The Forward Press: Everyone Available for Vancouver Bout
After three weeks of road matches which took Atleti from one coast to another, Atlético Ottawa returns to TD Place for another shot at fighting its way back up the table. Atleti sit third in the league, and a win against Vancouver FC would vault Atleti over Cavalry into second spot. Vancouver’s form has been far from sparkling, having only beat Valour and Pacific twice since early May. Solace can also be taken from the fact that the Eagles will be without James Cameron after he saw red in Winnipeg. But take nothing away from the tricky VFC side, which has been boosted by the acquisition of Ayman Sellouf in the most recent transfer window. Carlos González and Atlético Ottawa also leave the transfer window bolstered, as centreback Jesus Del Amo joined the side last week. González also received welcome news on the injury front ahead of the Vancouver FC match, so without further ado here are all the details from the pre-match presser:
The Quotes: Carlos González
On player availability: “Today, we've been training with everybody available. So I'm so happy about that. Kévin dos Santos is training with the group; Max Tissot is training with the group; Kris Twardek is training with the group. So now it's my turn. Now it's deciding who I feel is in the best moment to compete and give what the team needs. So I'm going to have 48 hours of a lot of things.”
On motivations: “I think we have a lot of reasons to do a good game. I think that the team is performing really well in the last two weeks, although we dropped two points in the last action of the last game. And I think it's the moment to show this growth of the team to our fans and the people that supports us in the thick and in the thin. I think what the team needs is a good win at home. I think that the team needs to show that we are alive and we are going to fight until the end for everything.”
On details towards the end of games: “I've been analyzing the numbers and the stats and I think that we score more in the last 10 minutes that we've received. So if you look the picture of the last game, of course, you're not happy about that. And of course, you're not happy about receiving a goal against Cavalry. But if you analyze the global picture, the big picture of the season, we are a team that we are scoring more in the last minutes than receiving. Of course, we have to take care of certain details in those critical moments, because from now on, those type of details are going to make a huge difference.”
On squad rotations: “I think we were in that moment of the season with bad results that we had to change things, and we changed things. And the reaction is very positive, the reactions of everyone. I'm very pleased of the reactions of the player that has started on the bench in the last games. And I'm very pleased on the reactions of the other players (on the bench) because the other players are receiving it as a good opportunity, and I feel that they are performing well.”
On Jesús Del Amo: “He has been training for a week with us, and now we can start to work with him, and we have a good addition to the team for the end of the season.”
On returning to TD Place: “It will be a great opportunity to do a great game [and] to share a good performance with our fans. So as I say, looking forward to do a good game, to continue the growth of the team in the last few weeks, and hopefully to win three big points that maintain us with all the options for the next games.”
The Big Takeaway: Avengers Assembled
Kévin dos Santos has two appearances to his name this season. The winger was well received after a bright preseason and earned about 45 minutes of CPL playing time before an injury on April 20 left the pacey winger unavailable for the next 18 matches. To say his loss so early in the season has been detrimental to the team would be an understatement, especially given the underperformance of a number of other wingers. The winger notched seven goal contributions last season with York and looked set to repeat the trick with Ottawa. Instead, with limited options in the wings, González has been asked to shoehorn a number of out-of-form or out-of-position players onto the wings.
Two weeks ago it was teased that dos Santos was back in cleats. Tonight, after months of anticipation, dos Santos is back amongst the squad alongside former absentees Maxim Tissot and Kris Twardek.
It’s unlikely Dos Santos will play, nor will Tissot, who also sustained a nasty looking injury back in May. Of the number of players returning from injury for this weekend, only Twardek stands a chance at significant minutes this weekend. But just having options (including the aforementioned Jesús Del Amo) will go a long way, especially given how the once-cruising ATO have been sucked into a consuming battle for top places in the league.
With the ‘Avengers’ assembled once more, the onus will be on González to get his selections right. “Now it's my turn,” González said. “Now it's deciding who I feel is in the best moment to compete and give what the team needs.”
Kickoff for ATO v VFC is at 7pm at TD Place. Join us before and after the match at the Glebe Central Pub for drinks with the Capital City Supporters Group.
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.
