NEW YORK (November 8, 2015) - Two goals by Tom Heinemann, the second in the 108th minute of The Championship Semifinal against Minnesota United FC, sent Ottawa Fury FC to the NASL title game after its 2-1 victory at TD Place on Sunday afternoon. The match was played in front of a crowd of 9,346 - a postseason record in the league's Modern Era.
Fury FC will face the New York Cosmos, who defeated the Fort Lauderdale Strikers on Saturday also by a 2-1 scoreline. The Cosmos, who will be seeking their record seventh NASL title, will host The Championship Final at Shuart Stadium in Hempstead, N.Y., on Sunday at 5 p.m. ET.
The game in New York will match the top two teams in the NASL this season: The Cosmos won the Spring Season title and finished first in the Combined Standings on the second tie breaker (most goals scored over 30 games) over Ottawa; while Fury FC finished in first place in the Fall Season. The final will be the first time since 1984 that the NASL championship will be contested between a team from the United States and one from Canada.
The Cosmos and Fury FC played three times in the regular season, with each team winning once and one game, at TD Place on Aug. 26, ending in a 0-0 draw. The Cosmos won the first match between the clubs, at MCU Park in Brooklyn, N.Y., by 1-0 on May 2; Fury FC made the trip again to New York, downing the Cosmos, 4-1, at Shuart Stadium on Sept. 22.
The Championship Final will be the last professional game for the Cosmos' two Spanish stars, Raúl and Marcos Senna, who earlier announced that they would retire after the 2015 NASL season.
The Championship Final will be carried live on ESPN3.com and ONE World Sports in the U.S. and NASL.com in Canada.