CCSG Player Ratings: Matchday 17 vs. Cavalry FC
Eight days later, and I’m still questioning whether or not I should continue watching this sport. Even sat only a brisk 30-minute walk from my residence, the trip to TD Place was not worth it in the slightest. Between the two-hour rain delay and the 90 minutes spent on the pitch, it was the “they’re the same picture” meme that came to life with regard to Atlético Ottawa’s presence. That it took 80 minutes for the team to show any sign of life, only to then concede moments after, in a moment eerily reminiscent of the second home game against Cavalry last season, is a gut punch that fans of this side should be calloused against at this point. And yet, it’s impossible to ever become numb to this sort of pain. It is, of course, the pain of expectation more than anything else that makes these performances so unbearable. The signings that were made in the winter of 2024 were being hailed, fairly or unfairly, as the veritable Galácticos of the CPL. As we’re seeing, now more than ever, individuals are what a team is made up of, but they do not make up a team. We can talk about whether or not the pieces of this puzzle would even fit together in the first place, but it’s clear now more than ever that Carlos González does not have the tools to get the best out of these players. Of course, without a permanent leader in management with the departure of Fernando Lopez, the odds of any action being taken to remedy this situation are slim to none. What’s even more frustrating is that the collective effort is oftentimes masking the individual performances that do deserve praise. I hope to capture some of those now, while also placing appropriate criticism on those deserving.
#19 Rubén Del Campo
(6.6): As always, a striker is only as good as the service he is provided. There were attempts in the first half to have the ball come through Rubén as a distributor to the wings, with the idea of the ball hopefully coming back to the striker’s feet. Of course, that never materialized, as Rubén did not register a single shot on target in the game, and his first shot only occurred in the 77th. There was one instance where the ball came in behind that Rubén played a ball across goal only for Zach Roy to not have fully caught up with him inside the Cavalry penalty area which is easily the best . That Rubén only won two of his seven contested duels, without winning a single free kick, nor contributing any key passes, goes to show that he was completely out of this game. Given recent performances, I would suggest that Rubén’s not being limited by the opposing defence, but more so by a tactical infrastructure that fails to provide anything creative. It’s hard to be too upset at the player most consistently finding the back of the net, though it must be said that the consistency is starting to fade after a strong start to the season, much like everything else about this team.
#13 Ballou Tabla
(0): No player has ever convinced me more that statistics are balderdash than Ballou Tabla in 2024. His first 81 minutes were pitiful. I genuinely believe that what happened to those basketball players in Space Jam has happened to Ballou Tabla in real life. I can just picture him, like Charles Barkley going to that one pickup game, walking by a local park, kicking a ball around, and skying every shot by 30 yards. Yet, Sofascore tells me he made three key passes, won four free kicks, and won six of nine duels. I felt absolutely none of that watching him play. What I see is a player who is disconnected from everything his teammates want to do in transition. A player who’s only been able to build an understanding with one teammate on the pitch, to the detriment of any attack that isn’t built up between the two of them. He has not adapted well to this team, and he has not been creative enough to justify the contract term he’s been given, nor likely the salary he is taking on, regardless of what it actually is. He’s got 11 games to make this right because the first 17 have been a shell of what we were led to believe this team was getting. The problem is, I’m not sure what solution we have to fix this issue. He played 90 minutes on Saturday because there is no confidence from Carlos to have anyone else fill that role, even if there might be someone who could.
#2 Zachary Roy
(6.5): In his first start in over two years, Zach Roy was fine. The 58 minutes he played on Saturday were the most he’s ever recorded in a single game for ATO and are going to be extremely valuable to making the u21 minute threshold come the end of the season. I was largely content with how Zach worked with Dani Morer down the right side. Given my trepidation at having Morer at right back instead of right-wing, that was a positive surprise through most of the first half. Unfortunately, he couldn’t quite manage to affect the game with his end product. He didn’t connect with any of his crosses, he did not win a single duel and only ended up making ten passes in those 58 minutes. The sample size is pretty low in that regard, but this is the first extended minutes Zach has seen this season. I don’t think he’s presented himself as the solution, but it’s not like the team’s performance significantly changed with him starting at right wing.
#9 Samuel Salter
(7.1): I don’t quite know why Sam Salter hasn’t been starting on the wing, given his performances over the last few weeks. He’s looked like a totally different player to the one we had watched for most of 2023, and the start of 2024. His 87th-minute goal marked his third goal contribution in the last four games, really being the only consistently good part of this torrid stretch for ATO. The finish itself was a real poacher’s finish, being in the right spot at the right time, and thankfully having Rubén leave the ball for him to take the shot freely. With winning four of seven duels, and providing a couple of key passes, Salter’s performances still extend past just being able to contribute to the final scores. I mentioned that the team had not really changed with Zach Roy starting at right wing, I’d say it’s time now for Salter to start to see if that change can come without a major change to the lineup.
