Atlético Ottawa’s First Place Lead Shrinking After Back-to-Back Defeats

On July 26^th, the Capital City Supporters embarked on their first road trip of the year to cheer on the Roujiblancos at York Lions Stadium. What initially seemed like a sure win, thanks to a goal from Ollie Bassett in the 6^th minute, quickly turned into the worst defeat of the season for Atlético Ottawa, as York United emerged victorious with a 4-1 scoreline.

Following that dismal result, Gonzalez and the team promised to redeem themselves in their match against Cavalry on August 3^rd at TD Place, but the winless streak continued as the Calgarians secured a last minute 2-1 victory.

Ottawa was tested early when Maël Henry trapped a clearance by Amer Didić and shot from the 18-yard line directly at Rayane Yesli in the 2^nd minute. However, Atlético had the opportunity to regroup when in the 3^rd minute, the game was suspended due to a lightning storm in the vicinity. After a two-hour delay, the players were back on the field, but nothing came from their first half efforts.

Ottawa had a few chances, starting in the 6^th minute when Dani Morer sent a cross to Rubén Del Campo. However, Fraser Aird and Daan Klomp effectively blocked him, preventing him from getting his head under the ball. Then, Matteo de Brienne's long-distance attempt in the 38^th minute, the first and only shot on target for ATO in the half, was well handled by Marco Carducci at the near post. Aboubacar Sissoko also had a chance in the 45^th minute but sent his shot over the crossbar. This was the extent of the threat towards the Cavalry goal in the first half, ATO again not able to capitalize when given the opportunity.

On the other end, Cavalry FC was equally challenged in front of goal – beginning with a promising free kick in the 21^st minute. Tobias Warschewski’s shot from the penalty arc was blocked by ATO’s wall. Then, Yesli managed to get his fingertips to a cross from Klomp in the 23^rd minute, redirecting it for a throw-in. The Ottawa goalkeeper also parried away a long-distance shot from Aird in the 25^th minute.

The visitors had the best chance of the half in the 28^th minute, but hesitation from Sergio Camargo kept the score level. Nicolas Wähling advanced the ball on the left flank to Camargo, who skillfully controlled it despite pressure from Didić. Camargo continued to advance, and with the ball on his left foot, took a shot at the near post, but Yesli had come off his line to make a crucial save, deflecting the ball with his legs.

Cavalry FC continued to push for a breakthrough, nearly succeeding in the 38^th minute when Camargo played a ball between Didić and Tyr Walker intended for Warschewski, who was sprinting forward, but that Henry picked up unmarked. Yesli, reacting quickly, came out of his box to block the shot as the offside flag was raised. Yesli intervened again in the 39^th minute, dropping down to catch a low cross from Aird.

With only one shot on target for Ottawa and 3 for the visitors, both teams picked up the pace in the second half and managed a total of three goals, a stark difference to a rather slow start.

Del Campo kicked off the second half, but it took time for the match to gain momentum. The first twenty minutes were marked with action, yet both teams struggled to convert. Cavalry had an early chance when Liberman Torres fumbled a pass from Walker in the 50th minute – Shamit Shome seized the opportunity, intercepting the ball and passing quickly to Warschewski. The striker advanced the ball before passing back to the unmarked Shome. Luckily, Shome’s angle was poor, and his shot hit the side netting.

Just five minutes later, Cavalry made another attempt to break through Ottawa’s defense. Lowell Wright delivered a cross into the box towards Shome. With Walker marking him closely, Shome shot, but was blocked by Didić. The ball fell loose in the penalty area, and both Warschewski and de Brienne rushed in, with de Brienne clearing it out for a corner.

In the 56^th, a well-executed play saw de Brienne, Bassett and Ballou Tabla exchange quick passes, creating an opening for Bassett to shoot; unfortunately, his heavy touch caused the ball to drift wide. Bassett had two more opportunities to score: a free kick in the 63^rd that was cleared out of the box and a long-range shot in the 81^st that sailed over the crossbar.  

