Ottawa Fury FC and Montreal Impact have to come to terms on a partnership deal, marking the latest pact between a USL squad and an MLS franchise.
Earlier this fall, Fury FC announced its intention to switch leagues for the 2017 season, as they left the NASL for the USL. There have been another partnerships between USL and MLS franchises announced lately, including a pact between Orange County and the LA Galaxy that was revealed last week.
As part of this partnership, Fury FC will play the Impact in an exhibition game at TD Place in Ottawa at some point in 2017. The date of the match will be revealed in a future announcement.
“This partnership is a fantastic opportunity to grow soccer and comes with both business and technical benefits,” said Fury FC head coach and GM Paul Dalglish. “We are and will remain an independent club. We are proud of our identity and excited for the opportunities that this relationship will provide both of our organizations – including work on the player development pathway.”
Dalglish currently has 14 players under contract for the upcoming season and is in negotiation with several others to build out his roster.
The partnership will see Dalglish work with the Impact to identify a select group of players that could join Fury FC for the 2017 USL campaign. Dalglish’s work with the Impact will include his attendance at their training camp to evaluate the potential talent.
With this new partnership with the Fury, the Impact will keep developing its best young players in a professional environment in North America, while allowing the club to strengthen its presence in the Outaouais region.
Ottawa’s participation in USL and the partnership with Montreal will have no impact on the club’s participation in the Amway Canadian Championship. Fury FC will again take aim at the Voyageur’s Cup in 2017.
The partnership between Ottawa and Montreal is the 10th partnership between USL and MLS clubs. Two more clubs – Rio Grande Valley FC and Reno 1868 FC – hold hybrid partnerships with MLS clubs, while nine MLS clubs own and operate their own USL clubs.
Image courtesy Ottawa Fury FC.