#10 Ollie Bassett
(6): Nothing exemplifies why I’m frustrated about Ollie Bassett more than watching Sergio Camargo do what he did in the first half of this game. As a number 10, he looked to find spaces between the midfield and defence constantly for Cavalry, and the attacks he initiated resulted in chance after chance, with each of them feeling like Camargo was firmly in control of the situation, pedal to the metal, trying desperately to connect on an opening goal. Meanwhile, Ollie Basset’s way to find the ball is to drop into the defensive line and pass the ball around with the defensive midfielder, full back, and the centre back on the side he finds himself. Simply as another cog in the machine to get a ball down the wing and hope that one of several cutbacks will be able to find the feet of an ATO striker. Maybe Ollie just isn’t that type of player, which is probably correct given the last two seasons, and to hold him to that standard is irresponsible of someone trying to figure out what’s wrong with this team in attack. Despite that, I can’t help but want him to be held to that high standard given everything he’s done in an ATO shirt. Much like Tabla, the stats tell a different story, but when I read it, I feel like I’m reading a whole different language.
#33 Abou Sissoko
(7.4): For most of the season, I’ve labeled Sissoko as a steady hand that doesn’t fall below a certain level, but also doesn’t exceed it too often either. Saturday night was a different story. I wouldn’t suggest that he took the game by the scruff of the neck, as the first half was still fairly lifeless from Atlético Ottawa, but he was the standout performer from what I saw. He maintained his usual high pass accuracy, working with his right-sided players to work the ball into space and look somewhat dangerous down that flank. He was able to cut out a couple of Cavalry passes and win two of his three tackles, recording six defensive actions in all. On top of that, he managed to win seven of nine duels, and won three free kicks. While his shot to mark the end of the first half went careening into the Aberdeen pavilion, Abou Sissoko was putting his best foot forward in this game when others were not. In a game without Manny Aparicio to take on the bulk of the activity in midfield, Sissoko stepped up and showed how he can provide value to this team. It’s always bubbled towards the surface, but Saturday was a showcase for his ability, it’s just unfortunate that couldn’t work with the rest of the team to claim a result.
#6 Liberman Torres:
(5.8): Much like Ballou Tabla, the stats tell a very different story to what I saw from Liberman Torres on Saturday. Despite having 97% pass accuracy, what I watched was a nervous defensive midfielder playing the ball mostly backwards or sideways. He doesn’t look comfortable on the ball whatsoever. His touches feel clumsy, and despite only having one misplaced pass, it came as a result of pressure and immediately went the other way for a major Cavalry scoring chance that ATO was lucky to see go harmlessly wide of the goal. The bigger issue to me, though, is his defensive positioning. Too many times in the first half, there were Cavalry players that weren’t being tracked between the midfield line and defence, giving them plenty of room to operate in space and make one-twos that sliced through overmatched defenders. I’m speaking mostly about Sergio Camargo here, as he kept finding the space in defence, and Torres never seemed to be occupying his role as a pivot in those instances. ATO were lucky not to concede in that first half thanks to some heroic defending from our centre-backs, and Liberman needed to be better to prevent those chances from being created in the first place.
#21 Alberto Zapater
(6.7): Coming into the game after 58 minutes, the middle of the park stabilized with Zapater replacing Liberman Torres. How much of that can be attributed to the changes made to Cavalry’s tactics versus Alberto’s impact on the game is up for discussion, but I would never dismiss the stability the 39-year-old brings to the team. 75% success rate in duels, a couple of defensive actions, and 89% pass accuracy sums up well what I saw from Alberto on Saturday. Sometimes stats are able to tell the story of an individual game, even if I’ve been critical of other stat lines in this very game. I would hope that this is just a bit of rotation to keep Alberto fit, and that he will return to the starting XI against Forge.
#22 Matteo de Brienne
(6.8): It’s hard not to feel for Matteo after the end of that game. He made a great run to put the initial cutback that led to the Atlético Ottawa goal, and then, not even two minutes later, he slips, and the ball ends up at the feet of Ali Musse, who found the back of the net for the second time. To lay the blame for that goal entirely at his feet would be naïve, as Musse still had plenty of work to do to even get in a position to have a shot at goal, and the finish itself was splendid as well. The first half saw much of Cavalry’s attack focused down Matteo’s wing, and he was having to deal with essentially a two on one overload the entire half. I’d attribute that to Ballou Tabla being the left winger, and not being effective in tracking back in transition, leaving Matteo on that island. It’s something that York looked to exploit early last week when Ollie was ahead of Matteo, and unless a new plan develops for the left wing, I would expect that to be the case most weeks. The current system puts a lot on Matteo’s shoulders, and he’s able to live up to that expectation more frequently than not, it just so happens the one slip-up this week came at the worst possible time.
#4 Tyr Walker
(7.2): I wouldn’t be surprised if Tyr started every remaining game this season. Not just because we need the u21 minutes, but because I have more confidence in him to be able to execute his defensive duties more effectively than Luke Singh. Three of four successful tackles, seven of eight successful duels, as well as three other defensive actions in this game do mask a little bit of an issue with his positioning, in my mind, but demonstrates how he’s able to recover back into position and make important interventions in the defensive third. I also am not convinced by Tyr’s forward distribution, even though I feel he did do a better job finding the right pass in this game than he had in previous outings. That is with the caveat that his first attempted long ball fell right to the feet of a Cavalry player, who immediately brought the ball back into the final third. That he can match up against someone like Tobias Warschewski or Lowell Wright and limit them shows he can play in this league and could be the first real success as a u21 player for this team if he continues to grow as he has over the past two years.
