Final Score: Atlético Ottawa 1-2 Cavalry FC
Goalscorers: Salter 87′; Musse 72′, 89′
Game of the 2024 season: 64
CPL match: 548

Match in a minute or less

Late drama in the nation’s capital saw Cavalry FC stun Atlético Ottawa 2-1, as the 2023 regular season winners look to announce themselves as title contenders once again.

After Ali Musse opened the scoring on a deflected strike in the 72nd minute, Sam Salter looked to have handed the hosts a point with a late equalizer in the 87th minute. However, in his return from injury, there was no stopping Musse who scored an 89th minute winner to give the Cavs a statement victory.

They narrow the gap between themselves and still top-of-the-table Atlético Ottawa to just five points, and win back-to-back matches for the first time this season.

Three Observations

Late heroics for Cavalry FC in the nation’s capital again as they pick up a statement victory in the 2024 title race

Whenever Cavalry FC step onto the pitch in the nation’s capital, it is worth it for fans at TD Place Stadium to stay in their seats until the final whistle. Although, if they are cheering for the home side they might not necessarily be happy with what they see.

For the third straight match in Ottawa, the Calgary side stunned the home crowd with a late goal. On September 2, 2023, after Atleti’s Luke Singh had scored a breathtaking equalizer in the 88th minute, William Akio scored a 97th-minute winner to hand Cavalry a 2-1 win, their first ever in the nation’s capital.

It was a very similar circumstance to Saturday’s match, with Cavalry taking the lead in the 72nd minute through Ali Musse, before Sam Salter equalized in the 87th. Two minutes later, however, it was Musse again with a moment of magic which gave the Cavs a 2-1 victory.

In the first meeting of the season between these two sides back in April, meanwhile, Cavalry forced a 90th-minute Kris Twardek own goal to earn a 1-1 draw.

That September 2023 result, in particular, was one that Cavalry felt was a real turning point for their regular-season-winning 2023 campaign. It came right toward the start of a nine-match unbeaten streak to end that season — one which quickly separated the Cavs from the pack and led to winning the league by 13 points.

The goal now is to use Saturday’s win to be a similar catalyst for them this season, as they now pull to within just five points of Atlético at the top of the table despite an uneven start to the season that meant this was just their fifth win in 17 matches.

“I think we just believe now, that we went on a run [last year] when we won here late, so we haven’t had one of those victories late [this season],” said Cavalry FC manager Tommy Wheeldon Jr. “Because now we’re gaining confidence from our attack, we’ll certainly build from this.”

In fact, this is the first time that Cavalry FC have really built on a positive result this year, as they won back-to-back matches for the first time during the 2024 regular season. Musse’s late goal also took away what would have been their league-leading tenth tie of the season, and another demoralizing result for the group.

Instead, there is no question that Cavalry FC believe that they can now make a run to the very top over the second half of the season. Moments like Saturday will only embolden that confidence.

‘The Moose runs loose in Ottawa’ as Ali Musse scores stunning brace in return from injury

Cavalry manager Tommy Wheeldon Jr. said that when his side eventually got Ali Musse back from injury it would feel like a new signing.

Not just any signing, but the 2023 Players’ Player of the Year joining the group. Atlético Ottawa got a glimpse at just what Cavalry FC have been missing this year, as Musse came off the bench in the 66th minute and scored a stunning brace to secure victory for the visitors on Saturday.

“The moose ran loose in Ottawa, that’s the headline,” said Wheeldon Jr. “Because we’ve been saying all the time about once we get an attack back and we get our best players out on the pitch, our best we feel is stronger than anyone else’s best.”

Checking into his first CPL match since May 3, it took Musse just under six minutes to make an impact, as he played a one-two off a short corner kick with Fraser Aird, and sent a deflected strike past Rayane Yesli for his first of the season.

Then after what looked to be a gut-punch of an equalizer from Atleti, Musse showed tremendous skill to find space for himself to unleash a left-footed strike in the 89th minute for the match-winner.

ALI MUSSE THAT IS INCREDIBLE

WOW #CanPL | @onesoccer pic.twitter.com/faiMO8Ued4

— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) August 4, 2024

“It feels amazing,” said Musse after the match. “I love this game, so it feels really good to be back with the squad. Just relief, honestly, I don’t even know how to sum it up. It’s been a long, long wait, to get back, but I’m just grateful to be back with the squad. Just happy.”

The scary part for Cavalry’s opponents is that Musse is just the latest dangerous weapon that the team has added to its arsenal of late. Lowell Wright came off the bench at halftime and looked tremendously dangerous again, as did Maël Henry in his second consecutive start.

This was the first time since May 18 that Cavalry FC has scored more than a single goal in a match, and that will be a huge boost overall for their attacking unit.

Atlético’s league lead slipping away, as mentality reset desperately needed

Regardless of results elsewhere over the next few days, Atlético Ottawa will finish Matchweek 17 in the CPL as the league leaders.

But that lead, which they have held since the fourth week, is now down to just a single point over York United. The rest of the pack is catching up, with Forge and now Cavalry within five points as well.

Saturday’s loss to Cavalry means they have now won just twice, and lost four, in their past eight matches — following going nine straight without a loss to start the season.

“We’ve been inconsistent now for a while,” said Atlético Ottawa’s Ollie Bassett. “Ultimately, at the minute it’s not been good enough. We have too many good players, and too much experience to kind of let this season just slip away like it looks as if it is at the minute. I think we need to regroup as quickly as possible. Because I think tonight is really just a wake-up call.”

The way the match played out will give those like Bassett who are returning from last year’s squad a terrible sense of déja-vu. During the run-in last year they allowed a lot of late goals which saw them drop points — ultimately playing a big role in them missing the playoffs.

Starting with William Akio’s late winner at TD Place Stadium on September 2, 2023, Ottawa lost five of their final seven matches of the season on goals scored in the 88th minute or later.

Atlético Ottawa head coach Carlos González, however, is confident that the mentality of this group is much stronger this year — a big reason why they have been at the top of the league for so long. But he also feels that it is the weight of those expectations right now that the group is letting get to them.

“Today was a game to tie, to win a point, to take it, to move on,” said González.

“I think that maybe the expectations, that are outside, that are also inside that we all created, maybe this is making it so ties are not enough for us, and we have to go for wins. And maybe that’s why today we lost at least one point.”

González said that the team will meet tomorrow and have an honest assessment of what has been going wrong lately, and what needs to change to get them back to their championship standard. Whatever the solutions, they need to emerge fast, because the challengers to their top spot are circling.

CanPL.ca Player of the Match

Ali Musse, Cavalry FC

Musse was on the pitch for just over a half hour yet delivered one of the most impressive performances from a Cavalry player yet this season. He scored two goals on two shots, both of which were outside of the box to hand victory to the visitors.