2023 CPL Regular Season — Match #15
Atlético Ottawa vs. Pacific FC 
May 6, 2023 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT
TD Place Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca & TELUS Ch. 980 // Tickets available here

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Pacific FC return to the ground where their 2022 season was ended for their first road match of the 2023 campaign on Saturday night. The Tridents were eliminated in the semi-finals of last year’s playoffs at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa after a 1-1 draw on October 23, which meant a 3-1 loss on aggregate.

“I don’t know about revenge, but definitely motivated, and definitely motivation for the match,” said Pacific FC coach James Merriman heading into this weekend’s match. “The last time we played here, and also going off the last two matches that we have played, second half against Cavalry and second half against Forge, we were doing everything but the final act. So I would say the group is extremely motivated for the game.”

Goals have not been plentiful for any side so far this season in the Canadian Premier League, but that is especially true of Ottawa and Pacific, who have just two goals each so far this season.

For Pacific, it seems like only a matter of time before they regress to the mean. They are currently second in the league in expected goals (4.2), while leading the league with a stunning 53 shot attempts and 109 touches in the opposition box through three matches.

Ottawa, meanwhile, is at the other end in all of these categories, sitting last in expected goals (2.23), tied for last in total shots (28), and only 49 touches registered in the opposition box. To be fair to Atleti, sustained offensive pressure has never been part of the club’s game under Carlos González, as they finished last season sixth in expected goals and eighth in penalty area entries. The finishing this year, however, just hasn’t been there so far as a number of the side’s new attacking players try to adapt to a system that largely sees them get less touches and chances — not to mention more defending, than they are probably used to having.

Pacific will get a big boost on Saturday as Merriman declared Manny Aparicio 100 per cent fit after a cameo off the bench last weekend. That leaves Pierre Lamothe as the only player who remains on the sidelines for the Tridents, who is still day-to-day and has yet to make his debut for Pacific this season.

There was good news out of Ottawa camp as well, with key defender Diego Espejo, who was removed in stoppage time due to injury against York United last weekend, returning to full training on Friday. He is expected to be available for Saturday’s match. Carl Haworth and Max Tissot are close to returning as well, but incredibly unlikely for this weekend.

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

• Gianni dos Santos lines up against his former side for the first time: Despite some flashes of brilliance and genuinely bright moments, Pacific FC was never truly able to get the best out of winger Gianni dos Santos consistently enough during his time on the island. Part of that was lack of opportunity, something it looks as though he will be given in the nation’s capital. Dos Santos has already played the full 90 minutes twice in his first three CPL matches with Ottawa, something he only did on five occasions during the past two seasons with Pacific. This will be a big match for him, to show his former side that it was a mistake to let him go. “He is adapting well to the way that we want to play, we are adapting well to the characteristics he has,” said González. “Because at the end of the day we brought him because of certain things that he has to maintain and keep doing. I think that he is feeling each time better.”
• Ottawa believes they have identified the issues causing winless start to 2023 season: Despite his side’s winless start to the 2023 CPL regular season, González has mostly been happy with what he has seen from his team this year. He mentioned after a 1-0 loss to York last weekend that he feels they have identified a few key areas of improvement, and was happy with the team’s mentality and receptiveness to those in training this week. Many aspects of Ottawa’s game remain solid, particularly defensively, as only their opponents on Saturday, Pacific, have allowed fewer shots on target than Ottawa’s 9 so far this season or just 2.1 expected goals against through three matches. They once again conceded first against York, however, which has been the case in all four of their matches in all competitions this season, and still have a lot of work to do when they are in possession.

• Aparicio’s return a big boost for Pacific attack: One major positive to come from Pacific’s 1-0 loss to Forge this past weekend was the return of Manny Aparicio. The talismanic midfielder’s influence on the team has been well-documented, as they are a stunning 12-1-2 (W-D-L) when he plays at least 45 minutes over the past two seasons. That importance has extended to the club’s attacking ability as well, as the energy and ground covered by Aparicio in midfield tends to bring the best out of everyone around him. Pacific has been held scoreless just twice when Aparicio has played more than a half of football the past two seasons, while after a 1-0 loss to Forge at Starlight Stadium last weekend, they have now been shut out 7 times when he plays fewer than 45 minutes. “He gives us a big boost, he gives us a lift, you saw when he came into the game the impact that he has,” said Merriman. “His energy is great within the team and he is looking forward to the match, absolutely.”

PROJECTED STARTING XIs

Atlético Ottawa (3-4-3): Ingham; Acosta, Espejo, Singh; Bahous, Verhoeven, Bassett, Sacko; Assi, Shaw, dos Santos

Pacific FC (4-3-3): Gazdov; Dada-Luke, Didić, Meilleur-Giguère, Mukumbilwa; Aparicio, Toussaint, Young; Heard, Ongaro, Sellouf

ALL-TIME SERIES

Pacific FC wins: 4 || Atlético Ottawa wins: 3 || Draws: 3

Previous match:

October 23, 2022 — Pacific 1-1 Atlético Ottawa

KEY QUOTES

“They are a team that can press you high, but now they are starting to be comfortable in a low block also, waiting for you. They have many tools to win games. But also they have a bit of a slow start, a little bit like us, they are still working on the new way to create the team. But I’m sure they are going to come here with the intention to grab as many points as possible.” — Atlético Ottawa head coach Carlos González

“We played them very well last season. Obviously, it didn’t go our way, so we still have that in us. The last couple of matches we feel quite good about the way that we attacked the games, the way that we played, the way that we executed what we wanted to do, other than the final third.” — Pacific FC head coach James Merriman