OTTAWA -- Call it the best-case scenario for the Ottawa Fury FC.
[b]Custom Detroit Lions Jerseys[/b] . The young franchise played to a 0-0 draw Wednesday night against FC Edmonton at Keith Harris Stadium in the first leg of the Amway Canadian Championship. Considering this was just the third game in franchise history for the Fury, head coach Marc Dos Santos was pleased with the draw. "This is four times 45 minutes and now were at halftime of the game," said Dos Santos of the series. "If you asked me what would be the best score after leg one I would tell you I want to win 5-0. But the reality is, if you do tie, at least tie 0-0 at home." The two teams, who compete in the North American Soccer League, will meet next Wednesday in Edmonton for the final game of the home-and-home series. The winner, the team that scores the greater aggregate of goals over the two matches, will secure the fourth semi-final place and join the three Canadian MLS clubs, Montreal Impact, Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps in the next round. Should the two teams end in a draw next week the Fury would earn the tiebreaker as visiting goals are more valuable. However, if next weeks game is scoreless the two would play extra time and then go to penalty kicks to determine a winner. "We control our own destiny now," said Edmontons Ritchie Jones. "Were pretty good at home and teams usually dont like to play us at home." The Fury gave Edmonton all it could handle and while he gave full marks to Ottawa for its performance, Edmonton head coach Colin Miller believes his team should win next week. "With the greatest respect to Ottawa we are the favourites," said Miller. "Were a five year franchise now and theyre a new franchise. Were at home and were very difficult to beat at home. I think if we play the way were playing now I think well be a match for anyone in the NESL. Its in our hands." Both teams had good chances in the early going of the second half, but both goalkeepers seemed up to the challenge. Ottawa keeper Devala Gorrick made the save of the night in injury time on Sadi Jalali as Edmonton broke through for a wide-open chance. "Thats one of those shots I train for everyday," said Gorrick. "Luckily I stayed focused because it was cold and I didnt have to do throughout the second half, but I saw the balls and then things slowed down for me and my training kicked in and I was able to stay big and get a body behind it." Minutes earlier, Edmonton failed to take advantage of a direct kick as Richie Ryan made a great defensive play to block the kick. "It was important for us to keep a clean sheet," said Ryan. "It was more for confidence as were confident that we can go and score next week in Edmonton." Ritchie Jones had a good chance at the 51st minute, but Gorrick made an easy save to keep the game scoreless. Mason Trafford had the crowd on its feet as he made an acrobatic kick from in close, but John Smits stretched out for the save. The game got physical at times and Dos Santos said he expects much the same next week in Edmonton. "Its going to be a war," said the Ottawa coach. "I dont think well be welcome there." While Miller felt the game was physical, he by no means thought it was ugly. He says his team prides itself on playing a hard-nosed style. "I didnt think it was over the top physical," said Miller. "I thought it was two teams committed to winning the game. Its the heat of the moment and theres an awful lot to play for the clubs." The game remained scoreless after the first half. The Fury, playing without four of its starters due to injury, had the better chances early in the half, but failed to beat Smits. Ottawas Philippe Davies nearly scored off a header at the seventh minute, but Smits was able to get a hand on it and tip it wide. Davies once again had a great chance at the 26th-minute mark, but watched in disappointment as his shot went just over the crossbar. "The first 25 minutes we came in very well and created opportunities, but for the last 15 minutes of the first half Edmonton was better," Dos Santos said. "In the second half we had a lot of problems in the beginning, especially in the first 25 minutes. After that we began to grow and it became an open game. We created situations, they created situations and our goalkeeper made a fantastic save at the end and it would have been unfair if Edmonton would have scored." Cool temperatures and a brisk wind seemed to have little effect on the play or the crowd of 2,411 who were boisterous in their support of the home team. Edmonton grew stronger as the game went on and had a number of good chances late in the opening half, but Gorrick was solid for the Fury. "This was by far the best game weve played," said Gorrick. "We showed a lot of composure, especially in the first half, and overall I think were getting better." The Amway, which features the countrys five professional clubs, is moving into its seventh edition, with the winner representing Canada in the CONCACAF Champions League. Notes: The Fury were without Tom Heinemann (high ankle sprain, 4-6 weeks), Nicki Paterson (knee, day-to-day), Sinisa Ubiparipovic (knee, day-to-day), Omar Jarun (eye, day-to-day). Edmonton lost D Lance Laing midway through the second half and isnt expected to play next week at this point.
[b]Detroit Lions Jerseys[/b] . -- Downcast before the final game of what had been a difficult road trip, the Ottawa Senators found a way to dig out a little momentum in the desert before heading home.
[b]Kerryon Johnson Jersey[/b] .C. -- Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith has been ruled out for Sundays game against the Atlanta Falcons.LENZERHEIDE, Switzerland -- Bode Miller wants to continue racing next season at the age of 37, even if this campaign left him disappointed. A third-place run in a World Cup super-G on Thursday typified Millers season: Fast and crowd-pleasing, but errors cost him victory. "Im frustrated and worn out right now but I think I have more to do in the sport," Miller said. "I definitely am still competitive. If I can keep my body healthy then I think the plan is to race next year." Millers racing skills were clear when he became the oldest-ever Olympic Alpine medallist last month, taking bronze in super-G at Sochi. On a steep and technically demanding slope Thursday, no one was faster than Millers speed check of 101.9 kph (63.3 mph). Still, he came down 0.57 seconds behind surprise winner Alexis Pinturault, with another Frenchman, Thomas Mermillod Blondin, edging him by one-hundredth. "I had probably two and half seconds, three seconds, worth of mistakes, in that run," Miller insisted. "That is the way my season has been. I have had to deal with that." Miller took full responsibility for his race, and a World Cup season that has brought him four podium finishes but no addition to his 33 career victories. "It has been such a frustrating time of so many near-misses and so many really bad, stupid mistakes that I cant blame anyone but myself for," he said. That list includes his top priority races: The classic World Cup downhill at Kitzbuehel, Austria, in January and the Olympic downhill last month. Miller finished third and eighth, respecctively, when the best of his skiing was good enough to win, and his practice runs left some racers awe-struck.
[b]Devon Kennard Lions Jersey[/b]. Here on Wednesday, Millers final downhill performance this season followed the same pattern. He led at the final time split -- 0.30 faster than eventual winner Matthias Mayer of Austria, the Olympic champion -- yet a mistake near the end took him wide into rough snow which slowed him. "These errors arent little bobbles, they are like borderline catastrophic," Miller explained. "(Wednesday) I just got so broken down about halfway down the course I didnt even care anymore. I wanted to stop. I didnt even really tuck through the finish line." Even standing up straight, he still placed eighth just 0.62 back. "I really wanted to change that today just because I think thats not the way to race," Miller acknowledged. "I just wanted to really stay focused to push every hundredth out of it that I could, even though I knew I was going to be out of the course a few times." "I felt good about battling through it," said the veteran racer, who has started a total of 32 World Cup and Olympics events this season after sitting out a year to recover from knee surgery. One incentive for returning strong next season is to race at the Feb. 2-15 world championships in front of home fans at Vail-Beaver Creek, Colorado. Thats for next season, after the current campaign closes with a giant slalom on Saturday. "Right now," Miller said, "I feel like I dont want to see ski boots for a little while."
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