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MATCH ANALYSIS: Atlético Ottawa and Halifax Wanderers trade first half goals in 2023 season opener
2023-04-15
by
Benedict Rhodes, CanPL.ca Contributor (@BTFR17)
Match Analysis News

Final Score: Atlético Ottawa 1-1 Halifax Wanderers
Goalscorers: Bassett 45+2′; Fernandez 16′
Game of the 2023 season: 1
CPL match: 368

Match in a minute or less

Atlético Ottawa and the Halifax Wanderers opened their 2023 campaigns with a point each on Saturday afternoon, after a pair of first half goals at TD Place in Ottawa.

Zachary Fernandez gave the visitors the lead in the 16th minute, receiving the ball from Aidan Daniels at the edge of the box before slotting it into the bottom left corner of the net for the first goal in the league this season. Halifax maintained that lead until the final seconds of the half, when Ollie Bassett found the same corner of the goal at the other end of the pitch, firing the ball past Yann Fillion to tie it at 1-1.

Bassett had an opportunity to win the game for his side late in the second half, but shot wide of the target with an opportunity from a promising position inside the penalty area. A point each is ultimately a fair result after an end-to-end match.

Three Observations

Callegari sharp on both sides of the ball in Wanderers debut

Lorenzo Callegari came into the Canadian Premier League with high expectations after previously spending time in the setups at Paris Saint-Germain and Genoa, and in the French youth international teams with some of the world’s leading players. Saturday’s match was his first competitive appearance for the Halifax Wanderers after joining the club this offseason.

He started in midfield alongside Andre Rampersad and Aidan Daniels, and made an immediate impact. Callegari stepped in front of former Wanderers forward Samuel Salter in the 16th minute to win the ball back for Halifax, sending Aidan Daniels back the other way on a quick counter-attack.

Daniels laid the ball off for Zachary Fernandez, who made no mistake with a low shot to the back post for the game’s first goal. It was started by Callegari’s tackle, one of two the Frenchman won on the day.

Callegari was a tireless runner in midfield throughout the match, and a lot of what the Wanderers were doing went through him. He touched the ball an incredible 127 times, over 20 times more than anyone else on the pitch in this game, and also completed a match-high 99 passes. He attempted 113, completing 99 for a success rate of 87.6 per cent, with 30 of those passes being played into the final third of the pitch — also the highest of any player in this game.

He was a crucial part of how the Wanderers wanted to play, and likely will be all season long. As he and the team get more familiar with one another, there is still the potential to improve and grow together as well.

Halifax Wanderers midfielder Lorenzo Callegari in action against Atlético Ottawa (PHOTO: André Ringuette/ Freestyle Photography)

He also showed off his quality with a flashy backheel to beat a pair of opponents and get the ball to Andre Rampersad late in the first half.

“I thought Lorenzo was fantastic, I don’t think he lost the ball,” Wanderers head coach Patrice Gheisar said after the match. “His pedigree from where he came from obviously shows, and I think he’s only going to get better and better.

“I’m not sure if anyone between the two teams are super game-sharp, but he did the work, he really took care of the ball. He’s a guy that makes us click, he’s the guy that turns the wheels and makes everyone around him better. I thought he was superb.”

Ottawa midfield productive, but still room to improve in attack

Of the six players that started for Atlético Ottawa in attack and midfield, only one player wasn’t making his debut for the club on Saturday — reigning CPL Player of the Year Ollie Bassett.

Ottawa’s star man picked up right where he left off last season, scoring the equalising goal right in front of the “Olliewood” sign that adorns the grass hill behind the net. After Luke Singh found Jean-Aniel Assi with an impressive long-range pass down the pitch, the young winger gave the ball to Bassett, who did the rest — firing it into the bottom left corner.

After a seemingly frustrating first half for the home side, in which they were struggling to hit the target up with their chances up to that point, Bassett’s goal swung the momentum back in their favour.

While Bassett was the focal point, Ottawa’s midfield as a whole played well. He linked up nicely with new recruit Noah Verhoeven, who slotted in beside him, while youngsters Gabriel Antinoro and Assi didn’t look out of place at all on either side of them. Assi has some CPL experience, spending last year with Cavalry FC on loan from CF Montreal before being loaned to Ottawa this year, but for Antinoro it was his first professional match after playing in the CF Montreal academy prior to his move to the CPL.

