 11-2-1. Coach Klaus Linnenbruegger’s team netted 54 goals and finished the season with a +31 goal differential. Like many U17 squads, the Fury have lost a number of players who have taken up scholarship offers in the U.S.

Fury U15 Girls coach Mike Lanos told his players to “shock the world” and despite the trials and tribulations of this young team in the early season they have in fact done just that. Going undefeated in their final nine games the girls finished with a 9-2-1 record on the strength of a stingy defense that only conceded eight goals.

The Fury U16 Girls held their fate in their own hands when they needed two wins in their final two games of the season to secure their place in Tampa. Led by coach Dom Oliveri, a veteran of several SYL Finals campaigns, the girls secured 3-1 and 1-0 victories against Rhode Island and Seacoast respectively. As a result, the U16 Girls ended the season with an 8-2-2 record highlighted by their strong defense which allowed five goals all season long.

The fifth and final Fury team heading to Florida is the U17 Girls teams. Like their U16 counterparts, their season went down to the final weekend and the girls needed a win against Seacoast and for Seacoast to take points from Rhode Island. Coach Jimmy Zito and his girls got their wish posting a 4-1 victory over Seacoast and having Seacoast and Rhode Island draw 3-3. The team finished with an 8-1-3 record only conceding 8 goals in one of the League’s highest scoring divisions.

The Super Y-League (SYL) North American Finals is the United Soccer League’s biggest competitive event. Celebrating its 10th Anniversary, the 2008 SYL Finals bring together 140 of North America’s best to compete in this 5-day competition held from Nov 20th through Nov 25th. Boys and girls teams, aged from 13 through 17, compete throughout the year in the U.S. and Canada for the right to compete in this event.

Three weeks ago the SYL unveiled their annual SYL Regular Season Competition report ranking all 140 clubs and close to 800 teams. After another successful youth season the Ottawa Fury were ranked 7th overall in the entire SYL and enjoyed a 1st place ranking among New England Division clubs.

Canada were well represented in the overall rankings with 2 other Canadian teams in the top 10 ­ joining the Fury were the Toronto Lynx Jrs and Mountain FC (BC). Also included in the top 30 were three other British Columbian clubs, namely Coastal FC, Abbotsford Mariners and Thompson ­ Okanagan. Each of these six clubs will have teams representing them at the SYL Finals making up a very strong Canadian contingent.

About The Ottawa Fury
The Ottawa Fury Soccer Club is a member of the United Soccer Leagues (USL); the largest system of national soccer leagues in North America. The Fury are members of the W-League and the Premier Development League (PDL). The Fury also operates youth teams (U14-U17) in the USL Super Y-League and an Academy program for U10- U13 players. For additional information see the Fury website,

Contact Information: Ottawa Fury Soccer Club ­ 613-235-3879