As the Canadian Premier League’s 2022 season reaches the midway point for most teams, the faculty at CanPL.ca have seen fit to evaluate each club’s first half of the campaign. All five panelists have assigned a letter grade to every side for their body of work so far, with some advice and areas for improvement for the remaining half of the year as well.

Two report cards will be released per day over the course of this week. Up first: Atlético Ottawa.

To see report cards for other clubs, click here.

Atlético Ottawa

Record so far: 7W, 4D, 3L (25 points)

First Half Summary:

Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic: After some mixed seasons, the Ottawa project is coming together quite nicely so far in this campaign. It isn’t always high-event in the goal department at either end, other than that Valour match to forget, but they’ve defended spectacularly as a unit otherwise, giving them a chance to grab all 3 points in most games. Nathan Ingham, Ollie Bassett, Ballou Tabla, Abdoul Sissoko and Diego Espejo have all been good signings, supplementing an already solid core. Because of that, their place in the table is more than deserved.

GRADE: A-

Benedict Rhodes: I think it’s fair to say that Ottawa has surpassed everyone’s expectations through the first half of the season. This has been a masterclass in recruitment by their front office –  they signed some very good players, as well as the perfect man to be their head coach, Carlos González. They more than deserve to be where they are.

GRADE: A+

Charlie O’Connor-Clarke: Easily the most improved team in the league from last year, the well-organized Atlético Ottawa are looking increasingly like the real deal. They’ve been in the top four for all but two matchweeks and have pulled out some massive results, led by a consistent string of inspired performances from Ollie Bassett — who has thrived, perhaps more than any other, under the tutelage of new head coach Carlos González. The way this team defends and presses in unison is a tactical marvel, and it’s turned them into perhaps the best defensive side in the CPL. The only major stumble was an ugly 6-1 defeat at home to Valour which began a four-game winless run, but they’ve since recovered well.

GRADE: A-

Kristian Jack: In the spirit of Atlético Madrid, the turnaround in the nation’s capital has come from an impressive collective defensive display that has seen Atletico Ottawa become the most difficult team to break down in the league. Aside from the peculiar 6-1 loss to Valour, Atlético’s matches average 1.7 goals per game and they have yet to score more than two goals in a match. Most of the time they don’t need to. They have conceded just four goals in nine games when Drew Beckie starts, who is part of a back four that has played 27 of a possible 28 spots in their last seven games, conceding just three goals in that span, two from a set-piece. Continuity is just one of many things that has separated them from 2021. In front Malcolm Shaw, Ollie Bassett and Ballou Tabla have become their difference-makers that now make them real contenders.

GRADE: A

Mitchell Tierney: Worst to first is a legitimate possibility for Atleti, as they find themselves tied at the top of the table midway through the 2022 CPL season. They are just a single point behind matching their total for all of last year. While the turnover in terms of players, manager and staff has been huge heading into this season, it is their consistent adherence to a defensive-first counterattacking identity that has given the club success wherever they play.

GRADE: A+

Second Half Outlook:

Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic: With the third-fewest goals for in the league, it feels like Ottawa could be a lot more dangerous offensively, currently underperforming their expected goals (xG) by a fair bit. Especially when you see some of the attacking talent at their disposal, that has to be a priority for Carlos González. Given how well they defend, it isn’t a rush, but that could be crucial as they look to maintain their position up the table in the second half. Otherwise, just maintaining growth each game is crucial as the team continues to buy into González’s system.

Benedict Rhodes: The worst-to-first story is on. If they can stay consistent and play the brand of football that has served them well in the first half of the season, there’s a very good chance they make the playoffs for the first time, at the very least.

Charlie O’Connor-Clarke: As González and others at the club would say, they have yet to accomplish anything. The onus is now on them to continue proving they belong among the CPL’s elite. Ottawa will be hoping to find some more scoring contributions from strikers to be able to put games away more comfortably, but the defensive structure should nonetheless keep them in the top half. Also something to watch for: Atleti trail the pack in U-21 minutes, with 616 out of the 2,000 they’ll need to hit by the end of the year. They’ll be giving significant minutes to Zakaria Bahous, Zachary Roy, and José da Cunha in an effort to hit that target, so all three will need to prove they can be counted on.

Kristian Jack: Carlos González has certainly improved his team in many areas but what is next could be the two biggest mountains left to climb. Ottawa travel to Pacific and Cavalry twice in August and September, arguably their most difficult fixtures of the season, factoring in opponents and travel. Their next frontier, however, simply must be to play more under-21 Canadians. The team is alarmingly behind in their pursuit of the mandated 2,000 minutes (currently at 616) and must average 99 per game for the rest of the season to be eligible for the playoffs.

Mitchell Tierney: The only thing really that has been missing for Ottawa this season is more goals, as they have the third-fewest in the league. They also have had perhaps the best injury luck of any club so far this season, and Carlos González hasn’t been forced to fully test his depth too often. With that being said, the Ottawa boss has been quite smart at rotating his players and making sure they don’t log too many minutes. If they can stay healthy, there’s no reason to think they won’t still be near the top of the table come season’s end.