“I think we’re all relatively comfortable on the ball, entire areas we can play one or two touches to get out of certain situations,” Bassett said after the match. “Gabi, for an 18-year-old kid who’s made his professional debut, did extremely well. For the 45 that he played I thought he retained the ball well and kept us in possession, and got into good areas in the final third.

“I think defensively there’s little tweaks he can change and make, but I think he’s ultimately got a good future ahead of him because he’s a good kid. If we can get him tactically aware as well defensively then he’s going to be an important player for us this season. I was extremely happy for him, and proud to see him make his debut.”

Atlético Ottawa celebrate Ollie Bassett’s goal at TD Place (Photo: André Ringuette/Freestyle Photography)

In attack, however, there was a lot to be desired still. Gianni Dos Santos showed some flashes of brilliance in his first match for the club, but at other times was a bit isolated and uninvolved. Samuel Salter will also have better games — as it was the former Wanderers forward that gave the ball away in the leadup to the opening goal, and he was also drifting in and out of the match.

Salter was challenged by head coach Carlos Gonzalez after the match to bounce back from this game and show why they signed him from Halifax this offseason, and show what made him so effective in preseason.

“I think he wasn’t good today,” Gonzalez said after the match. “We expect much more from him, he had good games throughout the preseason but he didn’t find the spaces that we are looking for him, and he didn’t feel that spark today. We will see in the future if he can find it.”

The theme of the match for Ottawa, and the Bassett and Gonzalez press conferences, was growth — the desire, and need, to build on what was a solid first point in the coming weeks and months. You can’t win or lose a game in match one of twenty-eight, but it is important to build a strong foundation and to do it early in the season.

Fearless Wanderers debutants impress in season opener

For much of Halifax’s starting lineup — as well as for head coach Patrice Gheisar — Saturday’s match was the first of their professional careers. While they may have lacked professional experience, their squad was made up of players that have impressed at the League1 Ontario level and in the Canadian and American university systems.

Starters like attackers Massimo Ferrin and Kosi Nwafornso, and defender Riley Ferrazzo, were all with Gheisar last season at Vaughan Azzurri in League1, and their familiarity with one another was noticeable. You certainly couldn’t tell it was their first matches at the CPL level, and the confidence and fearlessness was a promising sign of better things to come.

Those three, along with Mo Omar, had two shots each, and sophomore right back Zachary Fernandez scored the club’s lone goal with his one shot as well. Andre Rampersad and Aidan Daniels added a shot each as well as Halifax played with an attacking effectiveness that they lacked for much of the 2022 season.

Ferrazzo was particularly impressive at right back, getting 105 touches on the ball and completing 80 of 85 passes in a standout performance. Defensively, he added a clearance and an interception, and routinely put good pressure on Ottawa’s left side of Gabriel Antinoro and Gianni Dos Santos.

Defensively, Dan Nimick also put in a good shift in his professional debut, making four clearances and one interception. He played centre-back alongside recently-named vice captain Mo Omar, who made six clearances and one interception in the first match of what is expected to be a breakout season for the 24-year-old, who also showed signs of promise a season ago. Ryan James, the other Wanderers vice captain, made his club debut at left back and had a team-high three created chances in a good showing.

In short, it was a very promising all-around performance from a young but very talented Wanderers side, in the first match of what fans hope will be a rejuvenated team under Patrice Gheisar.

“I couldn’t be more proud of them,” said Gheisar with a big smile. “Kosi was great, and I thought the other guys like Dan Nimick, who is out of college, was fantastic. Riley was great, same as Massimo Ferrin.

“Nobody is born a pro, everyone needs a chance, but we have a lot of good guys that put their arms around them and made them feel comfortable, and we’re really a true family. We have such a positive culture that they just said ‘Hey, it’s okay if you make mistakes, it’s what you do after that will define you and make you a better pro.'”

CanPL.ca Player of the Match

Lorenzo Callegari, Halifax Wanderers

The French midfielder impressed in his Canadian Premier League debut, and played an important role in the game’s opening goal.

What’s next?

These two clubs will meet again midweek in Canadian Championship action. They will square off at a neutral site, York Lions Stadium in Toronto, in the Preliminary Round of that competition, on Wednesday night at 5 pm ET.

Watch all matches live on OneSoccer. In addition to its website and app, OneSoccer is now available on TELUS channel 980 and on Fubo TV. Call your local cable provider to ask for OneSoccer today.

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