Ottawa Fury FC thrilled a crowd of 9,346 fans on Sunday, defeating Minnesota United by a 2-1 score to advance to the NASL title match. They'll now travel to New York next weekend, to take on the New York Cosmos at Hofstra on Sunday.
Ottawa didn't do themselves any favors early on, conceding a silly penalty to allow United to take the lead. Given the difficulty the Fury have had scoring this season, that was more than enough reason for the home fans to worry whether or not they were watching Ottawa's season come to a close.
The early Loons goal was probably a good thing for neutral fans, as it forced the Fury to come out of their shell a bit, in hopes of scoring an equalizer. That leveler came just after the second half kicked off, with Tom Heinemann putting Ottawa back in the match, and ultimately, forcing an extra 30 minutes of play.
The first half of extra time passed without a goal, but Heinemann struck again just after the clubs switched ends to give the Fury their first lead. The league's best defensive unit then held on for the victory, booking their place in the final.
Frankly, I'm excited to see Ottawa as opposed to Minnesota, as I like the matchup from a New York perspective. I guess we'll find out if that optimism is justified next weekend at Shuart, and hopefully the match will sell out.