RECAP | Silverbacks 1, Fury FC 1

The Atlanta Silverbacks added a point to their league total after a 1-1 draw with Ottawa Fury FC. 

The Silverbacks, after seeing promising signs in their home opener, fielded the same Starting XI they did a weekend ago against Indy Eleven. Fury FC came into the game a little light after midfielder Julian de Guzman was red carded, and thus suspended, in Ottawa's opener against the Carolina RailHawks. 

"This was certainly the best team performance by our team," Silverbacks head coach Gary Smith said. "I thought we created a lot of chances, and probably deserved more than the one point we got out of it. That's football though, and it'll even itself out. We will catch some bounces, and we might get some points out of matches that we don't deserve.

"As a whole, the team played well from back to front. Our goalkeeper (C.J. Cochran) is a rookie, and it was just his second match. Our backline is still working some things out and the midfielders and forwards are linking up like they've played together for much longer than they actually have."

After a nervy start, the Silverbacks found themselves moving into Ottawa's half fairly regularly and Jon Okafor was given the first chance for an Atlanta goal in the 14th minute, but the ball went went wide left. 

A corner in the 20th minute gave the Silverbacks a shock, as Fury FC's Colin Falvey dove to head the ball just over the bar. 

Atlanta received a free kick opportunity in the 29th minute following a Falvey yellow card. A little trickery occurred before Paul Black aimed his shot for the bottom corner. Ottawa, however, held its ground on the attempt and deflected the ball out of danger. 

The first booking for the Silverbacks came to Kyle Miller, as he took Brandon Poltronieri down on the far side of the field. Nicki Paterson punished the Silverbacks with the free kick opportunity, sending his shot past Cochran for the first goal of the game in the 34th minute. 

Motivated by a lackluster first half, the Silverbacks came out stronger after the restart. 

Excitement struck in the 48th minute, as the Silverbacks forced themselves into Ottawa's area. A frenzied attack followed and Silverbacks forward, Matt Horth, almost had his first goal of the season with a header to the far side of the net. Ottawa's defense was able to keep the ball out of the net. 

Fury FC's defense couldn't keep Kyle Porter's effort out, as he registered his first goal of the season in the 57th minute after Shaka Bangura slotted a pass between goalkeeper Romual Peiser and defense. The Canadian international slipped in behind his defender and tapped the ball in easily. 

"It was a great buildup, from the wings into the middle," Porter said. "I found a pocket of space in front of the goal and got a great pass to put away."

The 66th minute offered the debut of 2013 NASL Best XI selection Hans Denissen, who also was making his Silverbacks debut. He almost had an immediate impact, picking out Horth with a dangerous pass into the box. Peiser, however, dropped quickly to stop the ball from going in the back of the net. Denissen would go on to be a menace for the rest of the game, often finding himself in dangerous areas. 

The Silverbacks almost snagged another goal with two crossing attempts sent into the box in the 80th minute. Simon Mensing and Jaime Chavez were both able to get their heads on them, but both sent them over the crossbar. 

After last week's extra-time thriller, the four minutes of extra time that referee Tyler Ploeger added was enough to make fans nervous. 

The Atlanta Silverbacks will travel to WakeMed Soccer Park next Saturday to take on the Carolina RailHawks for Week 3 of the Spring Season at 7:30 p.m. and can be seen live on ESPN3.