Ottawa Fury FC prepare for Saturday home opener after winless start

The new head coach of Ottawa Fury FC who has some big shoes to fill after former coach Marc dos Santos led theteam to the North American Soccer Leaguechampionship final last seasonsays he's not feeling pressure from fans expectinga repeat of that success.

"Last year is in the past," Paul Dalglish told reporter Hallie Cotnam on CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning Friday.

The players want to win, they want to win, but road games are tough. You've got to be realistic as well. ...Not everything is pink fluffy bows in life.- Paul Dalglish, Ottawa Fury FC head coach

"I don't feel the weight of expectations ever, because ... the only expectations that I ever hold myself to are my own, and they're higher than anybody else's."

On Saturday afternoon the Fury will return to the field at TD Place Stadium for their first home game of the 2016 season, against Miami.

Last fall a winning streak propelled the Furyto the finals, and it's fair to say fans have high expectations this year.But so far this seasonthe Fury haven't won a single match after four games on the road.

A lack of effort isn't to blame, Dalglish said.

'We've got to win our home games'

"With the amount of traveldays we have it's very tough in this league to win on the road. But by that same token, we've got to make sure that come the home opener, that we make this place a fortress. We've got to win our home gamesand that's what we're aiming to do," he said.

"The players want to win, they want to win, but road games are tough. You've got to be realistic as well. ...Not everything is pink fluffy bows in life. You've got to make sure that a winner is somebody that sees challenges and comes up with a solution. A loser is someone who continues complaining and finds faults."

Several players are dealing with long-term injuries, including captain Julian de Guzman. He told CBC Radio'sAll in a Day host Alan Neal Thursday that the team is going through a learning process, and getting used to new players and coaching staff.

And the team's success last year only fuels the desire of other teams to beat the Fury this year, de Guzman said.

"The expectation now everyone has for us and what we've created just fromlast season, it's pretty high. Everyone wants to beat a team that's done well. ... It's pretty clear that everyone definitely wants to beat Ottawa, and that's been happening already in the past month."

But coming together as one unit takes time, he said.

Kickoff at TD Place on Saturday is 2 p.m.