CCSG Player Ratings: Voyageurs' Cup Preliminary Round vs. Scrosoppi FC (29/4/25)
Ugly. No one who watched Tuesday’s game would confuse Atlético Ottawa’s performance for anything else. It was to be somewhat expected, with a heavily rotated side, and only three days rest after a big win away from home. Even so it still should not have felt as nervy as it did, with the second goal in a 2-0 win over semi-professional opposition coming in the 86th minute. Scrosoppi had chances in this game, hitting both the post and crossbar in two separate instances, but did not take them. Our players barely scraped together chances, and did take them. ATO did what they needed to do, and, luckily for the team, it afforded the players who were rotated in the opportunity to work out the kinks. The important thing, ATO are through to the quarterfinals of the Canadian Championship, and have been spared the fate of Valour and Halifax in past years. I’m not going to expand too much on the performance yesterday, but of course, I do still have thoughts that should be shared.
Much was made of the collection of signings from Mexico, and their potential impact on the team. Coque and David Rodríguez have been exactly what was advertised, if not even better. Iker Moreno has had to deal with injury issues thus far and has not really been afforded the chance to showcase his talents in the 96 minutes he’s played this season. As such, I can’t really fault him for what he’s brought to the table.
On the other hand, Kevin Ortega has had a confusing month of April. Getting his first start on Tuesday night, Ortega did not fill the shoes of his compatriot as one of the two #10s alongside Ballou Tabla. While he was credited with the assist on Kevin dos Santos’ opening goal, that particular passage of play came as a result of Joaquim Coulanges breaking free of defenders down the left wing, and Ortega recognizing he could not handle the cross. The biggest issue from my perspective is that Ortega doesn’t seem to know the role he’s supposed to fulfill on the pitch. In theory, he was listed as one of the #10s, but the average position map on SofaScore has him situated right on top of Noah Verhoeven and Alberto Zapater in the pivot. Ortega’s been slotted at either role in his various substitute appearances and doesn’t seem to have found his stride whatsoever.
This lack of consistency behind the striker might lend some insight as to why Monty Patterson also looked rather poor in his full debut for ATO. In sharp contrast to the link up play that Sam Salter has provided up top, Monty was disconnected from the rest of the team during his time on the pitch. This is best shown in his passing stats, as he only completed seven in the 79 minutes he played. He also seemed a tad overmatched in the strength category by the Scrosoppi defenders, as he was knocked off the ball easier than I would have liked him to have been. Couple that with his two shots in the game being functionally harmless, and you end up with a subpar performance from Monty in his first start.
The season is still young for both of these players, and there’s plenty of time for them to find the form that can really help to push the regular XI that has begun to form early in the campaign. Ortega and Patterson working better together would have facilitated a much more comfortable result for ATO in this match. Finding the right spot to put Ortega is going to go a long way in building his confidence. Meanwhile, bringing Monty in late to finish off games might not be the worst strategy, as he has looked and been productive in those moments – registering a goal against Vancouver and assisting Joaquim Coulanges’ goal over the weekend against Cavalry. Ultimately, though, Tuesday was the first sign as to why certain players have been preferred through these first four games, which isn’t an altogether bad thing, as roster stability (even amongst the minor injuries that have accumulated in the last couple of weeks) is a worthy goal to achieve.
Either York or AS Laval await us in the Quarterfinal; we won’t know our opponent until next week, but either way there is a real possibility that Atlético Ottawa can advance to the semi-final for the first time in club history. However, the attention now shifts to Saturday, as the club takes on a fairly mercurial Pacific side at home. Continuing this good run of form is certainly a top priority, and the hope is to come out with sustained success in the first half, rather than having a burst at the beginning before settling into third gear. That a rotated squad could sufficiently hold on to this victory is encouraging, but also, it’s going to be nice to see the squad in full force come Saturday.
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.
