2022 CPL Regular Season — Match #84
Atlético Ottawa vs. Forge FC
August 27, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. ET
TD Place Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario
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A month ago, Forge FC came into the nation’s capital for a top-of-the-table clash under very similar circumstances. Atlético Ottawa was riding high, having not lost a game in five straight heading into that match.
What followed would be a humbling lesson for Atleti. In front of their home fans, in a match that could have seen them go a club record six straight undefeated, Ottawa suffered one of their worst losses of the season, 4-0 to the Hamilton side.
It was a match where their usually secure backline made some uncharacteristic errors, as a first-half goal from Aboubacar Sissoko seemed to throw off their entire match strategy. It opened them up in a way few teams have been able to this year.
“The last game was a hard game for us,” said Atlético Ottawa head coach Carlos González. “It wasn’t the game that we expected so I think that we have learned from that, and we have bounced back from that bad result. I think that the league is very equal and if you analyze the results of the last rounds, anything can happen in this game. It will depend on who makes the game more comfortable for themselves.”
As González mentioned, Ottawa has bounced back from that loss incredibly well, climbing to the top of the table after picking up a pair of wins this past week. Forge sits in second place and is three points behind Ottawa after losing their past two matches, albeit with two games in hand and the tie-breaker courtesy of their +21 goal difference. Forge has never lost three straight matches in club history.
The winner of this match will exit the weekend in first place, and this match will also loom large in a breathtaking four-team race that has developed for the regular season title.
“That is the exciting part of the season as a neutral, for you guys that are watching on the outside, and makes things a little bit more exciting for us on the sideline knowing how much is at play each and every game,” said Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis in his pre-match media availability.
Any meeting between these two sides is also fascinating from a tactical perspective. Much has been made this year, by Smyrniotis and others, of the two sides being the antithesis of one another in how they usually set up for matches.
“To be honest we are two of the most consistent teams in the league in the way we approach the games,” said Smyrniotis. “One team tries to do a lot with the ball, one team tries to do a lot without being on the ball. Both tactical ideas can work very well for teams, and I think that is what both of our teams have shown, a consistent look and a consistent way of playing that players have bought into.”
With that in mind, the first goal in this match will be especially critical. Atleti’s Ollie Bassett scored first in two of the three meetings between the two sides this year, and those ended in a draw and an Ottawa win. When Forge scored first back on July 31, as aforementioned, it ended in a blowout win.
One thing to note offensively for Forge, however, is the fact that they will be without Tristan Borges who is suspended for this match through yellow card accumulation. Borges scored Forge’s lone goal against rivals York United this past weekend in a 3-1 loss and is tied for second on the team in goals with six, while also being tied for the team lead in assists with five.
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All CPL matches are available to stream on OneSoccer, or on TELUS Optik TV Channel 980. Tous les matchs de l’Atlético Ottawa sont aussi disponibles en français sur OneSoccer
3 THINGS TO WATCH
- Atlético Ottawa showing offensive progress in recent matches: It is no secret, as Smyrniotis mentioned earlier, that Ottawa has gotten to the top of the table more as a result of what they do without the ball than what they do on it. Goals have not come so easily for Atleti this year, especially at home where opponents tend to sit back and are harder to break down on the counter-attack. They have scored just 12 times in 11 home matches, and actually have a -5 goal difference at home, largely due to lopsided losses to Forge and Valour. But last week, Ottawa scored three goals in back-to-back matches for the first time in club history. Having an attack that can score their way out of trouble, such as the two goals they allowed against Halifax last Wednesday, is the next important evolution of this club. “Trying to commit more players in this offensive job,” said González. “I think that it is a key point that everyone in the team can add goal situations to the squad. We have worked on this in the last few weeks to be better and sharper in the last third. To have more solutions over there with more players near the box so I think it is working, the guys are doing great daily work and we are improving on that”. Below is a great example of the kind of attacking capability that Atleti possesses when they commit players forward. A great run from fullback Max Tissot at the back post finishes off this excellent piece of flowing football from Atleti.
Champagne football from @atletiOttawa ?
Some incredible buildup play and it is 2-0 for the hosts!
?: @onesoccer
— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) August 18, 2022
- Goalkeeper situation in Ottawa worth monitoring: Nate Ingham picked up his league-leading (tied with Forge’s Triston Henry) seventh clean sheet of the season last time out against Cavalry in a 3-0 road victory, but in the process also picked up an injury that saw him replaced by Sean Melvin in the 87th minute. It was the 28-year-old backup’s second appearance of the season, having started the midweek win over Halifax. A decision on Ingham will be made after training on Friday, as González acknowledged the fact that the keeper is still feeling discomfort, so this could be another chance for the veteran Melvin to make his case for more minutes down the stretch. “About Nate, and about Sean, both have been doing excellent work during the season,” said González. “I think that although Nate has been playing a little bit more Sean has been pushing him and has [made it so] his level has gone forward. Also, we saw the game of Edmonton, we saw the last minutes of Cavalry the other day that shows he is in a great moment also so that we can be comfortable in that position with any of the choices.”
- Forge ready for a difficult road trip starting in Ottawa: Whatever it was that led to Forge putting in one of the worst performances in club history, per Smyrniotis, this past weekend against York will have to be resolved away from home. Forge FC only has one home game, a meeting with rival Cavalry no less, between now and October 1. Starting with top-of-the-table Ottawa on Saturday, they then have a pair of matches against Valour at IG Field (Wednesday, August 31, Sunday, September 4) that could well determine the Winnipeg side’s season as they desperately try to stay in the hunt. After that brief return home against Cavalry, they are off to Starlight Stadium to take on Pacific, another regular season title contender. The good news? The road has mostly been kind to Forge this season. Only Ottawa has picked up more points than Forge away from home this season, and the Hamilton outfit has outscored opposition 21-9 when away from Tim Hortons Field. “We have done well playing on the road this year,” said Smyrniotis. “It doesn’t really make a lot of difference to what we are going to do, how we are going to play. A lot of teams go on the road and adjust their whole game plan, for us it is not something that we necessarily look to do and I think it gives us success playing on the road. We are just looking forward to it.”
ALL-TIME SERIES
Atlético Ottawa wins: 1 || Forge FC wins: 7 || Draws: 1
Previous match:
July 31, 2022 — Atlético Ottawa 0-4 Forge FC
KEY QUOTES
“Now we have had more time to rest, to recover the players and we have more energy to try to do different things through the game.” — Atlético Ottawa head coach Carlos González.
“What we know is that we’ve got a very good opponent tomorrow that has been good in the last two weeks and has had some good results and we need to be prepared for that.” — Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis
“It is going to be a great game, we know it is a big game for both teams. There is a big excitement for this game and whoever comes out with the three points is going to be first place.” — Forge FC attacker David Choinière