The Forward Press: ATO begin ‘Competition of Dreams’ Campaign
Atlético Ottawa returns to TD Place Stadium to begin its journey in the Canadian Championship tomorrow night. The single elimination knockout match is actually a rematch of Atlético Ottawa’s debut in the competition, in which ATO were thwarted by Valour by a score of 3-2 in 2021. Carlos Gonzalez will be looking ahead to this campaign as a chance to raise the bar of previous underwhelming performances in the competition, with CarGos and ATO’s most recent cup run ending abruptly in a quarterfinal shootout against Forge last season. As the chemistry begins to gel and the 2024 season hits full stride, Gonzalez sat down with the media ahead of the first CanChamp match to discuss the next week of matches. Here are all the important bits from the pre-match presser:
The Quotes: Carlos Gonzalez
On the magic of the cup: "I think this is a very special competition. We are excited to have our first game here at home starting on Wednesday...Last season, we were able to get into the second round. That was a milestone for the club. And this season, we try to get over that round step by step and game by game. But our target is to go as far as possible and conquer good stages of the competition."
On squad rotation: "Usually I only think on one game at a time. I think that now we've put the focus on the Championship. We don't think on Sunday, and we don't think on next week. I think that that's so far for us. But it's true that it's not important. The most important thing is maintaining everyone in a good shape so that they can add to the team, that they can be prepared in every single moment, getting to the field and impact the game. So I don't think it's going to be about rotation. It's going to be about managing a little bit the good training sessions that other players have been doing during the preseason and during these weeks. And maybe we see new faces, or maybe no, we will see, depending on how things go and depending on this training session that we still have to work on."
On the difference between league and cup: "We see it in the same way. Two competitions that really motivate us. The league is the competition of being consistent. So it's very important for us. And also the Championship is the competition of dreams in which you play against opponents that played in a higher level and you have opportunities that you're not going to have in the league."
On early impressions of Valour: "I've seen an evolution in [their] last three games. Every single team, they are growing little by little. Each time you can see more clear style and a way of playing. And I feel that they did a pretty good game in Forge, and maybe they could have won some points over there. So, yeah, we are in alert. We don't focus on the zero points that they grab and the bad start in level of points…they have a lot of new players and good players. And, yeah, I think that we have to be in a good shape on Wednesday so that we can go through this round."
CarGo reported that he will have the same squad that was available for his trip to Halifax, meaning he will be limited only by the injury to Kévin dos Santos. We can also expect to see the excellent Rayane Yesli get his second straight start, while there is a good chance Rubén Del Campo will reprise his role at striker. Gonzalez’s most interesting response during the presser was in his discussions of squad rotation, in which he noted that he doesn't find much importance in the exercise at all. It leaves one to wonder exactly how different his team will be, with it sounding all the more likely that we may see the same lineup as last match as the squad continues to mesh and gel. But the Canadian Championship also provides coaches with an opportunity to raise the comfort level of some younger talents with the threat of 2000 mandatory league U-21 minutes on the horizon, and one wonders if we will see players like Gabriel Antinoro taking the field tomorrow after a blistering cameo in Halifax last weekend.
While CarGo did comment that his squad will be “in alert” when they take the pitch against Valour FC Wednesday night, the truth is that a currently undefeated Atleti is facing a Valour club which has a perfect record in that it has so far lost every match. It’s ATO’s match to lose and the fans will certainly have a part to play in the outcome of the match, so make sure you come down to support the team this Wednesday evening. Grab some drinks with us at the GCP before and after the match! We hope to see you there.
