Haworth hopes PDL success earns him a shot to make Ottawa Fury’s inaugural NASL side

Carl Haworth is currently terrorizing PDL defenders, scoring nine times and adding 10 assists for the Ottawa Fury in just 10 games so far.

That means the Barrie, Ont. native is figuring in on just under two goals per game.

But, next season, he wants to be terrorizing NASL defenders. He wants to remain in Ottawa, but make the move up to the full pro ranks with the Fury’s expansion side, which begins NASL play in 2014.

“NASL, that’s definitely the goal,” Haworth said.

With Marc Dos Santos, the Fury’s NASL coach, already in the capital, Haworth understands that there’s no better chance to impress the new boss than by showcasing himself in competitive matches.

“But, as a player, you can’t focus on that,” said Haworth.

The NASL expansion franchise was the thing that lured Haworth to Ottawa from Forest City London. Haworth was a key part of London’s Cinderella run to the title, and scored in the 2-1 championship game win over the Carolina Dynamo.

“This year has been kind of breakout season for me,” said the striker, who represented Canada on the U-23 team that fell just short in its bid to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games. “But I had a very good season in London last season, too. But I wanted the change, and the fact that Ottawa has an NASL team coming in was a major factor in me coming here. And, being from Toronto, this is the closest professional team to me outside of TFC.”

While Haworth now dreams of cracking the NASL in 2014, he did have an MLS shot last season. He was selected by the Montreal Impact in the 2012 Supplemental Draft, on the strength of a 12-goal NCAA campaign at Niagara University. But, while he spent time in Montreal on trial, he didn’t get the contract. And, he said that the Impact had one full year to sign him — and, as of the 2013 SuperDraft, that time was up. So, no MLS team has a claim on him.

But, don’t think that Haworth has any bitterness about the process — at least he doesn’t show any. He went to London after Montreal and had success. And he felt he was given a fair shake by the Impact brass.

“I definitely had a fair chance. But I had to travel back and forth so I could finish my school, so I’d be there for a week or two at a time. In the end, it didn’t end up being a fit.”

(And, it needs to be mentioned that Haworth now has a Bachelor of Science (Hons) at the end of his LinkedIn title).

But, in 2013, Haworth is trying to win his second PDL title in a row. The team is running away with the Northeast Division already 11 points ahead of the pack. And he thinks, in a lot of ways, this Fury team is better than the championship London side of 2012.

“For the goals, I have to give credit to all of the players around me. I am just finishing off all of their hard work. Talent-wise, this team is similar to London, but I think that this team has more depth. And that’s really important, because in this league you play a lot of back-to-back games.”

Right now, Haworth is an example of what we too often see when it comes to Canadian prospects; making the move to MLS out of school is too much, Europe is a risk. What they need are places to play; Haworth is excited that Ottawa will follow the pattern of FC Edmonton, and give Canadians chances to crack the lineup — and get the valuable minutes of pro soccer they need.

“It’s huge, for kids in the Ottawa area to be able to see a pro team, to know there’s a chance to play here. When Ottawa comes in, that will be five pro teams across Canada, and that can only help the national team, as well. Right now, you have so many players coming in from Europe to play for the national team who hardly ever play together. And (in NASL) there’s the possibility of even more Canadian teams coming in — I think that’s great.”

And, if Haworth keeps banging in the goals, could a chance to play in NASL be far away?