Record-Breaking Atlético Ottawa Earn Back-to-Back Draws on The Road
Nearing the end of the season, Atlético Ottawa faced two challenging matches on the road, with results that highlighted both their resilience and their vulnerabilities. On September 9th, they travelled to Winnipeg to take on Valour FC, only to come away with a frustrating 1-1 draw. The game was a spectacle of missed opportunities and a few controversial decisions, but most disappointing was Valour’s unsettling resemblance to the Artful Dodger, pickpocketing Ottawa at every turn. ATO fell flat during the match, registering just nine shots with only one on target, while Valour fired seven, four of which required intervention from Nathan Ingham.
Atléti’s lone goal came amid controversy when the referee called a handball in the penalty box on Dante Campbell, who slid in for a tackle on Samuel Salter in the 75th minute. The Ottawa player got his foot to the ball, which bounced off the turf and struck Campbell’s elbow, as the Valour player went down to stop the shot, despite his arms being tucked tightly by his side. Rubén Del Campo stepped up to the plate and capitalized on the opportunity to steal back points from the Winnipeg team.
Overall, Ottawa’s performance was discouraging, as the team failed to register a single shot on target in the first half, and both goalkeepers had little to do with just five shots between the two teams in the first 45 minutes.
The early stages of the match seemed promising for Ottawa, as Gabriel Antinoro passed to Ollie Bassett at the top of the arc in the third minute. Bassett shot from the edge of the area, but the attempt was deflected by Tass Mourdoukoutas. Johnathan Viscosi pounced on the loose ball, but Ilias Iliadis was first to it and back-heeled the ball to set up Del Campo, who fired the ball into the back of the net. Unfortunately, the goal was disallowed due to an offside ruling and the teams continued on level at zero.
It was Valour that legally took the lead in the 10th minute, with a long switch that found Jordan Faria, who flicked the ball onto Shaan Hundal at the six-yard line. Tyr Walker was mispositioned on Hundal, allowing the striker to head the ball into the top corner of the net, just under the bar.
With Ottawa trailing, Ingham went on to make two more crucial saves in the first half. In the 27th minute, Hundal received a long ball in front of Ottawa’s box; luckily Amer Didić was close behind and managed to flick the ball up high before Hundal could get a foot to it, and Ingham, who readily ran off his line, was waiting nearby to collect the it from the air, preventing a rebound shot. Three minutes later, another pass forward saw Luke Singh trailing Jordan Swibel, and Ingham’s split-second reflexes thwarted a shot as he deftly fell into a split save to redirect the strike and quickly regained his footing to secure the loose ball, preventing any further damage.
The second half saw a series of wayward shots from both teams until Salter drew the penalty in the waning moments. Del Campo converted the spot-kick, bringing his goal tally to ten for the regular season and at the same time salvaging a point for Atlético.
Luckily, the red-and-white stripes were in better form on September 15th against Cavalry FC, and saw a number of club records broken despite losing their lead twice to end the game in a 2-2 draw.
The first half was a myriad of near-misses, with Cavalry registering six shots to Ottawa’s ten, but Atlético struck first in the fifth minute with a breathtaking goal from a corner kick. Dani Morer delivered a precise cross to the front post, where Manny Aparicio leaped to head the ball into the back of the net. This moment not only gave Ottawa the early lead, but also saw Morer set a new club record for assists in a single season, in all competitions. This goal came right after Ballou Tabla forced Marco Carducci to leap to his right to block a shot he delivered on target.
Cavalry quickly responded with equal determination – their breakthrough came in the 16th minute when Ali Musse delivered a stunning long-range shot. Receiving a pass from Daan Klomp, Musse weaved around Matteo de Brienne, back after missing the last match due to yellow card accumulation, and unleashed a powerful looping strike into the top corner of the frame. Nathan Ingham attempted to jump up to make the save, but it was in vain and the ball sailed past him.
The intensity of the game never waned, and in the 24th minute Ingham made a crucial save, almost taking out Tobias Warschewski in the process. A long ball was sent forward for Musse, and de Brienne made the decision to head it back to Ingham, but drove the ball into the turf. As Warschewski moved in to intercept the ball, Ingham slid in to collect it before the Valour player could capitalize. Moments later, Ingham leapt to snatch a cross aimed at Musse, reading the play well.
Both teams saw more changes, with Jesse Daley hitting a wide shot in the 28th minute and de Brienne missing a shot from the 18-yard line in the 34th minute. Ingham was called off his line one last time in added time to collect the ball before the Cavs could capitalize, meaning that the teams headed to the locker room knotted at 1-1.
The second half saw a shift in momentum – Ottawa’s pace slowed, and Cavalry took advantage, registering ten shots compared to Ottawa’s three. The second half began explosively for Cavalry, with Warschewski forcing Ingham into a swift save just 15 seconds after the restart to parry the ball away from his frame, but Ottawa struck back to reclaim the lead in the 48th minute. Ballou Tabla assisted Del Campo, whose powerful shot – despite being deflected by Fraser Aird – found the back of the net, at the same time breaking Ottawa’s record for all time goal leader in a season for all competitions.
Ingham was called upon again in the 52nd minute on a set piece: a horizontal pass from Fraser Aird to Diego Gutiérrez set up Klomp for a header, and Ingham ran off his line to punch the ball away. However, Klomp got his head to it first, and they clashed midair – luckily, Klomp’s angle was off, and the ball was sent out for a goal kick.
However, Ottawa’s lead was short-lived due to a controversial free kick awarded to Cavalry in the 66th minute that proved costly. Musse delivered a precise set piece into the box, where Klomp headed the ball past Ingham, leveling the score at 2-2.
As the match drew to a close, both teams continued to press for a winner, yet most of their attempts sailed high or were easily handled by the goalkeepers, ending the game in a 2-2 draw.
Despite the outcome of the game, fans were happy to see Kévin Dos Santos and Maxime Tissot return to the field after lengthy absences, and we also had the opportunity to see Jesús del Amo make his debut for the club. It isn’t outrageous to say that ATO fans are definitely excited to see how the team will shift in these final five matches with all players available once again.
With two points in their last two games, Ottawa remained in second place in the league table. Unfortunately, a win against Cavalry would have propelled them closer to first-place Forge FC, who dropped points to the Halifax Wanderers in a shocking 3-0 loss. Ottawa will be back home at TD Place next on September 22nd at 2 PM against sixth-place Pacific FC. The West Coast team is battling with Vancouver FC for the last playoff spot and have won their last two games. This will be the sixth time Ottawa and Pacific meet through all competitions this season, and ATO hold a 2-1-2 record against the Island side.
About the Author
C.D. Girard (she/her/elle) discovered Atlético Ottawa during their 2023 season and has been a loyal fan ever since. A long-time admirer of the sport, she first began playing football at the age of seven and most looks forward to international competitions where she supports both Canada and the Netherlands.
