In a tightly contested affair at home, with second place in the Canadian Premier League on the line, Atletico Ottawa came out flat and played with low intensity in their match against Vancouver FC which ended in a frustrating 0-0 draw.
Ottawa couldn’t generate many quality scoring chances, and when they did, they were the opposite of clinical in front of goal.
In the first half, despite having 63 percent possession, Atletico was only able to record two shot attempts worth a total of 0.08 xG, neither of which were on target. Meanwhile, Vancouver created seven shot attempts, four from inside the box and one on target, totaling 0.32 xG, thanks in part to their excellent high-press and counterattacking ability.
Coming into “The Outcome” which saw all eight CPL teams kick off simultaneously on the final day of the regular season, all Ottawa needed to finish second place in the table –for the right to visit regular season CPL shield winners Forge FC in the CPL Final Play-In game, the winner of which would host the CPL Final on November 9, 2024– was a win and a Cavalry draw or loss.
All Cavalry needed to secure second place in the league was a win or a draw/loss and an Ottawa draw/loss.
Meanwhile, Vancouver would finish in 5th place and earn the final CPL playoff spot if they could secure a win and if Pacific drew or lost.
It was a must-win game for both teams, but unfortunately for both squads, the end result was a scoreless stalemate.
Pacific FC defeated Forge FC 1-0 to earn the fifth and final playoff spot, and as a result, Vancouver was eliminated from playoff contention. In Vancouver’s second year, they finished 7-9-12 (30 points), a slight improvement from an 8-5-15 record in 2023. After making several key additions this past offseason, there may be some questions swirling about roster changes and Head Coach Afshin Ghotbi’s job security.
“First and foremost we have to take a deep breath and do a deep analysis of all the performances, and then strategically decide the direction we want to go as a football club,” Ghotbi said. “… we want to be the club that not only identifies young local players but develops them. We’ve already taken a step by building an under-19 team, we want to build a bigger pool of squads and selection, so we can bring players at younger ages into our organization, give them the training … so once they come into the first team they’re more prepared, can perform and help us get results.”
For Ottawa, the 0-0 draw saw them fall to third in the standings, finishing with an 11-11-6 record (44 points), four points behind Cavalry FC (12-12-4, 48 points). As a result, they will host the winner of the fourth vs fifth-place match at TD Place on October 27.
Ottawa Head Coach Carlos Gonzalez emphasized the primary goal of training this week is to improve their own game, only after will they set their sights on preparing for a specific opponent.
“The first days of the week focused on us, what can we improve, what can we maintain from the last games, and the last few days are when we start to do the game plan depending on the opponents.”
If Ottawa wants to win the North Star Cup, they’ll have to win three consecutive games. Considering their form in the last seven games has been a measly 1-5-1, winning three in a row will prove to be a daunting task. But Ottawa’s versatile lineup, winning mentality under Gonzalez and veteran experience with players like Ballou Tabla, Ollie Bassett and Nate Ingham should help them navigate these perilous waters.
Ottawa improved in the second half, recording six shot attempts (two on target), resulting in creating an 0.34 xG. However, they were still unable to breach Vancouver’s defense and solve Vancouver goalkeeper Callum Irving, who made a record 95 saves this season, leading all keepers.
Irving was disappointed to not make the playoffs, but admires the effort from all of his teammates in their late season playoff push, and calls their run in “experience earned”.
“We tried to make a real push in the last four games of the season, and I thought in these last four games there was a different mentality and a focus,” he said. “Despite the fact we didn’t make the playoffs I’m still proud of the effort they showed at this crucial moment.”
“I think at any point when you get those pressure games and you can put those in your back pocket and move forward with that experience, you become better for it,” he continued.
Vancouver going winless (0-4-4) in their final 8 games leaves a lot to be desired, especially when competing for a playoff spot, but to their credit, they went unbeaten in the last four games of the season, a solid way to rebound immediately following after four straight losses.
Vancouver upped their possession in the second half, creating 12 shot attempts, four shots from inside the box, and two on target, totaling 0.59 xG.
Despite the lack of offensive success, it was another good night for Ottawa defensively.
Ottawa goalkeeper Nathan Ingham made three crucial saves to maintain a point for Atletico and in the process earned his seventh clean sheet of the season (the team’s 11th).
Atletico’s defense was organized, compact, and played well to keep Vancouver off the score sheet. Despite allowing 19 shot attempts, they proved once again they were able to bend but not break. Ottawa’s defense was especially good on the counter-attack, using their pace and speed to stop numerous Vancouver transitions.
Right at the end of the fourth and final minute of second half stoppage time, Ruben Del Campo controlled a long pass from an Ottawa defender near the center circle and was all alone on a breakaway, but the referee blew for full time just as Del Campo controlled the pass.
Del Campo was one goal away from breaking the record for most goals scored in a single CPL season by an Atlético player and likely would’ve officially secured the Golden Boot with his 12th league goal. Instead Del Campo finishes the season on 11 goals and Cavalry forward Tobias Warschewski claimed the Golden Boot after a two-goal outing against Valour FC.
However, Ottawa had 93 full minutes to score a goal and couldn’t, this draw is not on the refs blowing the whistle when they did. Even if Atletico would’ve won, Cavalry was already winning with less than five minutes to play and it wouldn’t have mattered anyway.
Before kick-off, Ottawa legend Maxim Tissot, a defender whose career spanned nearly 15 years, was honoured with a pre-match ceremony for his retirement. With his close family by his side, Carl Haworth and Drew Beckie awarded him a commemorative poster, to thank him for all his contributions to Atlético Ottawa.
