2023 CPL Regular Season — Match #10
Atlético Ottawa vs. York United 
April 29, 2023 at 5 p.m. ET
TD Place Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario 
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca & TELUS Ch. 980 // Tickets available here

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Call it the derby of draws. Only three of the 11 matches that Ontario rivals Atlético Ottawa and York United have played against each other in history have had a winner — one of which, in last year’s Canadian Championship, was determined from the penalty spot.

As the two sides meet on Saturday for the first time in 2023, however, a single point wouldn’t exactly suit either team, as both are still searching for their first regular season win of the year. Through two matchdays, Ottawa sits 7th in the table, while York is 8th.

“I think York they have shown that they have a good squad, they have good individuals,” said Atlético Ottawa head coach Carlos González. “These are the types of teams that although maybe they aren’t doing the best performances in the past games, they can wake up one day and be brilliant. We can not think that they are going to continue with this dynamic in this game, we have to be aware of the good things that they have.”

Ottawa, the 2022 regular season champions, have drawn both of their first two matches in the league, first at home to the Halifax Wanderers, and then away to Valour in Winnipeg. Both matches had a 1-1 scoreline. Atleti is winless in their last six matches played at TD Place stadium, dating back to last year’s regular season and playoffs.

The Nine Stripes, meanwhile, sit bottom of the table after the first two matchdays, and are the only club in the league without a point, having lost their first two matches of the regular season, both at home 2-0 to Valour FC and 2-1 to Vancouver FC. Especially defensively, there have been a lot of concerns, as they have allowed a league-leading four goals, and 4.22 expected goals and eight big chances through two matches.

A lot of that has perhaps been down to yet another injury crisis for Martin Nash’s side. Central defenders Tass Mourdoukoutas and Roger Thompson, and key defensive midfielder Elijah Adekugbe have yet to appear this season. Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé, meanwhile, was injured in the club’s Canadian Championship match against Vancouver, while Clément Bayiha was helped off the pitch this past weekend.

York has never lost in Ottawa, however, making it perhaps the perfect place to get their season up and running. The good news for them is that there have been signs of life in attack, where they actually lead the league in non-penalty expected goals in 3.22, despite being the only side in the league to not score more than a single goal so far this season.

Ottawa, meanwhile, could see the return of 2022 Player of the Year Ollie Bassett this weekend, who is progressing well according to González, after missing out last week against Valour following a hamstring injury in the Canadian Championship. No final decision has been made as to his availability — as Friday’s training will give the Ottawa coaching staff one final opportunity to evaluate their options ahead of Saturday’s match.

All CPL matches are available to stream on OneSoccer, FuboTV, or on TELUS Optik TV Channel 980. Tous les matchs de l’Atlético Ottawa sont disponibles en français sur OneSoccer.

3 THINGS TO WATCH

• York looks to get top players going: The last time Osaze De Rosario was on the TD Place Stadium pitch, it was the final match of the 2022 regular season and he was desperately chasing the league’s Golden Boot, which he ultimately missed out on by just a single goal. Through two matches this season, the back of the net has been a lot harder to find for the 21-year-old. It is not for lack of trying, as De Rosario leads the league in non-penalty expected goals with 1.21, and shot attempts with six through two matches. Mo Babouli, meanwhile, has been forced to play a little bit deeper in the midfield than he would probably like due to injuries. It was from that position that he turned over the ball in his own box just six minutes into last weekend’s match against Vancouver FC, leading to the opening goal. Despite a tough start to the season, Babouli is still tied for second in the league in chances created with six. The numbers suggest a turnaround is coming soon, but certainly the sooner the better for a York side in need of some positive momentum.
• Ottawa searching for a better start: In Atleti’s three matches in all competitions so far in 2023, they have allowed goals in the 16th, 19th, and 3rd minutes. While they were ultimately able to claw back results all three times, it isn’t something that they will want to make a habit. Ottawa only allowed the opposition to score first eight times last season, a big part of why they secured the regular season championship. González has been happy with his team’s response to allowing those early goals, and their mentality to stick to the game plan even when things aren’t initially going their way. However, he added, “as a coach, and being demanding with the team we have to improve in the starting of the games.”
• Brian Wright and Noah Verhoeven face off against former sides: There will be some familiar faces on both sides of the pitch on Saturday. York striker Brian Wright will be returning to TD Place Stadium for the first time since leaving Ottawa to sign with the Nine Stripes this offseason, while Noah Verhoeven — now with Ottawa — spent the past two seasons with York. Both are expected to play key roles for their sides in this match. González called Wright one of the best strikers in the league, and knows that stopping him will be critical to success on Saturday. Verhoeven, meanwhile, is adapting well to the Atleti system, and giving the team added quality in midfield. “Noah has brought us a lot of things, first of all, his personality, he is a guy that stepped into the locker room and has adapted so fast,” said González.”He is a very professional guy and he has given us a lot of things in attack, in the offensive phase, and he is also working hard in the defence. So I think he has given the right steps to perform in this team and to be important in this team”. How both of those players fare against their former sides will be an intriguing story to follow on Saturday.

PROJECTED STARTING XIs

Atlético Ottawa (4-5-1): Ingham; Acosta, Espejo, Singh, Tissot; Assi, Verhoeven, Bahous, Antinoro, dos Santos; Shaw

York United (4-4-2): Giantsopoulos; Gee, Soumaoro, Grant, Faye; Ferrari, Babouli, Baldisimo, Alou; Wright, De Rosario

ALL-TIME SERIES

Atlético Ottawa wins: 1 || York United wins: 2 || Draws: 8

Last meeting:

October 9, 2022 — Atlético Ottawa 2-2 York United FC 

KEY QUOTES

“They are the type of team that they don’t need to do much to create a chance to score a goal. When you have good players, mainly in the offensive part of the team…they can create by themselves. So I think that we have to be focused in this, and win the small battles, and don’t give them the chance to wake up.” — Atlético Ottawa head coach Carlos González

“We are creating a lot of chances, getting into some good areas. But we can’t be a team that is gonna win 3-2, 2-1, 3-1. We don’t want to be one of those teams that need to score multiple goals to win. ” — York United head coach Martin Nash