The Forward Press: ‘Hungrier’ ATO shock League Leaders on Trophy-Presentation Day
After the loss in York a week before, even the staunchest ATO supporter would be forgiven for predicting another loss in Hamilton. Forge FC looked on unstoppable form to close out the season, with only one loss in its last ten league matches and a goal difference of +17 in that time. So when ATO waltzed into Hamilton with a lineup that included Zach Roy and Luke Singh while omitting top scorer Rubén Del Campo, Atléti fans steeled themselves for what looked like a romp in the steel city. But it was all Atlético Ottawa from kickoff to final whistle on Saturday night, displaying a hunger that saw no shots on goal conceded to blank Forge FC at Tim Hortons field – the first time that has happened in thirteen months. Up top, Ballou Tabla continued his return to playing his best football and was lively throughout the match. But it was his counterpart, Sam Salter, who picked up the majority of the plaudits, finding himself not only on the scoresheet for the fifth time this season but also in the heads of a handful of Forge players. His afters drew a punch from Daniel Parra of which, at the time of writing, justice has not been handed down by the league. Justice was, however, swiftly given to Alessandro Hojabrpour after a second yellow once again drawn by the aggravating antics of a certain Sam Salter.
Shining from an all-round glittering midfield performance, Manny Aparicio grabbed the game-winner 14 minutes into the match, popping up with his second goal from the corner this season in a similar fashion to his early goal in Calgary a month ago. Aparicio was dynamite both in defense and in the attack, with the only blemish a gilt-edged chance missed – a subtle reminder of the Atleti we know and love. The Argentinian won eight duels and swept the ball from Forge possession nine times. Forge did itself no favours, with a passing accuracy in Atleti’s end of under 80 per cent and finding itself highly susceptible to the ATO high press. It was far from the clinical Forge that CPL fans have grown to expect, and perhaps the lack of focus for the league-leaders had something to do with the Shield celebration following the match. But to Atleti a win is a win, and with one game to go destiny is at least partially in the hands of the red and white stripes. Coach Carlos Gonzalez joined the post-match presser alongside Sam Salter. Here are all the details:
The Quotes: Carlos Gonzalez
On changes from York: “I think the main thing that changed is that we played with 11 players for 95 minutes. The first 25 minutes we analyzed it last week while we were with 11 players and the team was a recognizable team, a team that was starting to be dominant in the field. And that's what we continue. We built from the first 25 minutes in York.”
On sights set on second: “I think that we deserve [second]. I think that we've done a pretty good season until now. The team has earned this position. But at the end of the day, this is not about earning, it's about showing it in the field. We are going to do a good week of training sessions, build momentum from this game. I think that we've won a little bit of confidence after a great performance. What we have to do is play a good game in front of our fans because they deserve it and close the regular season in the best way. Of course, if we can be second, it will be a great situation because also it will put us in a better place for the play-offs.”
On Forge having nothing to play for: “I don't think it was a matter of Forge, because if you see the lineup of Forge, it was in a statement on that lineup – a very strong XI with many players with great quality. It's true that after they are losing 2–0 in the second half, they start to do subs and they start to put young guys on the field. But the reality is that I'm sure that the plan for Forge today was to have a party here winning against Ottawa”
On controlling the entirety of the match: “In previous games, I really think that we have a situation that we've created to score the second goal, but maybe we weren't that ruthless how we've been today. The mentality was there. We knew that that was one of the things that we had to improve. I'm very happy about the first half. I'm also happy about the second half because we managed it really well. I think that we controlled the game with the ball. We also created chances. If we were a little bit sharper in the last action, we could have won with a bigger result. But as I say, I can complain. I think that the overall of the team, the level was very high today.”
The Quotes: Sam Salter
On match impressions: “We wanted to continue building on the past few months. I think we've had good games, but we needed to be more consistent, play 90 minutes. I think That's what we did today. We had a good performance for 90 minutes, so very happy for the team.”
On the game plan: “I think we executed the game plan pretty well. We knew we wanted to press high high, and I think it caused some mistakes for them; us pressing high. We're really happy that the high press paid off today and happy to get the second goal. I think overall, the team performance was really great for us today.”
On competing for game time with RDC: “I was very happy to start this match. It's true that Rubén (Del Campo) had a fantastic season. I'm trying to take the most of my opportunities. Today, I was very happy to be able to play, and I'm even more happy to win the three points here with the team. It was a big victory for us. We're very happy.”
On his goal: “I think Matteo hit a early cross on the left side. I was initially trying to put my head on and I missed it by a bit. I think someone hit it on target and I just went forward to the goalkeeper. And luckily, it fell for me and I was lucky enough to put it in the net.”
Looking ahead: “I think we have to approach the game next Saturday really looking at the mentality that we want to win and continue the good momentum in the playoffs.”
The Big Takeaway: Second Place In the Balance
Sam Salter showing once again how good he is in transition, because...
With only a match to play before playoffs, the pathway to finishing second has gone from muddy to clear for Atlético Ottawa. We know every game is a final, but more than ever before, a win is mandatory for the Rougiblancos. Sitting two points behind Cavalry currently, Atleti needs a home win against Vancouver FC on the final day, while out in Alberta Valour will need to pull itself together for a victory against Cavalry FC on Saturday at 4pm. Valour hasn’t been terrible against Cavalry this season, with two draws and a loss on the season, but considering it will be vying for a playoff spot of its own, only a win will do this time for the Winnipeg outfit, a mentality which may or may not end up suiting Atleti.
With it being all to play for (including unfulfilled U-21 minutes) it will be interesting to see which players Gonzalez puts his faith in on Saturday afternoon. With Roy serving 63 minutes against Forge last Saturday, only 48 minutes remain to be served from the youth contingent. The dream is the knock Walker picked up two weeks ago now is only minor and he returns to the fold. Without him, the back line is thrown into flux with a sudden dearth of right-footed options at centreback. Ahead of the back line, one can only imagine the midfield triumvirate will remain the same, especially given there are only four credible options to play in midfield at the moment (Ilias Iliadis). Ahead of them, Salter and Tabla linked up well and it would be hard to imagine either sit after their performances in Hamilton. But we shall see! With the utmost gusto, vamos Atleti!
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.
