The Forward Press: Dylon Powley Remembered Following Draw at Cavalry
Alberto Zapater continued his fine form in front of goal Friday evening, stooping to head home shortly before halftime and dragging Atlético Ottawa to another draw against Cavalry. Atleti return to TD Place having picked up another point on the road, but the league leaders are quickly running out of runway at the top of the league, with now only five points of separation between York United in second. A Tobias Warschewski goal in the second minute of the game sent the Rougiblancos reeling right from the off, and while ATO clawed its way back into the game, it was still a showing far off of early season form. Nate Ingham and Carlos González joined a muted post-match presser, where football fell second as both reflected on the news of the loss of Dylon Powley earlier in the day:
The Quotes: Nate Ingham
On Dylon Powley: “Today was a pretty emotional day for a lot of people with the news that we got. Obviously, Dylon spent time here at Fooothills, and he spent time in Ottawa with us as well. Anyone that's close to him, I just want you to know there's a lot of people in my life that knew him extremely well, and he's remembered really well. If you're friends with him or you're a family member, I think you should be really proud of how many people he touched and how many important people in this world, the soccer world, speak extremely highly of him, and he's going to be a big loss. But a lot of people were thinking about them today. Thank you.”
On conceding an early set-piece: “We're super disappointed with how early we conceded…It was a lapse of judgment on a set piece, which was silly because we talked about it before the match. We knew set pieces was going to be something that they were going to try and get something off. They're dealing with so many injuries. They got a young team out there. Transition and set piece is what we were focused on shutting down, and we failed, obviously, and we failed immediately.”
On losing the lustre from the first few weeks of football: “Momentum is a hell of a drug, and when things are going in, it feels like they'll never stop. And when things aren't going in, it feels like you can never get one. So you'd have to ask the boys up top, but it's not for lack of chances. It's not for lack of trying. You run into a good goalkeeper as well, and sometimes they make big saves. So there's a lot of maybes.”
On the gap at the top of the table closing: “We're running out of breathing room. Our form in the last four games hasn't been very good. Two draws, a loss, and a win. I feel strongly you haven't seen our best football, which is no surprise, with I think 15 new faces this year. We're only 10, 11 games into the season. I'm happy with where we're at. If you told me at the beginning of the season where we'd be at, I'd be very happy. But that being said, if you told me before the last four games how many points we'd get out of it, I'd be very disappointed.”
The Quotes: Carlos González
On Dylon Powley: I would like to send my condolences to the Powley family. It has been a very sad day for everyone in the CPL, especially for us.
On conceding early: “Starting losing so early against this type of opponent is not an easy start. Probably reviewing my memories, I think that this has been the best game of football of the team in the ATCO Field. I think that last season we've won here with a completely different style, and today we were dominant for most part of the game, and we created chances to win the game.”
On the production of Ballou Tabla: “The reality is that he's creating chances. We are getting into the correct spots with him, but it's true that we have to be a little bit more forceful, ruthless, however you want to call it in the last meters. It's something that we are going to start to work on. Well, we're working on it. You know also that sometimes strikers and forward players..,once they score a goal, they start to score regularly. Now maybe he's in this strike that he's not very sharp on those type of situations. But it's not something that is very worrying for me because for me, it would be worrying if he's not creating things and creating chances.”
The Takeaway: Something Not Right Up Top
Don’t get me wrong, that Zapater header into the far corner of the net was sweet, and it was a heck of a delivery from Rubén Del Campo, showing that there is more to his game than an emphatic finish. But there’s something missing from Atlético Ottawa since the first months of the season in which it seemed that every strike, well-hit or not, was going in. Atlético Ottawa has gone from burying the most undeserved chances to not being able to buy a goal. Ballou Tabla and Rubén Del Campo sit second and fourth in shots in the league respectively with a cumulative 48 shots across 11 matches. Despite Del Campo’s stretch of goalscoring, six goals to show in total is a worrying return for the two players, one of whom was slated to be a focal point upon his return to the club. CarGo rationalized that perhaps Ballou needs a goal to find his form again, and who knows, perhaps the gaffer is right. But with the runway getting narrower and narrower, how long can Atleti afford to sacrifice a winger slot waiting for form that may never come?
Tabla and Atlético Ottawa will get another chance to hit stride at TD Place next weekend when Forge FC once again come to town. What the club wouldn’t give to pull another one over the Hamilton side! That match kicks off next Friday night at 7pm. Have a great week atop the league, Atleti fans!
About Ben
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.
