Match Preview: Valour FC vs. Atlético Ottawa
September 17, 2022 – Canadian Premier League (CPL) – Atletico Ottawa News Release
The race towards the playoffs and regular season title is continuing to heat up in the Canadian Premier League.
With just weeks remaining in the 2022 regular season, five points is all that separates first and fifth place as of writing, leaving everything up in the air with just four to five games remaining for each team.
Given that seven teams are still in the race to win the ‘North Star Shield’ entering this weekend, that means that a lot of movement is still to come, too, which should make for a photo finish in the fourth season of the league.
Because of that, Valour FC’s clash against Atlético Ottawa at Winnipeg’s IG Field on Sunday is massive, for many reasons.
“It’s a very important game for both teams, it’s going to be a big final,” Ottawa head coach, Carlos González, said this week. “We’re looking forward to trying to prepare for the game in the best way. And we know there’s going to be a battle, it’s going to be a tight game, where we’re going to fight for our spot in the playoffs, and we are going to fight to maintain our position in the league.”
First, there’s the push this could give Ottawa, who currently sit atop the table, as a win here could push them closer towards not just potentially booking a playoff spot, but locking up that regular season title, too, which would be the final bow on a great regular season campaign from the capital side.
Ottawa’s remaining regular season schedule
Secondly, there’s the fact that Valour is one of the hottest teams in the league right now, as they’ve picked up the second-most points of any team over their last five games, currently on a run that has seen them nab seven wins and two draws in their past 13 matches total.
Valour’s remaining regular season schedule
Lastly, there are the other matches that will be going on this weekend, as York played Halifax in a do-or-die game for both of them, Cavalry takes on Edmonton in a matchup they’ve typically dominated, and Pacific plays Forge in a seismic game, meaning that movement in the playoff race and the title race is guaranteed through all of those matchups.
Therefore, a team picking up a win in this game could go a long way towards maintaining a good position in both of those races, only adding to that pressure.
Especially given that both teams are coming off of results they might’ve wanted back, as Valour dropped a 1-0 result to Halifax, while Ottawa drew Pacific 1-1, they’ll have that hunger to want to win, getting back to winning ways once again.
Considering that both teams have won a game in this year’s season series, drawing another match, that should pave the way for a competitive matchup, one in which the execution in crucial moments will be critical, giving an early taste of what CPL playoff soccer could look like.
“It’s going to be a tough challenge,” Valour head coach, Phil Dos Santos, noted this week. “But we’re at home, we know what’s on the line. So we have to respond, we have to understand the weight of the game, and just embrace the challenge that’s ahead of us.”
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3 THINGS TO WATCH
What version of this matchup is to be expected? In their first three matchups this year, we’ve seen very three different games from Valour and Ottawa. First, there was the first match, a surprise 6-1 drubbing of Ottawa by Valour, before Ottawa got their revenge with a 1-0 win in their second meeting. Then, both teams combined for a cagey 1-1 draw in their third meeting, setting the table for this fourth matchup. Because of that, it’s going to be very intriguing to see which version of both sides comes to the table in this game. Will it be the Valour that was seen in that 6-1 drubbing, one where Valour looked their best offensively, dismantling an Ottawa team that has otherwise only allowed two or goals in a game just three times in their other 23 games? Or will it be the Ottawa side that beat Valour in that 1-0 game by doing the sort of thing they’ve gotten really good at as a team this season – being airtight defensively, solid in possession, and then capitalizing with a timely goal? Or, will both teams meet somewhere in the middle, as they did in that 1-1 game, where both goals came via the penalty spot, demonstrating how cagey of a game it was? If their recent form is to mean anything, it looks like the third of those options is likely to be the case, but no matter what, this just further proves one thing – the team that can execute their moments will do well because as seen here, space will be at a premium in this match. “We need to be patient once they’ve set their block low,” Dos Santos said of Ottawa. “But the truth is that we also need to understand that the best way to hurt them is when you don’t allow them to get organized or to drop too much, so that we have space to attack in behind them, and understand what the different moments of the game are going to be, and that our interpretation of those moments is going to be very important.” Meanwhile, on his end, González is expecting a similarly tough matchup from his opposing number. “I’m expecting the Valour team that I’ve seen over the last few weeks,” González said. “A team that doesn’t concede too much, a team that is playing with a line of five, a team that plays each ball as if it was the last ball of the game, a team that has really very clear ideas to attack, and what to do in defence. So I think that they are a very competitive team.”
