The Forward Press: Atlético Ottawa Settles for Four Draws in Five Against Pacific
Atlético Ottawa drop deux points at the ‘Célébration Franco-Ontarienne' match, settling for a fourth draw in the last five matches, this time against Pacific FC. With Forge cruising to a comprehensive 4-1 win at Willoughby the day before, the onus fell on Atleti to match that performance at home against Vancouver FC’s BC counterpart. And for 45 minutes, it seemed as if Atleti would do just that. A dominant first half saw Ballou Tabla through on goal and rattling the post with a vicious half-volley minutes into the game. Twenty-five minutes later Ballou was at it again as he layed off to Sissoko to stroke the ball home past Gazdov at the near post. With James Merriman in the stands serving a suspension, assistant Pacific coach Armando Sá made two halftime subs, which stabilized Pacific significantly, and in minute 53 a diving Moses Dyer found an equalizer for his fourth since joining Pacific back in August.
The result pegs Atleti back to an undesirable five points short of Forge, with Cavalry also mounting pressure on Atleti from a point behind in third place and boasting only a single loss (to Forge no less) in the last ten matchweeks (6-3-1 in that span). Atlético Ottawa’s own run of five straight undefeated matches will do little to quell the nerves for Atleti supporters, who will be praying that not only first but second does not slip from what was once a firm grasp. The fact that the defensive solidity was the positive against a beleaguered, managerless Pacific FC is hardly consoling, though credit should be given to Tyr Walker for a well-earned man of the match award. Walker joined Carlos González after the match as they addressed the media. Here is everything you need to know:
The Quotes: Carlos González
On points dropped: “At the moment, I am very disappointed. I felt that we did enough things to win the game. I think that we created enough chances. I think that the only part in which we lack a little bit of level, maybe, was in the last third, in finishing the actions in a better way. I think that in the first half, we have a couple of clear chances to put the game into our side. In the first 10 minutes of the second half, also, we had two, three important [chances]. And in that moment, I think was the moment to close the door and say, ‘Hey, the three points stay here.’ But we didn't, so we have to continue.”
On the difference in halves: “It's true that little by little, we dropped a little bit of energy. And maybe this made us be a little bit less sharp than what we needed in the last minutes…Mentally I think that we gave them the chance to be on the game. So [we] learn and continue and fight until the end.”
On teams not wanting to drop points: “I think that in this stretch of the season it's harder to win. You have to be clinical. The chances that you have, you have to be clinical on those because you don't have so many as before. Everybody understands that winning one point is very valuable. So we knew that Pacific was going to come here to grab a point. We knew that we had to go with the front foot. We knew that we have to take advantage of the situations that we had. But we have to take the point. At the end of the day, it's one more point. We clinched the play-offs. We are still second. We maintain a small advantage with Cavalry and with York. And still, we have to play 12 points, four games. Tomorrow, we are going to start to work for those. We are not going to throw the towel. We are going to push and we are going to try to win the next game here that is going to be very important against Halifax. From that, who knows? I think that things can still change in this amount of games that we have ahead.”
On an Atlético Ottawa appearance record for Ollie Bassett: “I'm very proud of having a player [like] Ollie. The last two seasons, he's given so much to the team. He's still giving so much, and he's going to give so much. At the end of the day, the reason of why maybe he's occupying in the last two weeks a different role is because there's more competitiveness in the squad, because we want to bring players that have been for a while without playing…He has good energy, good ambition, and I'm sure that he's going to give his best level in the most important games.”
The Quotes: Tyr Walker
On the result: “At this point in the season, a tie feels like a loss, but we just have to keep moving forward and hope for three points for the rest of the season. It'll be tough. We have a tough stretch of games coming up, but I believe in our group and I think we'll do great things.”
On his role: “It feels rewarding because I know the work I've put in, and I'm just happy to help the team every week try to get as many as many points as we can.”
On areas worked on: “Definitely confidence. It just comes with playing and experience, and I feel like every game, I just give a step more. And I guess it showed on the field a bit.”
On if he’s excited for playoff matches: Yeah, definitely. Whatever role I get when that time comes, I'll be ready for it, and hopefully we could pick up the trophy at the end of the year.
The Big Takeaway: Are Atleti Reacting Rather Than Acting?
Atlético Ottawa have the deepest squad in the CPL. Fact. With players like Manny Aparicio, Abou Sissoko and Matteo De Brienne on the roster, it brags a midfield and portion of defence that could surely play matches three times over without showing signs of fatigue.
So why is it that in the back half of the season you could count on one hand the amount of complete, consistent performances Atlético Ottawa has brought? Sure, to draw four of the last five isn’t bad by any means. But the team’s performance has hinged on the response to clinical moments. And more often than not, the response has been poor.
When leading at the half, Atleti appear to frequently come out of the blocks second best in the last 45, like we saw against Pacific this weekend. With a full roster at the disposal of Carlos González, failing fitness is no longer an excuse. The same rule applies to going ahead late, like at Halifax, when a late Sam Salter winner was cancelled out by an even later Dan Nimmick penalty. It underlines a consistent issue – too often does Atleti find itself ahead and working harder to stave off an opposition threat than pushing to put the game to bed.
When Atleti go behind, the inverse of this happens. At Valour, it was Atleti which went behind early after being outclassed through the first 45 minutes. Predictably it was was all Atleti, generating seven shots to the first halves two and clawing itself back into the game thanks to a Rubén Del Campo goal. Had Atleti come out of the blocks like that, the result would surely have been a cool and comprehensive victory.
But football is a game of two halves, and this reactiveness likely originates from a point touched on by González at the post match presser. “Everybody understands that winning one point is very valuable,” González said. Perhaps the opposite is even more poignant. Every team understands that not forfeiting three points is paramount. With each team still vying for a spot in the playoffs, a losing team is faced with the full, crushing weight of a potential loss. Teams are far more frequently settling for draws, as Pacific did on Sunday afternoon. With the way Atleti dropped off in the second half, it almost appeared as if Atleti were equally content to sit in second.
It is unlikely that González’s strategy is to settle for a point of course, but maybe to absorb and counter with the pace of Ballou Tabla and Del Campo up front. He probably figured Pacific’s legs might be extra beleaguered from midweek CanChamp clash, though if they were, the 12 Pacific interceptions in the match tell a different story.
But the argument remains, and it’s not a fresh one. It’s one that Atleti players, staff members, and supporters know all too well. At this stage in the season, being reactive will not benefit Atleti like it might some of its opponents. Atleti cannot afford to wait to react to its opponents in matches, just like it cannot simply react to Forge’s movements at the top of the table. González said his side knows they have to “go with the front foot” from here on out. Let’s see them do it.
About the Author
Ben Ralph is a die-hard football fan and a journalism student at Carleton. He has been supporting Everton through the ups and downs (but mostly the downs) and could not believe his luck when he stumbled across Atlético Ottawa in 2021. Now part of the Atleti faithful, his dream has always been to write football stories, and he is excited to join other fans as writers for CCSG. His football journalist idols are Adam Hurrey, James Richardson, and Charlie Eccleshare from The Football Cliches Podcast.