#55 Amer Didic
(7.6): I may have said that Abou Sissoko was the standout player from this game, but that’s mostly because I’ve come to expect the level that Amer Didic has provided all season. Talking about his aerial dominance almost feels tired at this point, and yet I can’t help but mention it given how vital it is to this team’s defensive and attacking play. Add on three chances created, including the shot that rebounded to the foot of Sam Salter for the ATO goal, and 77% accuracy on long balls, and it’s hard to argue that Didic isn’t the best player on this team, by far. Sure, the attempted block that ricocheted into the net for Musse’s first goal was unfortunate, and in the moment, I was angry, but realistically a defender’s job is to try and prevent goals, and no one else was going to dive in the way of the ball like that. I’ve mentioned before that there’s a part of me that feels bad Amer didn’t get a chance to go play in Europe this year, and here’s hoping that someone will take a chance on a 30-year-old centre-back in 2025 because his level has not dropped whatsoever in 2024. Without him, I shudder to think what this team looks like.
#5 Luke Singh
(6.1): It’s frustrating to see Luke fall as he has, because I felt like he had been able to be successful as the second centre-back in this lineup, and yet, he’s just not regained that level that he showed at the beginning of the year. His numbers aren’t the problem, it’s the decision-making in instances that don’t show up statistically. Namely on that last goal, where Ali Musse was given far too much room in the D to be able to shoot. Only playing for 19 minutes makes it seem that Carlos González is losing confidence in him and gaining confidence in Tyr Walker. Maybe he can get back to the level he was at, but with time running out on the season, I’m not sure that’s in the cards.
#8 Dani Morer
(6.6): While I’ve been adamant that Morer’s best position in this team is right-wing, his foray at right back on Saturday was more than effective enough to have him rotate in that position for the rest of the season. He was able to work overlaps to get spaces to cross early, and while they didn’t find his teammates in the box, they were far more dangerous than any other attempts in the first half. His ability to work with Zach Roy also presented an interesting dynamic that could allow ATO to accumulate more u21 minutes if they so choose to proceed with this lineup in the future. That he didn’t invert too much in this game, as he did when he played at left-back against Valour, made it possible for the right side of the pitch to pose a threat, while also knowing he could operate in tight spaces when required. Nothing about his defensive game really stood out, which, to be honest, isn’t the worst thing in the world.
#23 Kris Twardek
(6.5): For the first time this season, Kris Twardek found himself as the right winger rather than the right back when he was substituted into the match in the 58th minute. Given the ability of both Morer and he to function in either role down the right, it may be a misnomer to define their position in the thirteen or so minutes they shared on the pitch. It was Twardek’s crosses, however, that were the ones to find their target in this game, as he completed both he attempted, accounting for half of the completed crosses in the match for ATO. Aside from those, he did manage to make a couple of interceptions, but also was unsuccessful with either of his dribbles. The unfortunate part of the first failed attempt was it came in a moment where a counterattack was manifesting, and rather than take on the defender whom he could outpace, Twardek instead went back to his tried-and-true stepovers to try and gain space only to lose out on the tackle. Ultimately, there wasn’t much to glean from Twardek’s substitute appearance, but he still figures to be the most unsung player for this team this season.
#99 Rayane Yesli
(6.6): With one goal being a deflection and the other coming as his defence hung him out to dry, it’s really difficult to judge Yesli for the balls that ended up in the back of his net. With his defence doing the work to block some of the more dangerous attempts that came his way, Yesli only needed to make one save from inside the penalty area, with the other two coming from distance and posing no real threat to the ATO goal. The distribution part of his game was roughly similar to his previous performances sitting at just below 33%. In all, there wasn’t much to point out from the keeper, it was not a performance that filled me with confidence, but it wasn’t terrible either.
1-2-3 in our last six home games. It seems the demons that have plagued this side at TD Place have reemerged since the beginning of June. It should be noted that the one win in that list came in the thrilling 4-3 win over Forge, a game filled with chaos which should not inspire any confidence whatsoever. There is plenty of blame to go around between players and management for the performances in this last month. It is one that hopefully will be taken to heart with three games on the road before returning to TD Place on August 31st. Miraculously, this team still sits atop the Canadian Premier League table. It speaks to the parity of this league, and how truly remarkable the start to the season was that this is the case. Though if current trends continue, we will be left behind by teams playing better than we have, almost all season. We are in dire straits as it stands, and if this form continues, all that money we spent will be for nothing.
About Patrick
Having joined CCSG in 2022, Patrick started his footie career playing at the age of 4 and began watching the pros around the same time. While the first pro team he supported was Manchester United, as soon as Atlético Ottawa came to town, he was immediately on board. His wealth of footy knowledge has been a constant asset, along with his role as caretaker for Atléti Wikipedia pages.
