CCSG Player Ratings: Matchday 3 vs. York United (19/4/25)
Belief. Every soul that walked into TD Place on Saturday had it coursing through their veins. The first two matches had brought forward the most entertaining football the team has ever played. As such, conceding an early goal didn’t bring down the mood in the stands. A frustrating refereeing performance that saw the most fouls awarded in any CPL game did not completely undo the team’s mentality. A freak goal to bring the game level despite York never really managing a chance in the second half just meant we had to go down and score a third. Diego Mejía has inspired belief in every one of his players and every one of his supporters, and they are repaying him in spades. There is still plenty of season left, and plenty more trials and tribulations to encounter through the next 6 months, but this team is ready for all of them, and a 95th minute winner against the one team that we just never seemed able to get the result against does nothing but wonders for a collective mentality.
Growth
Gabriel Antinoro is a mentality monster. Last week I used the word “revitalized” to describe his play. Diego Mejía has inspired confidence in the 21-year-old, and Gabi has paid him back one hundredfold. He has delivered three consecutive magnificent performances in a variety of roles. Saturday, he was back on his natural left side, still featuring as a wing back, and matching up directly against CPL veteran Max Ferrari. Through the first half, Gabi wasn’t involved very much, with most of the play focused down the opposite side of the pitch, but as the second half opened the play shifted, and Gabi took it in full stride.
The opening Atlético Ottawa goal was all Gabi, managing to body Max Ferrari off the ball before chasing it down, dribbling away from Luke Singh and playing a ball low and hard into the six-yard box, which eventually found the foot of Sam Salter and then the back of the net. The dribble which generated that chance was one of three he completed in the match, and with a positive win rate on duels, his play is demonstrative of a young player who has grown tremendously in one off-season. It is a mark of what confidence does for a young player.
Speaking of confidence, what else would a 95th-minute winner bring to the player who scores it?
Noah Abatneh has not been at his absolute best through the first three weeks of the season. The role he has taken on in the middle of the back three is demanding for even the best of centre-backs, needing to marshal the defence and being the last line ahead of the goalkeeper. One can point to the misplaced pass that resulted in Halifax’s first goal in week one, or being unable to match Terran Campbell for pace in the only goal that Vancouver scored last week. Even Saturday, he wasn’t quite in position to deal with the cross that found the head of Julian Altobelli for York’s opener. On the balance, he’s still done more positive than negative, but given his position the negative is often going to have more lasting consequences on the state of the game.
Though, none of those instances were quite as dramatic as the winner. This was the third injury-time winner Atlético Ottawa have scored at home in their history, following Ivan Perez’s winner in 2022 against Halifax and Liberman Torres’ header against Forge last season (which also came after a goal-conceding gaff). The set-piece delivery from Kevin dos Santos was spot on, and the finish was better than you would assume from a defender. It is the first real highlight for Noah in Atléti colours, and to have it be against the team he just left makes it all the sweeter, I’m sure. Here’s hoping that confidence stretches to his defensive play, and he continues to build on the success he’s had in spite of the mistakes he’s made.
Stability
One of the biggest reasons that Atlético Ottawa’s opponents have had fewer chances over the last two and a half matches has been the play of the two anchor midfielders. Manny Aparicio is, arguably, the most known quantity in the CPL at this point. On the attacking front, Manny was controlled and active in transitioning the ball from midfield to attack. His intelligence was on full display during his goal, noticing that Urtiaga was off his line and dropping a long shot perfectly over his outstretched arm to put Atlético Ottawa in the lead. Defensively, he was his usual chaotic self = Manny’s four fouls, which resulted in one yellow card,, and one particularly aggressive jumping challenge that would have certainly been a red had it connected in any way with the York player that held the ball, are the most evident examples of this.
While Manny continues to play to the level that he’s demonstrated in this league, the unknown quantity was always going to be who played next to him in the middle of the park. The man who has established himself as such is a fellow veteran, Juan “Coque” Castro. Echoing the stability that Alberto Zapater brought to the team upon his arrival in the summer of 2023, Coque’s performance against York was the exact recipe required to solve an opponent that seemed to be in full control of the midfield in the first half. In the second half, however, Coque was ubiquitous. He served as the key outlet for the ATO defenders, relieving pressure from the York attackers in our defensive end and finding his way around the York midfielders to serve as a second axis between the defence and attack. His second match of the season sees him register a second assist (once again on a goal that will not be remembered for its preceding pass), as well as be a significant reason why the team was able to recover in the second half.