Cavalry continued to create the bulk of the chances in the early part of the second half and took the lead in the 72^nd minute. The play began with a short corner kick from Ali Musse to Aird, who swiftly passed it back. This allowed Musse to advance centrally and take a shot from the 18-yard line. Didić attempted to clear the ball with his head, but it awkwardly bounced off the turf and ended up in his own net. Yesli, caught off guard by the deflection, dove to block the shot but was unable to make the save.

Seven minutes later, the visitors nearly doubled their lead, but an offside call saved ATO from that fate. Wright controlled a pass on the edge of the 18 and threaded it through Twardek and Didić to reach Warschewski, who back-heeled the ball into the net from the 6-yard line. Fortunately for Atlético, Warschewski was offside, keeping the score at 0-1.

Tabla was then involved in a series of attempts to equalize starting with a missed long-shot in the 75^th minute. Then, in the 81^st minute, he crossed the ball to Del Campo, but the striker got too far under it and skied the ball – Tabla made a similar play with Didić in the 89^th minute. Finally, Tabla earned a free kick in a dangerous position after Aird fouled him near the edge of the penalty box. Zapater shot directly at the net, but Carducci cleared the ball away.

It wasn’t until the 87^th minute that Ottawa managed to get back into the game. Zapater slipped a pass to de Brienne in the box, who maneuvered past Diego Gutiérrez and Aird. Unmarked, de Brienne cut the ball back low to Didić positioned centrally in the box. Didić shot low and Carducci blocked it with his leg leaving the ball loose in the box. This was a crucial moment for ATO and Sam Salter capitalized on the opportunity, pouncing on the rebound and firing it into the far corner of the goal, leveling the score at 1-1.

Unfortunately, Atlético’s joy was short-lived as Cavalry regained their lead just two minutes later due to another defensive lapse. De Brienne miscontrolled a pass from Didić, allowing Musse to intercept and advance the ball. With de Brienne and Zapater in pursuit, Didić attempted to challenge Musse with a lunge, and Singh followed with a tackle. Meanwhile, Twardek sprinted in on the left, but Musse outmaneuvered them all, shooting from the edge of the box and slotting the ball past Yesli into the netting. As the score shifted to 2-1, four of the seven Ottawa players in the box fell to their knees in defeat.

With one last push, Twardek headed the ball towards the visitor’s goal, but the whistle blew as Carducci wrapped his hands around it in the 96^th minute.

This marks Ottawa’s second defeat in a row and fourth of the season. The red-and-white stripes managed only four shots on target, most of which came in the second half – a recurring issue as they tend to press too late in matches. This delayed strategy has proven ineffective, with opponents adapting to Gonzalez’s tactics and making it difficult for ATO to break through their defenses.

With this loss, Ottawa is barely clinging to their lead at the top of the table, having secured only one win in their last five matches. As the season progresses, Atlético needs to regroup to remain contenders for the CPL Shield and start accumulating more u21 minutes, which are necessary to compete for the North Star Cup.

This week, my standout performance goes to the nearly 6,000 fans who came out to TD Place on Saturday. They demonstrated exceptional spirit by keeping up the noise and energy during the two-hour-long weather delay and their enthusiasm didn’t wane over the remainder of the match. Despite the outcome, the unwavering dedication of the fans consistently makes the game a truly unique and unforgettable experience.

Atlético Ottawa faces Forge FC next at Tim Hortons Field on August 10^th at 7 PM. In their previous encounter, Ottawa stole all three points in a fight-to-the-whistle 4-3 victory at home. After an upsetting couple of weeks, ATO needs a win on the road to hold on to their first place position. Join the Capital City Supporters as they travel to Hamilton to support the team; tickets are still available and can be purchased at https://capitalcitysupporters.com/.

C.D. Girard (she/her/elle) discovered Atlético Ottawa during their 2023 season and has been a loyal fan ever since. A long-time admirer of the sport, she first began playing football at the age of seven and most looks forward to international competitions where she supports both Canada and the Netherlands.