CCSG Player Ratings: Matchday 19 @ Pacific FC
The starting XI that Carlos González put forward on Saturday night was a forceful message to his team, and they received it loud and clear. For the first time in over a month, Atlético Ottawa looked cohesive in every aspect of the game. For the third time in their last five, they managed to score within the first ten minutes of the game, but what followed was a different team to the one that looked deflated against Valour and was overwhelmed by York. Regardless of any one individual effort, the team performance was a 10/10 in comparison to anything they've shown in the last month. The game state allowed them to operate on the counter, and they were looking to take it to Pacific constantly through the first half. The ball was moving around the park and the midfield was winning the ball back effectively. The stagnation that has characterized Atlético Ottawa through this poor stretch of form was absent, and it was replaced by a collective effort to try and put the game away in the first half, and they certainly did. Atléti’s run at the beginning of the season was built heavily on an ability to be clinical from set pieces, which had dried up in recent weeks as well. All three goals came from these dead ball situations, and it was the changes that Carlos González made to the starting lineup that facilitated this response.
I’m of course talking about the decision to have Ballou Tabla and Ollie Bassett out of the starting XI. Given they are the two faces of this team, the brunt of the criticism I’ve delivered has been focused on their play, and I don’t think any of it is misplaced. My issues with the recent team dynamic disappeared completely in the first half, and it cannot be a coincidence that this is the case. While some may think these changes came a tad too late, Carlos must be commended for doing so. The trick is going to be if this run of form continues, if the changes manifest into something more, or if this was just a one-off result against the team with the worst form in the league.
#19 Rubén Del Campo
(6.8): Rubén’s third goal served as the icing on the cake for an incredible start for Atlético Ottawa, which feels greedy given that his goal was in the 22nd minute. It was well taken, hard and low across the goal despite Sean Melvin being well out of position and is a great example of his poacher’s instincts to find the soft spot in the defense to take advantage of chaos on a corner kick. In addition, Del Campo looked far more integrated with the rest of the team than he did last week against Forge. Much of that can come down to the changes Carlos González made to the team, as mentioned above, but credit needs to be given to the individuals for having the ability to play to their best when changes occur. That said, Rubén’s output doesn’t fully reflect the input, to a pretty staggering level. He only won six of the 22 duels he contested in the match, with a paltry three ground duels won out of 15. Further, he only completed 58% of his passes and conceded three free kicks while only earning one. Still, him being that active is demonstrative of a player who is involved in more facets of the game than just goal scoring. The fact that he did score is enough to paper over the rest of the performance, as that’s what a striker is supposed to do at the end of the day.
#9 Samuel Salter
(7.2): Finally earning a start on the left wing after a string of effective substitute performances down either flank over the last month, Sam Salter’s level did not drop with the added minutes or responsibility. His best moment going forward was the ball he corralled along the goal line and played across to the penalty spot that was just cut out by a Pacific defender. It’s the sort of ball that has been few and far between from that side of the pitch in recent weeks, and his willingness to lay the ball off to Matteo de Brienne alongside him, or to try and work with his midfielders in tight spaces, is a breath of fresh air in attack. It could be argued that while the team was in a 5-4-1 shape in defence, Salter did drift a fair bit inside into almost a second striker role, which could explain his poor 69% pass accuracy, but regardless of where he was on the field, I thought he was quite effective. He also put in a bit of a shift defensively, having five defensive actions, with two successful tackles and winning more than half of his duels. Taking all that into account, it felt a tad early to have him come off prior to the 60th minute, but what he was able to do on the pitch against Pacific should have him start against Halifax next week.
#34 Manny Aparicio
(7.7): I have been supremely harsh on Manny Aparicio over the last month. His style of play is one that looks incredible when the team is playing together and getting results, and the opposite is true when the rest of the team isn’t up to their regular level. While he’s never been elite at winning duels in the midfield, the sheer number he contests disrupts the opposing attack or, as is so often important, doesn’t allow the opponent to get the ball out of defence. This makes his performance in this game shine so much brighter, as he won 11 of the 13 duels he contested, three of the five tackles he attempted, and managed a total of 11 defensive actions. So much praise has been levied towards him for his ability to affect the game in the attacking third, and as such I want to highlight this defensive performance even more. The block we were playing invited pressure from Pacific, particularly in the second half as we were looking to see out a 3-0 lead, and it necessitated this type of game from the midfielders to prevent Pacific from having any truly dangerous chances. Manny and Abou both did this with aplomb, and it will be key to get this level from both of them through the remaining nine games.
