CCSG Player Ratings: Matchday 9 @ Vancouver FC (30/5/25)
Expectations. Atlético Ottawa’s relationship with them has been tumultuous to say the least. Last year, heightened expectations made a difficult run into the end of the season even more unpalatable for the supporters. The opening stretch of this season has set ATO up for a similar level of disappointment. That disappointment was felt throughout the fanbase on the back of the 2-2 draw on Friday night against Vancouver FC. The frustration is amplified by the fact that the last time these two met, ATO enjoyed a resounding 4-1 victory. With similar line-ups fielded by both sides, failing to claim the full three points in a match where there were plenty more than two goals to be had was the cherry on top of what was, in the moment, a miserable evening. There will be plenty of uproar regarding the decision of the referees to bring back what looked to be Atlético’s winning goal in the 93rd minute, but the focus should be on the three big chances missed and the countless other opportunities with more than 30 touches in the Vancouver penalty area. The focus should also be on the defensive errors that continue to plague the back three, and the concern that an injury to Brett Levis brings, meaning that both of our regular veteran defenders may be out for the foreseeable future.
Perspective
How much different was this game really to any of the others we’ve played this season. There have been plenty of opportunities for opponents to take aim at our goal through these first nine games, and on the balance of it all, we’ve come out lucky that they haven’t been able to take those chances. This game, while certainly having a different final result, did mirror the previous matchup between the two teams in the flow of the game state. Vancouver pressed high and early against a young backline, creating a couple of unforced errors that led to half chances. Followed then by a bit of back and forth between the teams before Vancouver got the first real chance of the game. In the first game, they weren’t able to convert a Wero Díaz cutback to Godbout, as Noah Abatneh was able to get a key block inside the six-yard box. In this game, the ball ricocheted off of Loïc Cloutier for an own goal as he attempted to block a Kunle Dada-Luke cross through the six-yard box.
Then, in both games, we took control of the game leading up to half-time. In game one, we were clinical, finding the net three times, two due to incisive play from David Rodríguez, and the other due to Callum Irving venturing into “no mans land” on a long ball. In this game, we didn’t possess that same killer instinct by getting good shots off that were routinely saved by Irving or scuffing opportunities that presented themselves. The most notable of these was Rodríguez just not being able to get the ball out from under his feet after a lovely lofted pass from Zapater found him at the edge of the six-yard box. The flow of the game suggested that ATO could find an equalizer before half and really put their foot to the ground in the first fifteen of the second half, as they’ve been able to for the rest of the season. This was turned completely on its head after an uncontested Emrick Fotsing header on a corner made it 2-0 and sent those plans flying out the window.
Even the second halves of these two games against Vancouver played out similarly despite the gulf in result and game state. In game one, despite entering the half with a 3-0 lead, ATO registered 12 shots with six on target, and five big chances. In game two, down 2-0 to start, ATO registered 15 shots with five on target, and four big chances, not counting the disallowed goal in the 93rd minute. Salter’s opener marked the ninth time that the team has scored in the first fifteen minutes of the second half, and realistically there should have been at least one more in that period before Rodríguez equalized in the 64th. Following that with Tabla’s miss in the 80th minute – akin to most of the misses he’s had in the red and white stripes – and Salter missing a couple of opportunities to lay players off in transition moments when Vancouver was caught out, the final ten minutes should have seen the third for ATO, but poor execution didn’t allow that to occur.
All of this is to say, there really isn’t much to separate the two games we’ve played against Vancouver this season except for the result. The game plan, even without Diego Mejía on the sideline, was executed in the same manner, and players put themselves into the positions they needed to get opportunities at goal against a weaker Vancouver side. In fact, other than the game against Halifax, this game was essentially just another one of the games we’ve managed to play this season. There will be games where the bounces don’t fall our way, and the mistakes we make are going to be punished. Other times, we’ll be able to make plays late to salvage points, as we’ve been able to on five separate occasions thus far this season.
There are certainly things that change the way we play and allow us to be at our best. The number one thing I think that allows this attack to succeed is having both Manny Aparicio and Coque as the double pivot. The aggression that Manny plays with, which I have discussed ad nauseum, is perfectly conducive to the central midfield role in this team. I don’t think this team can truly be at it’s best going forward when Manny lines up as one of the two #10s. His instincts to work back in defense and drop to provide an outlet, mean that sometimes there’s too much of a gap between Salter and his wing back, which forces the team back into knocking the ball around the back to try and restructure the shape and thereby nullifying the transition opportunities that Manny creates.
Additionally, I think much of our stagnant nature in the first 25 or so minutes came from our wing backs not trying to take the ball to the byline at any point. Knowing that both Bah and Dada-Luke are very quick, it makes sense to try and minimize their speed at all possible moments. However, by never taking the chance to go to the byline in the first half, it allowed Vancouver to crowd the middle in defence and really limit how effective our players could be, with a couple of blocked shots from dangerous areas to show for these efforts. With Gabi on the left and Kevin on the right in the second half, they showed more willingness to take those chances and with tired legs on the Vancouver side, the chances started coming more frequently when the ball was played out wide.
Ultimately, these are the types of games we’re going to have to live with over the course of this season. Playing this style of game will create a higher variance in how the results play out because ATO will be generating more chances and subsequently allowing more chances than they had in previous years. As a result, expecting consistency in the results is going to be a bit naïve. Some weeks we’re going to be able to put five past the opposing keeper, and others we’re just not going to be able to execute in any way, shape, or form. Yes, the clear division of top four and bottom four makes this result very difficult to swallow. Dropped points against Vancouver, York, Pacific, and Valour are going to have a tremendous impact on the seeding for playoffs and determine whether or not this team will be able to avoid the 4v5 play-in or manage to play in the 1v2 semi-final.
Frustration at the result in this case is to be expected, particularly in the moment. Anyone at the GCP on Friday night can attest to my mental state throughout those ninety minutes, and I doubt anyone would report anything positive. Yes, the defensive lapses drive me up the wall. Yes, draws that should be wins continue to upset me just as much as they did last year. Yes, the injuries we’ve suffered have me reeling, wondering who will emerge as a true leader in defence. But largely, this is what we wanted. For years, we have been begging for a manager who would inspire his team to take the game by the scruff of the neck, take command, and win games with goals that flow like the mighty Amazon. You cannot expect a team in this league to be so fundamentally dominant that the first seven games of the season could be repeated through the second, third, and fourth quarters. Above all else, football is entertainment. We finally have a team that is more entertaining than it isn’t, now it’s a matter of seeing if this team is merely entertaining, or generational. The old saying goes, “You always have a plan until you get punched in the mouth.” We threw a direct shot at the rest of the league the first time through. Now the rest of the league has thrown their counterpunch, and we have to figure out just how to handle it.
Our next four games are against teams in the bottom four. Albeit one of those is a cup match against York, but the point of needing to come out of this sequence with the confidence that the team played with over April and the start of May still stands. We’re gonna score lots, but here’s hoping that our defence doesn’t keep getting injured to the point of having to play someone super out of position, at least until we can get reinforcements in during the transfer window.
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.