A midfield pairing that provides this level on a consistent basis is something we saw when Atléti were at their best last season, but it can also be argued that exceptional individual efforts from our defenders saved us more often than you would otherwise want to see from a successful team. Having a double pivot like Manny and Coque, or potentially Manny and Sissoko (among other possible combinations in this formation), is critical to being able to hold possession as we have been in these last two games. It surprised me to learn that ATO had, in fact, managed to hold 60+ % possession in consecutive games prior to these previous two matches (against Valour and York in June of last year). It would also surprise me if the team had managed to generate in excess of two and a half expected goals in three consecutive games in its history. You cannot survive the style of play that Diego Mejía looks to employ without a spine to support it. Against York, that spine wavered, but it solidified and served as the impetus for a comeback and three vital points.
Hearts and Minds
Despite the jubilation at the full-time whistle, the half-time whistle was met with a quiet murmur. A hopeful murmur, knowing that this team had already rebounded from a half-time deficit previously at home, but certainly still questioning what they had just seen. David Rodríguez was shown a yellow card for dissent shortly before the half concluded, and it ended a first half where he was getting roughed up and double-teamed any time he ended up on the ball. He still managed to look somewhat dangerous despite all this, but anyone watching the game would be able to discern that this was the weakest of his three CPL appearances. A similar level of frustration was felt by Iker Moreno, who in his first start for ATO looked disconnected from his teammates early and was unable to present any real danger with his pace, which has been bandied about as his best quality. All of this would sour the mood of an Atlético Ottawa side under Carlos González or Mista.
Diego Mejía is neither of those men. His halftime adjustments were simple, rather than focusing play down the right, the team instead chose to focus play down the left. Within 15 minutes of the restart, Atlético Ottawa had the lead. The same York team that killed any real chances this team had in the first half was left in the dust by a re-energized Atlético Ottawa side - the whole team was running together incredibly cohesively, even after York claimed their second. York never really felt like scoring at any point, and had any one of the number of ATO chances between the 57th and 82nd minute been converted, the win would have reflected the state of the game more than the end result. That second York goal did not stop ATO either, with a handful of chances before the absolutely bananas end of the game.
Added time in this game feels like it’s going to be a microcosm for the rest of this season. From David Rodríguez going through, rounding the keeper, only to thrust the ball into the side of the goal wide of the target. From the ensuing goal kick, the ball found its way to the feet of Amer Didić, only for the veteran centre back to make his only mistake of the game. His slip allowed Shola Jimoh to storm through on goal and fire a shot that beat Nathan Ingham but not the crossbar. This was all before the Riley Ferrazzo foul that not only set a record for most fouls in a CPL match but also set up the free kick that would be directed home for the winning goal. We’re all going to need some heart medication, but it’s probably a better thing than the caffeine pills we needed far too frequently the last three years.
I’ll say it again for those that haven’t heard it enough the last three weeks. Diego Mejía is a coach to believe in. I’m not sure I can really trust anyone who hasn’t been won over at this point, he has the hearts and minds of us all. If the first three weeks are any indication, there’s no danger of him losing them.
Diego Mejía was very clear in the pre-match press conference that he was concerned with scoring more goals than the opponent, and no one wants to disagree with him. At some point, the reckless abandon this team plays with will lead to negative consequences. I’ve said as much the last two weeks, and it has certainly manifested in some ways during these first three games. No team can be perfect in a league that is as tightly contested as the CPL, and trying to achieve perfection is a senseless goal. In his imperfections he has created a buzz not felt since the 2022 final. Saturday may have been the best the dub has ever been, and as the play continues to showcase the talent on display, the supporters are going to pay it back in spades. Two’s a coincidence, three’s a trend. This is what we’re going to see for the rest of the year. Buckle up.
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 footie knowledge has been a constant asset, along with his role as caretaker for ATO's Wikipedia pages.