Valour looking to learn from offensive mistakes of Halifax trips: Another reason why Valour has been able to heat up recently? Their ability to grab timely goals offensively, as they’ve scored goals in 14 of their last 16 games, doing well to get on the scoresheet on most nights. Interestingly enough, however, the two games in which they didn’t get on the scoresheet? A pair of visits to Halifax to take on the Wanderers, games in which Valour lost 1-0 to Sam Salter penalties, the only two occasions in which they’ve spoiled this streak of scoring at least one goal. As a result, with one of those losses having come in their most recent match, it is crucial to avoid having that result drag them down. Knowing the difference-makers that they have in their attack, led by Moses Dyer and Sean Rea, and then supported by Alessandro Riggi, Matteo de Brienne and Brett Levis, they’ll know that they can do much better than what they showed against the Wanderers, where they lacked movement, inspiration and magic in the final third. Especially now that they’re coming up against an Ottawa team that has been so solid defensively, and will have the hunger of avoiding another 6-1 on their minds, Valour will have every reason to want to avoid that offensive performance again, because if not, this could be a long game for them. “We need to move the ball a little bit more, we were a bit too passive,” Dos Santos said of that performance. “I felt that our wing backs were a little bit conservative, trying to get too close to the ball and wanting the ball at feet, sometimes you have to try and open the opposition by moving them with runs in behind, even if it’s not pretty, to try and turn the backline of the opposition with a set play, with a corner kick, and I think we didn’t do that enough. I felt that we were always looking for the perfect play to try and create rupture and gain a sort of an advantage, and we just need to be a bit more pragmatic in the way we attack.”
Ottawa trying to re-find winning ways, open play offence: Meanwhile, on Ottawa’s end, they’re also looking to bust an offensive slump of their own, albeit one of a larger scale, as they try to snap a three-game run without a non-penalty goal, a span in which they’ve found the net just once (thanks to an Ollie Bassett penalty versus Pacific last game). Thankfully, their defence has ensured them that their form hasn’t suffered too much, as they’ve picked up three draws over those few games, but that is arguably more frustrating than them losing those matches, as they’ll feel that they could’ve got something out of each of those games. Therefore, re-finding their open-play form is crucial in this game, as it’ll likely be their key to success. Knowing what their defence is able to do, getting the likes of Bassett, Ballou Tabla, Brian Wright, Keven Alemán, Vladimir Moragrega and Zakaria Bahous all involved offensively would be a game-changer for them. It won’t be easy, especially not against this Valour defence, but at this rate, anything will do, because if not, there are only so many results they’ll be able to pick up if they can’t find the net more consistently in open-play, making it important that they get that offensive depth to step up. “Other teams are starting to defend us in a low block,” González explained. “So there are different circumstances now. Before, maybe we had more space. Now, I think that we have the respect of everybody, so they are going to start to defend us in a different way. And we are working on finding a way to also create situations and to be sharp to score despite that.”
ALL-TIME SERIES
Atlético Ottawa wins: 2 || Valour FC wins: 4 || Draws: 1
Previous match:
July 20, 2022 – Atlético Ottawa 1-1 Valour FC
KEY QUOTES
“We know that this is one for our fans, with what it means in the standings. Because I think that three points in such a critical stage, especially knowing that you will have three games on the road to finish off the year, is very important. We know we’re in this playoff race, and we look at the matchups of who’s playing who, we know that there are teams that are in this fight that will lose points this weekend. So we need to take this chance to gain points in relation to direct competitors, we need to try and do that, so of course, this game means a lot for multiple reasons.” – Valour FC head coach Phil Dos Santos.
“Yeah, of course, that is one point of motivation for us. It’s true, but it’s not the most important thing. First we have some objectives to conquer, like making the playoffs mathematically, and then after that, we will think about other things. So I think that the most important thing tomorrow is to give our best, to be competitive, to not make mistakes and to have a good game.” – Atlético Ottawa head coach, Carlos González.
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