#33 Abou Sissoko
(7.6): The coincidence of Abou Sissoko’s two goals this season cannot go unmentioned. Both off free kicks and within the first couple of minutes to really set the tone for the rest of the game. Fortunately for Atlético Ottawa, the result in this game did not come into question unlike the first game in which the Mali-born midfielder found the back of the net. The header was well taken, for sure, and is a reward for an extremely effective game in the middle of the park, in sharp contrast to last week against Forge. His partnership with Manny Aparicio seemed to take control of the middle of the park for essentially all of the 65 minutes he was on the pitch. Winning seven of nine duels is the best way to demonstrate that but he also managed to win three free kicks, which given the game state, was very important to halting any momentum Pacific looked to build by winning the ball back in the Atlético Ottawa half. The contrast between this week and last week in the midfield of this team was the most staggering, particularly from a defensive perspective. It remains to be seen if that comes as a result of playing against a team that has had issues scoring all season, or if it’s the resurgence of what allowed ATO to be so successful at the beginning of the year.
#11 Gabriel Antinoro
(6.5): Gabi Antinoro’s first start since the match against Valour on July 21st is best described as uneventful. Substituted in the 60th minute, he only attempted 14 passes, contested only four duels, winning one, and had 22 touches. Most of the attacking play that was focused down the right wing seemed to be flowing through Dani Morer, and as such, Gabi couldn’t quite find the spaces to get involved offensively. Defensively, he wasn’t tasked with much, despite Georges Mukumbilwa being his opposite number, and as such there isn’t too much to evaluate Gabi on in that respect. His energy is still prevalent whenever he ends up on the pitch, but it remains the only notable thing about his play. Gabi needs to be able to effect the game more if he wants to see minutes, even if he will need to see the pitch to help accumulate the last few u21 minutes that this team will need to end the season.
#13 Ballou Tabla
(6.5): As much as I have put Ballou to the coals in recent weeks, I do think his substitute appearance in this game was adequate. His chance late in the game was well taken and required a strong save from Sean Melvin to keep him from extending the lead to four-nil. You would still hope that it would have found the back of the net, but you can forgive him given that it would not have impacted the result. He also did make one important defensive intervention, as Pacific were dribbling just outside the penalty area, but that was essentially it in that respect. Many of the issues that I’ve had with his game remain, particularly as it comes to defensive responsibility, but the game state in which he entered allowed him to showcase his talent far more than in recent weeks. With Pacific open at the back, trying to fight their way into the game, Ballou was given more space to operate and look more like the player he was in 2022. I didn’t see enough to convince me he should start next week in Halifax, but trying to rebuild him into the team through substitute appearances, much like with Sam Salter, feels the best route to get him back into form.
#10 Ollie Bassett
(6.5): That Ollie Bassett’s first touch of the game was him pulling back on a counterattack should make the most attentive ATO fans chuckle, as I definitely did. Given he was in the game for 25 minutes and Pacific held the bulk of possession as they tried desperately to find a way back into the game, Ollie’s role was simply to hold in the midfield and not allow any good chances to find their way to the net. That the team kept a clean sheet means that was fulfilled, but any substitute in this game was going to have a difficult task trying to impress. Carlos González reverted back to a 2022 style game with a tremendously defensive presence in the second half given the wide lead, and while that isn’t Ollie’s bread and butter, he looked a little more comfortable with more bodies around him even still playing down the right wing. Much like with Ballou, I think this team is still better with him starting on the bench, but that remains to be seen over a larger sample size.
