The Forward Press for Matchday 22 vs Pacific FC: Centurions, Adaptations, and a CCSG shoutout.
Welcome back to The Forward Press, your source for all the quotes from this week’s set of press conferences bracketing that 2-0 win against Pacific! I apologize for missing last week’s edition, so hopefully some long form answers will make up for that! With that taken care of, Diego Mejía and Nathan Ingham joined the scrums this week, and all they had to say about overcoming adversity, stellar defensive play, and all the work CCSG puts into matchweeks is below. Enjoy!
Matt Cullen of CBC was the only reporter to attend the pre-match presser, and as such he had free reign with Diego Mejía. He started off with a question regarding what the last couple weeks of football has taught the coach, ones which saw ATO go winless in three before picking up crucial three points against Vancouver:
“...This past week we travelled 10 days away from home … it was tough, we didn’t have a place to train, the routine was different … I think that all the teams around the world have bad moments, we have the opportunity to leave that bad moment (behind us), right now we are recovering our best form.”
He also stated that things were on the up for Ottawa on the injury front, with Loic Cloutier returning for the upcoming match (he would start the match and go the full 90’) and Noah Abatneh soon to be available for selection.
In terms of the match against Pacific, Mejía was asked what he was expecting out of the west-coast side:
“...all the matches you play (in the last round) you play to win the shield, but your opponents are playing to win anything, and those opponents start to play without pressing, and that's a dangerous opponent. So we need to focus on our behaviour … don't think about our opponents, and try to win every game. Pacific has some very good players, they (have) suffer(ed) this season, but they are very dangerous, so we need to be focused.”
At the conclusion of the match, Diego Mejía was first to face the assembled reporters, and was immediately greeted with a semi-humourous question from AJ Jakubec of TSN 1200 as to whether he ever thought ATO would score after a dismal first half.
“It’s those kinds of matches where when you (score your) first goal it’s (more of a relief) … you know that you have control of the game, that you managed all the moments, that you created a lot of opportunities. I think that the team deserves to win these kind of matches, the team deserved to score that kind of goal, because they are the best team in the CPL and I think that you guys, as Canadians, should be proud to watch a team playing in this way … it is the best way a team has played in the history of this league.”
One of the worries fans were expressing at the half was that the low-block Pacific were displaying would be exactly how Vancouver would come out at TD place in an effort to defend their two-goal advantage in the Voyageurs Cup Semi-Final. However, Mejía was quick to express his confidence in the team to adapt to that style of defending, in response to a question by Benedict Rhodes of CanPL.ca:
“They are always focused, they know that we need to have patience, even when we are playing really well. When you (have) a good mindset, the goals will come. I think that right now the team is in a very good state of mind, so we need to keep pushing to try to go for our goals.”
He also mentioned, in response to another question that “...when you see teams adapt that kind of press, that defence, that low block … you know that you (pressed) the right buttons … ”. Clearly he knew what was coming, and was happy to see the players working to overcome it so effectively, at least in the second half. He went on to explain how some of the players are now buying completely into his positionless style of play, something that bodes well for the final stretch of this campaign.
Finally, he was posed a question about his decision to substitute Aparicio earlier than most would have expected, and before ATO had even scored their first. Mejía was quick to deny any injury concerns, instead saying that he wanted to watch how the team played without their midfield maestro, and how well Castro and Sissoko bounced off each other. He also stated he had wanted to push Castro to play a full 90’, something he hadn’t done often. I think it worked out for the best.
Next to join the scrum was Goalkeeper Nathan Ingham, then crowned the first-ever Ottawa player to reach 100 games played for the club. Of course, one of his first questions touched on the subject, from Jakubec:
“You get old enough and they start giving you awards for showing up to work! It's a dream, it's cool that I'm in a club alone, but I'm (actually) the second, kit manager Bruce (Hartill) hit 100 15 games ago, so I'll be chasing him, but I hope I never catch him, because I don't want him to leave!”
AJ’s follow-up pertained to what Ingham saw in front of him that match, and he certainly had time to analyze the play, given he faced only 3 shots and wasn’t forced to make a single save:
“Everything kind of went well, they did the same thing when they came here last time, just ran at us full speed … trying to press … we played long in the beginning because there were no options short, but … you know they're going to burn themselves out. Last time we played them at home they did that, but we were turning the ball over and giving them chances, (I) had to make a lot of saves … you’ll see how much this team has grown, and the decision making from the backline, the effort and then the maturity to recognize what was happening and stick to the gameplan.”
Gord Smith, also of TSN 1200, then gave Ingham the opportunity to wax poetic about his back line:
…Brett (Levis), after two ankle injuries, being out of favour, coming in and being an absolute stud that second half against Forge … he’s been so crucial for us … he’s the best communicator of our group … it's been unreal. Roni (Mbomio)’s been insane … he’ll be in the conversation for best player on the pitch every game it feels like … and then having Loic (Cloutier) back was a game-changer. He improved just by being on the sideline, watching us … Tonight it felt like (a massive step forward) … organizationally, and duels, and everything, he might have been the best player on the pitch. Tyr (Duhaney-Walker), (Noah) Abatneh, you have big Amer (Didic) coming back, it's going to be tough to get on the field!”
Finally, and at the risk of just letting this article devolve into a copy-pasting of the transcript with no editing, Ingham also had a lot to say about the contributions of CCSG and the club to growing the game, something which just had to be put in full:
“At the end of the 2022 I know Drew (Beckie) went out to have a beer with the head ultras, to chat about stuff … in 2023 I sat down with the head three ultras with Max Tissot, we went and bought them lunch and chatted about things because that wasn't a good season, we missed the playoffs and we were asking what things we could do to grow, and we came up with this idea of celebrating with them after wins. At the end of 2024 I went out for coffee with a group of them with Manu (Aparicio) … it's been a ton of work on their part to build this relationship … (it was) a great example set by Drew Beckie and a tradition carried on by a few of us, and that's how you grow this. We're trying to keep it growing, and they're trying to grow it for us, and they're not getting paid to do it, so I'll forever be thankful for them, and hopefully we get to a point where it's not 5000, its 10, its 15, its 20. That's the goal.”
With that hearty thank you from our All-State Nate, and an imploring message from Mejía to show up to what will be the “most important match in our history” against Vancouver in the CanChamp, ATO next take the field away from home against York at the weekend, but return home for that aforementioned tie in the Cup! Listen to Mejía, be loud and proud at TD Place, and Vamos!
About Alexander:
When he isn't busy playing or watching sports (or going to school at uOttawa), Alexander is managing his Atlético Ottawa database, which he started in 2020, and tracks everything you can think of about the club and its players. He also runs a BlueSky account dedicated to analyzing and rating CPL and NSL players using statistics, CPL by the Numbers.
