CCSG By The Numbers: 2024, An Analytical Breakdown - Part 4
At last, the part you’ve all been waiting for (or not). This is the final article in my series ranking the Atlético Ottawa roster based on how well they performed using my advanced analytics model (detailed here) for the players ranked #5 to #1. Click the following links for Part 1 (#20-16), Part 2 (#15-11), and Part 3 (#10-6) for those players who came before, or check the list at the end of the article for the full ranking. You have probably deduced by now the players that will be included in the following article, but in what order will they be? Find out below.
#5: Alberto Zapater - CDM
For a player as experienced as he is, it is no shock Zapater is ageing like fine wine. Even though he ranks as only an average Defensive Mid across the league as a whole, when he played Zapater was vital to the smooth functioning of the team, most notably in his incredible passing metrics across the board, something very rarely seen from the Canadian players in this league, perhaps an indication of a systematic failure in the grassroots game at this level. Other than that, he was also incredible at retrieving the ball through interception, though perhaps his age caught up to him when it came to his tackling ability, and he beat his man three-quarters of the time.
Aside from his incredible fundamentals, he experienced a little dip in his defensive attributes from last season, again possibly due to his age, but on the whole he improved mightily in his second season with the team, contributing more offensively as well. Naturally, his minutes had to be managed, as to not run him into the ground like last season, however it might have been nice if he was given a little more game-time.
CONTRACT STATUS: Out of Contract for 2025.
#4: Liberman Torres - CDM
Before everyone gets in a huff, or falls out of their office chair in shock, it must be stressed Torres played fewer than five hundred minutes this season, way below my arbitrary cutoff for statistical power of 800-1000 - as a result, there are a lot of extremes here, and therefore are not perfect for proper analysis. Of course, part of that was his visa issues that delayed his arrival in Ottawa, and of course his three-game suspension near the end of the season due to what can only be described politely as a loss of composure (something not accounted for in my model), however it maybe would’ve been nice to see him start more often that he did.
In his limited sample size (and this asterisk cannot be stressed enough), Torres ranked as one of the best passers in the league in terms of accuracy, succeeding on almost 92% of his attempts, landing him squarely in the 98th percentile in that category. He also ranked in the 90s for both his tackle success as well as his aerial duel win rate, something potentially surprising given his stature. Aside from that, Torres’ distribution of the ball across the board was excellent, he created chances, and he wasn’t a slouch defensively either, even if he gave away almost a foul more than he drew in his time with the club in 2024. A lot of fans have gotten stuck on his debut with ATO where he almost gifted Forge a draw single-handedly (before eventually making amends), and of course that aforementioned red card which won him absolutely no support, however perhaps we were a little too harsh on him.
CONTRACT STATUS: Loan Set to Expire for 2025.
#3: Samuel Salter - ST
2023 was a massive disappointment for Salter, given his record-setting first intra-CPL transfer to Atlético Ottawa - even though he contributed offensively, he wasn’t as effective as when he was with Halifax, and a lot of fans grew frustrated with his play. However, in 2024, when he was shifted to a more super-sub role, he shone.
Despite seeing his minutes reduced by nearly half from 2023, Salter improved on his already impressive offensive production rates, jumping from the high 80s in both goal contributions and shooting ability to the upper 90s, and he leapt to an 81.5 rank in Chance Creation, something probably facilitated by multiple stints on the wing. One thing that negatively affected his reception to Ottawa fans in 2023 was his inability to use his large frame to consistently win duels and make space for himself both on the ground and in the air, and this season he did just that, even if his results still weren't as high as maybe they should be. Even though he is out of contract for 2025, I think it would be prudent to bring him back for next season, under two conditions - he starts on the bench, and he continues in his winger/striker hybrid role. We have been consistently burned by super-sub-type players getting starts and then failing to perform to the same level (see Zach Verhoven and Dani Morer), and seeing Salter thrive in this role has been a revelation - especially as one of his biggest critics last season. Run it back.
CONTRACT STATUS: Club Option for 2025.
#2: Ballou Tabla - Winger
I will be the first to say that I wasn’t the greatest fan of Ballou Tabla this season (and the stats don’t greatly affect my judgement, as good as they are) - I felt he was extremely wasteful in front of goal at crucial moments, that his effort was lacking at times, and his chemistry with the team was not at the same level as it was in 2022. Notably, all three of these things are not recordable in a spreadsheet, and thus must be taken into account post-mortem when doing the statistical analysis. All of that being said, Tabla. statistically, was a very good winger on his return to the club in 2024.
