The story goes, soccer has been played in Ottawa for over 100 years. That’s when the story stops sounding so similar to Madrid’s. Ottawa, and more broadly, Canada, live, breathe, and eat hockey. Soccer has generally been reserved for the summer, when the ice was melted. There were no children’s stories for the soccer kit. That was the hockey sweater. I never liked that book and I deeply rejected it for having the audacity to assume I was a Habs fan!
Even as soccer started gaining steam at the turn of the millennium, with soccer being one of, if not the fastest growing sport in the country, a mixed-bag of professional and semi-professional teams came and saw. Most you would have missed if you blinked. The Ottawa Fury were the first team to show some semblance of stability and they helped create a foundation that has helped foster the development of the game in the city. But before then, Ottawa soccer could have said to be a club graveyard.
Ottawa Wizards
The Ottawa Wizards, aka the ugliest logo in sports, aka MS Paint FC (seriously I could have made their logo in MS Paint), was a club that played in the OZ Optics Stadium in Carp between 2001-2003. They dominated the semi-professional Canadian Professional Soccer League (CPSL). They finished first in each year that they competed, winning the CPSL title in 2002, and the Open Canada Cup in 2001 and 2002. They also went the entire 2003 season undefeated, which was the same year they began a legal battle with the league that went up to the Superior Court.
Despite the undefeated season, the team withdrew from the competition and the CPSL revoked the franchise. Rumors have it, the owner often had disagreements with players and coaches, and often tried to strong arm people. Further, he often thought he was player, coach, and owner. This sounds familiar…
Well, I truly don’t have any recollection of this team, and I only realized as I was preparing this article the meaning of the Ottawa Wizards sign by the OZ Dome. Regardless, TD Place is a much better home for a team than Carp. I generally remember the OZ dome as always being a rough place to play soccer. Good ice cream in Carp though (Carp Creamery).
Capital City FC
The city just couldn’t bear not being in the CPSL, only now it was called the Canadian Soccer League (CSL). Turns out they could bear it, because they only lasted a year. They finished the season 3rd in the league and finished runners-up in the playoffs. This club was significant because it gave way for the Bytown Boys Supporters Club to establish themselves as one of the main soccer fan groups in the city, as they continue to exist today.
Ottawa Fury
This is the Ottawa Fury I grew up with. They won 4 USL Premier Development League (PDL) Northeast Division Finals (2009, 2010, 2012, and 2013). However, they never made it past the conference finals in the playoffs.
In 2014, the Fury played their first professional game in the North American Soccer League (NASL) after being awarded an expansion franchise three years earlier. This was the same league that Edmonton FC played in before they joined the CPL. The Montreal Impact also spent time in this league. The NASL had a similar structure as the CPL with a Spring and Fall Season. Current coach of the Whitecaps, Marc Dos Santos, was at the helm for the inaugural season. The team finished 6th and 8th in the Spring and Fall Seasons, respectively.
The 2015 season went similarly for the Spring campaign, but the Fall season saw a turnaround for the club, getting crowned as champions. However, they lost in the Soccer Bowl final to the New York Cosmos. This earned Dos Santos coach of the year honours.
In the following season, Dos Santos was replaced with Liverpool’s “first son” Paul Dalglish (of Kenny Dalglish royalty). This season saw the team fall back to their usual 9th place.
In 2017, the team moved to the USL, where they once played in their PDL. During this time, the Montreal Impact made an affiliate agreement with the Fury. Julian de Guzmann, a Fury and TFC alumnus, took over as interim coach, as he continued his role as general manager, before replacing himself as coach by Nikola Popovic. In both 2017 and 2018, they failed to qualify for the playoffs, placing 10th, and had marginally better results in 2019, qualifying for the play-in round due to an 8th place finish. Further, the Fury qualified for the semi-finals in the Canadian Championship in each of their final 4 seasons.
As we know, in 2019, Fury operations were suspended when they did not receive sanctioning from CONCACAF to participate in the USL, since the CPL was established. CONCACAF claims they never received the appropriate documentation from the Fury and the USL, despite the Fury stating they received permission from all the necessary parties (i.e. USL and Canadian Soccer Association). However, the mishap created the conditions for an Atlético takeover. That seems a bit more exciting, doesn’t it? It will be interesting to see how much more interest and attendance there will be at Ottawa games after the pandemic, when compared to the Fury. Unfortunately, momentum from Atlético Madrid’s announcement of their purchase can’t be taken advantage of, but interest is seemingly at an all-time high. I could be biased.
Ottawa Fury – Women
The Fury Women were founded in 2003, but dissolved in 2014, even before the Men’s team was suspended. They competed in the USL W-League, the second-tier women division and dominated throughout their time competing in the league. The team was known for the talents of Canadian National Team stars, Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence.
The Fury Women finished first and as division champions in every regular season except in 2003 and 2013, finished runners-up in those years instead. Not bad! However, they only won one championship in the playoffs in 2012, with additional conference championships in 2005, 2006, and 2014.
Unfortunately, days before the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Ottawa the team was disbanded. Good luck to the group that is trying to bring the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) to Ottawa. Atlético… maybe you want to swoop in on this one too? Thanks!
University Soccer – Ottawa Gee-Gees and Carleton Ravens
The Gee-Gees Women’s team is definitely the most successful of the university teams. Lead by Steven Johnson since the inception of the program, they won National Championships in 1996 and 2018, silver medals in 1997, 2000, 2003, and 2005, and a bronze medal in 2014. They have also won gold in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) in 2014, with an additional bronze in 2015. Coach Johnson has been recognized for his excellence with coach of the year honors in 1996 and 2005.
The other university teams have not yet found much success, except for an OUA championship in 2005 for the Ravens Men’s team. Notably, this team stars Gabriel Bitar, an Ottawa product who was selected 1st overall in the inaugural CPL draft by the Cavalry FC, who he has played one game for so far.
Youth Teams
As a former member of the Ottawa South United (OSU) Force, I feel inclined to give them a shoutout. But even with my past allegiance, they should be mentioned. I wish I had the resources when I was playing youth soccer that they now have at their disposal. OSU has earned partnerships with Vancouver Whitecaps in 2016 to launch an academy/residency program, and Atlético Madrid hosting summer camps, it’s clear that this is a premier club for youth soccer in the city. It was when I was playing, and it is even more so now. The Madrid connection to OSU further provides some context to the investment they have made in the CPL club, as they have already established connections dating back a few years.
The team now fields both their male and female clubs in the Prèmiere ligue de soccer du Québec (PLSQ), a league on the same pyramid level as League1 Ontario. Notably, the PLSQ was at one point the stomping grounds of the Ottawa Fury youth team. To give context, team members, Brandon John and Michel Djaozandry, are League1 Ontario and PLSQ alumni.
Lastly, some final shoutouts to other teams I played for: the Nepean Hotspurs and the Gloucester Hornets, a team that Jonathan David played for (along with the Ottawa Internationals).
Let me know in the comments what club you played for growing up, even if it was outside the city. I would love to hear about your experiences.
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