#21 Alberto Zapater
(6.8): Once again coming into the game in the second half, Alberto Zapater’s introduction in place of Gabi Antinoro was the ultimate signal that Atlético Ottawa were just trying to see out the last 30 minutes without much issue. Zapater’s involvement wasn’t anything of significance going forward, as he only attempted eight passes, but again, given the game state, that was certainly to be expected. However, it was a different story defensively. He only contested two duels, but managed to register three interceptions in 30 minutes, and win the only tackle he put in. With Liberman Torres left out of the lineup altogether in this game, Zapater had to come in and be himself when asked, and he did just that. His role has certainly been reduced this season, which I’m sure is welcome for a veteran given that playing essentially every minute of last season was unsustainable. Being able to have him on the bench and come into games like this is ideal for what ATO wants to do down the stretch.
#22 Matteo de Brienne
(6.4): Over the last few weeks, I’ve commended Matteo de Brienne for his work rate in spite of everything seemingly collapsing all around him. Perhaps I’ve been doing this to a fault, in trying to find any bright spot given the results, but I do still have a ton of belief in his role in this team. He hasn’t been able to rotate as much as everyone would have wanted him to, given Maxim Tissot’s early season injury, and thus he has started every game in which he has been available for selection. As such, he perhaps isn’t making the best decisions late in games - I’m speaking mostly of when he gets the ball in pressure situations along the touchline. The most notable instance of this was the giveaway that resulted in Ali Musse’s winner two weeks ago, but he had another giveaway in a similar circumstance late in the second half where he passed the ball inside and left his midfielder out to dry as they were under pressure. With Ilias Iliadis now on the roster, maybe that gives us the left back cover we need to give Matteo a breather here and there, and let him really make the most of his physical gifts without running him ragged.
#96 Ilias Iliadis
(7.7): Being proven wrong is the best feeling you can have as a fan who just happens to spew his opinions online. I thought Ilias Iliadis was going to show much of the same from last year, and only be effective in the middle of the park where we already have a glut of options. Instead, he’s been damn good in a defensive role in his first two appearances for the club, featuring as the left sided centre back in a back five and really holding his own against Tircoveanu and Reon Moore. While he only managed to win three of seven duels, he made a number of key defensive interventions, including clearing the ball off the line early in the first half as well as 3 other clearances with a couple of interceptions to boot. This of course all comes before talking about his olimpico, which honestly speaks for itself in terms of brilliance, if nothing else than for its sheer audacity. The other thing to note from Iliadis’ performance is the ten passes into the final third from centre back. Given Tyr’s issues in distribution and Didic becoming more susceptible to giveaways, another option to get the ball forward from defense is going to reintroduce a key element of this team’s attacking identity.
#55 Amer Didic
(7.4): He wears a magic hat, and it’s hard not to be astounded by Amer Didic’s aerial ability despite it being ever-present through his career. Against Pacific, he managed another six headed clearances, half of his total for the game, and added one interception to mark another impeccable game for the 29-year-old. The fact that Pacific managed to win three aerial duels against him in this match is eye-catching for sure, but none of those materialized into much of anything. With ATO holding onto much less of the ball in this match, Didic’s usually gaudy number of pass attempts fell to only 30 for the game, which in turn saw his accuracy dip to 77%. These numbers don’t concern me however, as the task for him in this game was to marshal a defensive structure rather than try and chase a goal. I also think he was hard done by with regards to the yellow card he picked up. The increased emphasis on carding players for kicking the ball after the whistle has sometimes seen officials get overzealous in their interpretation of the law. This particular instance felt too much like a literal reading of that law rather than understanding that Amer wouldn’t have known that the ball was out of play. Fortunately for us, Amer’s been very disciplined and is under no threat of suspension for the foreseeable future.
#4 Tyr Walker
(7): The continued presence of Tyr Walker in the defensive line means there are no fears that the team will have to meet the required 2000 minutes for u21 Canadians by the end of the season by having to sacrifice first team minutes for a regular starter. After a successful first start in Victoria last season, Tyr’s third consecutive appearance in the XI was to the same standard that we have come to expect from the Russell born central defender. It does not come without some concerns, as he gave away three free kicks, getting bested by a Pacific attack that does not inspire much threat, and lost more duels than he won, winning only three of seven. On the other hand, 5 clearances, a successful tackle, and a couple of interceptions mean he’s a net positive defensively at the end of the day. Additionally, he managed to complete more than half of his long balls, an improvement on some of the distribution issues I had mentioned in the past. Tyr is growing, and with more time on the pitch in a system like this, that works with each other rather than leaving defenders alone, is going to impact his development positively.
