2023 CPL Regular Season — Match #95
Atlético Ottawa vs. Pacific FC
September 13, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT
TD Place in Ottawa, Ontario
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It’s a rare midweek afternoon game this Wednesday in the capital, as Atlético Ottawa try and return to winning ways at home against Pacific FC.

The hosts enter this match in a bit of a rut, winless in three and having lost their last two matches in similar fashion. Both at home against Cavalry FC and away against Vancouver FC, Ottawa were close to pulling out a 1-1 draw only for the opposition to score with the final action of the game and leave Atleti with nothing. On Saturday in B.C., Ottawa’s title hopes were dealt a serious blow with defeat to last-place Vancouver, as they heavily out-chanced their opponents only for VFC youngster James Cameron to win it at the death.

Still, Ottawa sit fifth in the table with 32 points — occupying the final playoff spot with a one-point gap over York United, but only four points back of Pacific and Forge in second. With just two home games remaining in the regular season, Atleti are keen on pushing higher up the table to ensure they can play at TD Place in the playoffs.

Pacific, meanwhile, have been dealing with some frustrations of their own as they now embark on a three-game road swing against all three Ontario teams. They’ve won just one of their last five games, including Friday night’s 1-1 draw at home against a heavily-rotated Halifax Wanderers side.

In the standings, however, Pacific remain in a relatively comfortable position compared to some of the sides chasing them. They’re in second place with 36 points — tied with third-place Forge but with one more win (plus a game in hand, which they’ll make up in Ottawa). The regular season title remains in reach for James Merriman’s side, with Cavalry just four points ahead of them, but the pressure is on to pick up a few wins on this road trip.

Historically, the series between these two sides has been tight — Ottawa have won four, Pacific have five, and they have four draws between them. This year, they’re split, with Pacific smashing Atleti 4-1 in their first meeting of 2023 and Ottawa winning 1-0 at Starlight Stadium in early August, with a draw in between. In the latter game, Pacific fell victim to a vintage Ottawa game plan, where Atleti scored in the first half and proceeded to lock things down, making it very difficult for Pacific to attack and find an equalizer.

Both sides are facing a quick turnaround from the weekend to Wednesday, and they’ve both travelled from B.C. so perhaps some tired legs could be a factor. Nonetheless, with so much on the line for both sides, expect some ferocity between two teams fighting for their lives in the standings.

All CPL matches are available to stream on OneSoccer, FuboTV, or on TELUS Optik TV Channel 980.

3 THINGS TO WATCH

• Pacific seek urgency in attack: The runway continues to shrink for every single team in the CPL right now, but it seems like Pacific more than anyone might be feeling some pressure to execute in the attack after a few sluggish outings in recent memory — they’ve been consistently able to play on the front foot and create opportunities, but the ball still isn’t going in nearly as much as they’d like it to be. With a title challenge still very much alive, James Merriman will be hoping his side can play with some extra urgency, knowing how little time they have left for things to start clicking again.”We would like to be even more on the front foot, play our way,” Merriman said Tuesday. “We like to be on the front foot, we like to be aggressive without the ball, with the ball, and play that attacking football. We’ve told the group, we’ve come away with some real positives as well in some of our shape and the way players are performing — and we need a little bit more now, but I think everybody understands that.”

• Ottawa focusing on details, maintaining late-game composure: Twice in a row now, Ottawa have let points slip and been left with nothing by allowing a goal in stoppage time at the end of the game. Their last home match, the 2-1 loss to Cavalry, was an insane emotional roller coaster, but after some reflection Atleti likely felt they hadn’t done enough over the course of the 90 minutes to win that game. After losing in Vancouver on Saturday, Carlos González spoke about how fine details and mistakes in counter-attacking situations had let his side down again; so, although they’ve had perilously little time to prepare for Wednesday, those details are the main focus for Ottawa right now. González also mentioned Tuesday that he felt his side had perhaps been too eager at times to take all three points rather than a draw, which could be a factor in late lapses in defensive concentration. “I also think that these types of mistakes are created because of the ambition of the team in certain moments,” González said. “The draw is not enough for us, so we’re taking some risks and we are wanting the victory. We have to be a little bit more smart in certain moments; the positions in the league, in the standings are going to depend on one point or on goal difference.”

• Midfield takes spotlight with Toussaint suspended: One major wrinkle for Pacific to deal with this week is the two-game suspension for Cédric Toussaint, who picked up an eighth yellow card of the season against Halifax. Toussaint has started 19 of Pacific’s 23 CPL games this season — and they have yet to win without him in the squad. The young defensive midfielder has been very important to Pacific’s tactical identity, helping break up opposing transitions and command space in midfield. Playing against an Ottawa central unit that includes the likes of Alberto Zapater and Ollie Bassett, the Tridents will have to be wary of the battle in the middle of the park. This game could be a major test for the likes of Sean Young and Steffen Yeates in particular. “[Toussaint] has been excellent all season long for us, and we know the work he does in that role and how important he is to our team,” Merriman said. “At the same time, we have a strong midfield and players competing and wanting more time, wanting more responsibilities. It allows opportunity, and I have full confidence in the group that the players we have here will step up.”

PROJECTED STARTING XIs

Atlético Ottawa (3-5-2): Ingham; Acosta, Ouimette, Niba; Assi, Bassett, Zapater, Iliadis, Tissot; Del Campo, Salter

Pacific FC (4-3-3): Gazdov; Dada-Luke, Meilleur-Giguère, Didic, Mukumbilwa; Yeates, Young, Aparicio; Heard, Daniels, Sellouf

ALL-TIME SERIES

Atlético Ottawa wins: 4 || Pacific FC wins: 5 || Draws: 4

Last meeting:

August 13, 2023 – Pacific FC 0-1 Atlético Ottawa

KEY QUOTES

“The first thing we have to address is how to bounce back from a situation that is not positive, after a good dynamic then to lose in the last minutes of the last two games. We have to be able to show courage now, and to show guts — to show a lot of things that can make us bounce back from this result and continue with the dynamic we were in two weeks ago.” — Atlético Ottawa head coach Carlos González

“We have very dynamic players that need room, that like to get in behind. When we go away, we’ve found some more success on these bigger pitches. It’s something the team knows, something the players know and gives them confidence with some of the performances we’ve had on the road. Now it’s a critical point in the season where we need to be at our best, but I think [the players] embrace it.” — Pacific FC head coach James Merriman