| Final Score: Atlético Ottawa 3-0 Valour FC Goalscorers: Tabla 45+4' (pen.), Salter 51', Antinoro 73' Game of the 2025 season: 42 CPL Match: 638 |
|---|
Match in a minute or less
The Canadian Premier League's top team continued to soar on Sunday, as Atlético Ottawa triumphed 3-0 over Valour FC at TD Place.
Although Valour had a handful of chances in the first half, it was Atleti who went into the break with a lead, as Ballou Tabla buried a penalty kick just seconds before halftime to make it 1-0. The hosts then came out firing in the second half, as Sam Salter headed one home just six minutes into the frame, and Gabriel Antinoro later added a third in an excellent second half from Ottawa.
Three Observations
Atlético Ottawa flex resilience, ruthlessness, and find second wind
It's almost impossible for a title-winning team to be at their absolute best in every game. Usually, what separates a great team from a good team is an ability to turn a slow start into a result, or to capitalize on a lifeline in difficult games.
Atlético Ottawa weren't really under major fire in the first half of Sunday's game, but it may be fair to argue Valour were the more dangerous-looking team in the first half. Despite 60.5 per cent possession in the opening 45 minutes, Ottawa were outshot eight to three, and were it not for some errant finishing and a few odd decisions, the visitors might've taken the lead.
However, Atleti's fortunes turned dramatically when they won the penalty just on the edge of halftime. That goal sucked the wind out of Valour's sails and allowed Ottawa to make adjustments, then come out of the gates with much more energy.
Once Ottawa find an attacking rhythm, they're a joy to watch and an absolute terror to defend against. The front three of Ballou Tabla, Sam Salter and David Rodríguez has developed an excellent chemistry, with Manny Aparicio and Gabriel Antinoro also popping up in clever positions around the attacking third. Even 18-year-old Joaquim Coulanges, who made his first CPL start on Sunday, showed clear signs of the work he's done in training to understand what his teammates up front want to do on the pitch.
Atleti have stretches when they're not at their best — the first half of this game, and much of their 1-0 win at Pacific last weekend — but they have an ability to survive those moments where the attack isn't flowing.
On Sunday, they began to click in the second half and suddenly were dominant, moving the ball too quickly for Valour to stop. Their passing is so incisive and fast, and the players move evasively and creatively to manufacture numerical overlaps, especially on the edge of the box.
Another factor adding to Ottawa's title credentials this year is how good they've been at home. Atleti are unbeaten at TD Place this year, and the only time they've dropped points was the 2-2 draw with Halifax on opening day — itself another perfect example of Ottawa finding their second gear after a poor start. In seven home matches across all competitions in 2025, Atlético have won six, and outscored opponents 20 to eight.
A lot of those goals have come in second halves, as well; Atleti seem to have developed a mindset where they won't allow themselves to lose at home, which gives them an extra boost late in games if they've been sagging.
Valour fail to reward themselves for bright start
In the first half, one of the two sides seemed to have more energy and aggression in their play, and it wasn't the one that ended up with the lead.
As could've been expected, Valour looked up for this game from kickoff, desperate for redemption after their 5-2 loss last time they were in Ottawa, a little over a month ago. So, in the opening stages on Sunday, Valour were fast, direct, and threatening; Kris Twardek, playing in his hometown for the first time since leaving Atlético Ottawa in the winter, was particularly lively, trying to exploit the space behind Ottawa wingback Joaquim Coulanges on the edge of Atleti's back three.
Twardek indeed found a lot of space for himself; in the ninth minute, he had a great chance deep in the box but put his shot wide. Twenty minutes later, Kian Williams took a crack from distance but perhaps the wiser choice would've been to slip it to Twardek, who again would've been in alone coming off the right wing. Closer to halftime, Twardek again came bursting down the right flank in space and played a cross in toward the penalty spot, but striker Jevontae Layne didn't continue his run into the box where he might've been able to get a head on it.
So, much like the last time Valour played Ottawa, the Winnipeg club's strong start was for naught. In that previous matchup in May, Valour scored first, and came very close to scoring a second to take a suffocating lead, but they let Atleti back into the game and lost.
This game was much the same, though Valour didn't even score this time; it's a frustrating way for their momentum to falter, after such a bright point for them a week and a half ago in their school day game win against Vancouver.
Atleti's young back three shows composure, maturity in ball movement
Much has already been said about Atlético Ottawa's defence, which again today featured a back three composed entirely of U-21 players (Sergei Kozlovskiy, Noah Abatneh and Loïc Cloutier).
However, what was most impressive about them in this game wasn't necessarily the defensive work, as it has been in other matches; they struggled to contain Valour at times in the first half, particularly out wide, although they did emerge unscathed.
Instead, the back three's contribution to Ottawa's possession play was what made them stand out. Gabriel Antinoro, who slots in at right wingback for Atleti, explained after the match that part of the team's strategy is to tire an opponent out by holding onto possession, and moving the ball from side to side across the pitch to force them to shift and get stretched out.
In a back three system, much of that responsibility falls on the central defenders, who must position themselves evenly across the pitch to distribute the ball among each other, then progress it forward or diagonally when the space opens up.
The passing statistics for Atleti's centre-backs in this game are stunning. Abatneh, who plays in the middle of the three, attempted a staggering 112 passes, and connected 108 of them (a 96.4 per cent accuracy, highest among Ottawa's starters). Not all his passes were easy rolls to the defenders alongside him, either. Abatneh hit the target with a number of long balls into midfield or toward the wingbacks, placing it into space to bypass Valour's press.
Cloutier and Kozlovskiy, meanwhile, likewise had passing accuracy above 90 per cent, and they were more often tasked with playing those forward balls — they made 18 passes into the final third between them.
"I've always said that our job as coaches is not only winning matches," Atleti coach Diego Mejía said. "We need to create good players, create good human beings. I never watch the ID of the players; if you have 40 like Zapater or 16 like Sergei, but you play with heart, you play with passion, you always have the opportunity to play for me."
What They Said
“The plan [in the first half] wasn't good. We thought they would give us bigger space behind the defensive line, then they defended really well in that zone and the spaces were between the lines. ... The second half, the players started to understand how they need to play, and where the spaces are. We played different matches: the first half terrible, and the second half amazing.” — Atlético Ottawa head coach Diego Mejía
They shot five times on target, three went in. This is the reality; we had our fair chances, either to slip players in better positions instead of shooting from distance, or even shooting from distance in good moments. ... The game's about scoring goals and making the right decisions in the final third, that's always going to give you a chance. That's been the success of Ottawa this year.” — Valour FC head coach Phillip Dos Santos
CanPL.ca Player of the Match
Manny Aparicio, Atlético Ottawa
The Atleti midfielder was his trademark high-energy self in this game, and he played a gorgeous ball to Sam Salter for the second goal. Aparicio won 11 of 16 duels and had three successful dribbles, winning possession nine times and making five tackles.
What’s next?
Both these sides are back in action next Sunday, June 22. Atlético Ottawa head west to play Ontario foes York United (1 p.m. ET), while Valour return home to host Forge FC later that afternoon (3:30 p.m. CT/4:30 p.m. ET).
Watch all CPL 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.