The two components that played a big role in his excellent final WPA grade were his Chance Creation, ranking just above the 89th percentile (more than one and a half “key passes” - generally defined as a pass that assists a shot but doesn’t score - per 90), and his cross accuracy, coming in at just a tick higher than 33%, placing him in the CPL’s 86th percentile. His other high marks in key areas for an effective winger also helped, those being his long ball accuracy as well as his raw assist numbers. While his overall goal contributions might not have been as stellar as in 2024, and his ability to beat his man nowhere near as impressive, it was his underlying metrics that carried the day - his crossing, his chance creation, etc. He might not have been as dynamic or flashy as in 2022, wasn’t the offensive force we as fans had expectations for, and had a whole bunch of other failings not represented by the model, fundamentally Tabla showed his worth this season. That is not to say I would not like to see some massive improvements from him in 2025, however perhaps we should take a step back on Tabla for a moment.
CONTRACT STATUS: Under Contract Through 2026.
#1: Amer Didic - CB
As almost all of you would have guessed by now, the number one spot on my list belongs to the CCSG Golden Scarf winner himself. In perhaps the only inclusion of this whole endeavour that will have the majority of readers agreeing with it, the man with the magic hat ranks as the BEST Atlético Ottawa player this season according to my model - a total surprise to all I am sure. When he was brought in this offseason the fanbase was relieved to finally have a worthy successor (and then some) to Diego Espejo as a rock at the back line, and he did not disappoint whatsoever.
It is hard to overstate just how good Didic is as a player, or just how crucial he was to Ottawa’s success in 2024. Ranking as the best Centre Back in the league (something he has done in all but one of his seasons in Canada), and as the second-best player full-stop in the entire league this season, his statistical profile shows us why. He finished in the 99th percentile in terms of winning duels, the 97th for blocking shots and clearing them, the 88th for ball distribution…the list can go on. He even beat his man through the dribble 100% of the time, and managed to find time to chip in four goals on top of that. There are perhaps no statistical weaknesses in his game for him as a Centre Back, except potentially his tackle win rate, although this can partially be explained by his role as the last man back most often. All this was expected of him the moment he landed in Ottawa, and even though he took a slight dip from 2023, an off-season for him is one every other CB in the league is jealous of, and he fulfilled every hope we had for him and more.
CONTRACT STATUS: Club Option for 2025.
And, with that, my work here is done - every ATO player in 2024 has been ranked, with a little bit of analysis done to boot. Check out the final rankings below, and read the other three articles for their corresponding breakdowns (linked in the introduction). Look forward to a few more articles from me detailing potential transfers for 2025 sometime down the line, and maybe one or two for any intra-CPL signings from Ottawa. Toodles.
2024 ATO ranks:
- Amer Didic - 84.9 WPA
- Ballou Tabla - 82.7 WPA
- Samuel Salter - 81.5 WPA
- Liberman Torres - 79.1 WPA
- Alberto Zapater - 74.8 WPA
- Ollie Bassett - 74.4 WPA
- Maxim Tissot - 73.4 WPA
- Ilias Iliadis - 70.1 WPA
- Ruben Del Campo - 68.7 WPA
- Tyr Walker - 68.6 WPA
- Matteo de Brienne - 65.4 WPA
- Kris Twardek - 65.2 WPA
- Aboubacar Sissoko - 62.8 WPA
- Gabriel Antinoro - 61.1 WPA
- Manny Aparicio - 60.8 WPA
- Luke Singh - 52.9 WPA
- Dani Morer - 44.9 WPA
- Kevin dos Santos - 43.5 WPA
- Zachary Roy - 35.8 WPA
- Jesús Del Amo - 34.8 WPA
Unranked: Jonathan Grant, Noah Verhoeven, and Aboubakary Sacko
About Alexander:
When he isn't busy playing or watching sports (or going to school at uOttawa), Alexander is busy managing his Atlético Ottawa database, which he started in 2020, and tracks everything you can think of about the club and its players. He also runs a BlueSky account dedicated to analyzing and rating CPL players using statistics, CPL by the Numbers.