#8 Dani Morer
(7.2): The first half saw Dani Morer really assert himself on the game offensively. Much of what I’ve seen this season is that Morer has worked particularly well from static positions, be that on set pieces or taking the ball quickly from throw-ins. In this game, he was affecting play while being dynamic which gave Pacific all sorts of trouble down the right flank. Had Gabi Antinoro and him been able to work together a little better, there likely would have been another goal in the first half as the counterattack was working on overdrive. From a statistical perspective, it’s hard to look past Dani only winning four of 13 ground duels and having committed three fouls in the process, with a fairly reckless challenge earning him a yellow card, but there’s certainly enough to counteract that and enough positives from watching how he played to offset a weaker defensive performance. Three chances created, including the assist on the opening goal, alongside eight passes into the final third and 75% accurate long balls shows the ability he has to pick out a pass. His technique is marvelous, and to argue that anyone else should be on free kicks and corners the rest of the way would be foolish. Of course, all this with the caveat that him being stretchered off the pitch was as a precaution and not the sign of a more serious injury.
#5 Luke Singh
(NR): With the level that Tyr Walker continues to display, and the emergence of Ilias Iliadis as an option for a third centre back, Luke Singh’s role on the team is coming into question. Despite some solid early season performances, his level has dipped in his most recent appearances, and as such, will seemingly be relegated to the bench for the remainder of the season. It’s unfortunate that the 23-year-old has not really stamped a place for himself in this line-up, and barring injury, I don’t think he’ll really be getting the chance.
#2 Zachary Roy
(NR): Given Dani Morer’s injury, it’s no surprise that Zach Roy entered the game. Unfortunately for him, he was given another opportunity at goal and couldn’t get the job done. This effort was far more of a waste than his previous attempt that was well saved by Jonathan Viscosi, given the space he had and how far over the bar it went. He’s been an end-of-the-bench player now for three seasons, and if he can’t take his chances when presented, the odds are that he won’t move past that role in the lineup.
#29 Nathan Ingham
(7.5): You can’t ask for much more from your goalkeeper than what Nathan Ingham did against Pacific. 5 saves, over 50% success rate on long balls, and a clean sheet. While most of the saves were made relatively simple by the Pacific attack not being in a great position thanks to the ATO defence, Nate still had to make them. The best of them, though, was his save on the Tircoveanu free kick in the first half, where he not only managed to parry the ball away, but also kept it in play to avoid another Pacific set piece. Perhaps this rating can be boiled down to the game being kept in control by the ATO defensive block, but it’s nice to give a keeper credit, especially when the team hasn’t kept a clean sheet in a month.
It’s a good thing to be happy about this result. There’s been plenty of doom and gloom around this team for a while now, and something needed to be done. But we have to remember, it’s only one game. We go away to Halifax next week, another team in a terrible run of form whom we’ve not been altogether great against this season. Our first game against them was changed by an early red card against Lorenzo Callegari, and our second game was a calamity for 83 minutes before divine intervention saw ATO escape with a draw. A 2-1 loss to Valour for the team now bottom of the league will see them motivated, and I hope that the momentum from this result for ATO can carry over. It cannot be overstated that one result does not make a season, there needs to be a consistent run of form in the most important part of the season. We’ve given up our lead at the top of the table, and now four teams are within a handful of points of one another. This performance wasn’t anything to write home about in the grand scheme of things, as the nature of set piece goals felt flukier than I’d care to admit, and the porous goal scoring form of Pacific cannot be restated enough. I’d be ludicrous to think this was sustainable, but I’d also be naive to think that there aren’t building blocks in place to get us where we need to go: the manager just needs to put them together properly.
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.
