2023 CPL Regular Season — Match #49**
** **Pacific FC vs. Atlético Ottawa
** **June 30, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. PT/9:30 p.m. ET
** **********Starlight Stadium in Langford, B.C.
** Watch Live: OneSoccer // Tickets available here
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.
It’s another 2022 CPL semifinal rematch out on Vancouver Island to wrap up a Friday doubleheader this week, as Atlético Ottawa travel west to take on Pacific FC. The Tridents return to the pitch after an eight-day absence, hoping to continue their winning ways. Pacific were most recently in action on Wednesday, June 21, when Easton Ongaro’s late strike claimed all three points in 1-0 win over Valour FC. As it stands, Pacific sit way out in front in the race for the CPL’s regular season championship. They’re in first place with a 7-3-1 record and 24 points, which is five clear of second-place Forge FC. James Merriman’s side boasts a plus-12 goal differential (10 goals better than second-best Cavalry), and — perhaps most impressively — they have a full two games in hand on their two closest challengers in the standings, Forge and York United. With a little over a week to rest and prepare for this game, Pacific have a pretty clean bill of health. The only major absence on Friday will be midfielder Cédric Toussaint, who picked up his fourth yellow card last week and will miss out with suspension. Ottawa, meanwhile, will hope this trip out west can spark their road form. Atleti currently sit seventh in a congested league table with a 3-2-6 record and 11 points — one ahead of last-place Vancouver FC but just four back of the playoffs. Last Sunday, Ottawa played Forge at Tim Hortons Field in a truly insane match that finished 4-3 for the Hamilton side. They were left a little shocked after a second half where they came back from two goals down to level the score against Forge, only to concede a winner with 10 minutes to play. Atleti will now be keen to get back into the win column. They’ll once again be without a few key pieces, including Malcolm Shaw and Luke Singh who remain at the Concacaf Gold Cup with Trinidad and Tobago. Two key players also didn’t make the trip to Victoria with injury, as fullback Maxim Tissot and attacker Gianni Dos Santos are set to miss out. Of course, to those wondering if newly-announced international signings Alberto Zapater and Rubén del Campo might play a part: unfortunately for Atleti, neither player will be eligible to suit up until after the transfer window opens on July 5. Last time these sides met, Pacific walked into Ottawa’s TD Place and smashed Atleti 4-1 in a match that led to six Pacific players getting named to the Gatorade Team of the Week. Ayman Sellouf in particular was outstanding in that contest, with a goal and an assist in a Player of the Week-level performance. Ottawa would love nothing more than to return the favour in Langford. It’ll be a challenge against the best team in the league right now, but Carlos González and co. will hope this can be a turning point for them.
OneSoccer is also available as a linear channel on Optik TV (Ch. 980), the pay-TV service operated by Telus, one of Canada’s ‘big three’ telecoms companies, as well as on streaming service fuboTV Canada.
3 THINGS TO WATCH
- Atleti need to improve road form*:*** Last season, Atlético Ottawa had the best record away from home in CPL history, banking 28 points on the road to propel them to a regular season title. This year, that solidity seems to have evaporated: Ottawa have lost their last three away from home and have just one win from five CPL road matches. They’ve already conceded nine goals in away games, after giving up just 10 all season in 2022. It’s unclear why exactly that’s changed — certainly, Atleti are adjusting a little to some new players and tactical adjustments, having played some fairly defensive football on the road in 2022 — but Carlos González will not want his team to be so leaky in away games, especially after giving up three at Forge last weekend. * **Rested Pacific sense opportunity to cement position at top: **Although most of the CPL table is incredibly tight at the moment, the daylight between Pacific FC and the rest of the pack is starting to expand. They’re five points clear at the top already, with two games in hand — which they’ll still have after this weekend, after Forge FC and York United both play on the road. The Tridents didn’t play last weekend and instead got a few extra days off after their Wednesday night match — which was also at home — and so they’ve had a welcome stretch of rest and recovery with no travel to prepare for this game. Ottawa, meanwhile, were in Hamilton on Sunday and then had to travel to B.C. for a Friday night match. “We need to take advantage of it,” James Merriman said. “We’re back in our controlled environments, getting good training sessions and getting opportunities to talk and work on things that when we have a lot of games you don’t have so much time to dive into things … The spirit in the team is high and they’re working and pushing every day, so we’ve taken advantage of it.” * Aparicio, Bassett headline battle of midfield starpower: This matchup features an exciting head-to-head battle in midfield between two of last year’s Player of the Year candidates, in Pacific’s Manny Aparicio and Ottawa’s Ollie Bassett (who won the award). Both players are among the most electrifying in the CPL; Aparicio’s tireless work in the middle helps launch Pacific’s attack more often than not, and Bassett’s combinations with his teammates help Ottawa tear forward with the ball. Whoever wins this match, expect at least one of not both of those two star players to be a key factor in the outcome. Indeed, with the two occupying fairly similar positions on the pitch frequently, expect Aparicio and Bassett to come directly face-to-face on more than one occasion.
PROJECTED STARTING XIs
Pacific FC: Baskett; Dada-Luke, Didic, Meilleur-Giguère, Vliet; Aparicio, Young, Lamothe; Yeates, Reid, Heard
Atlético Ottawa: Ingham; Acosta, Ouimette, Espejo, Niba; Haworth, Bassett, Bahous, Verhoeven, Assi; Salter
ALL-TIME SERIES
Pacific FC wins: 5 || Atlético Ottawa wins: 3 || Draws: 3
Last meeting:
May 6, 2023 – Atlético Ottawa 1-4 Pacific FC
KEY QUOTES
“We’re very much focused on ourselves right now; we see there’s key areas where we can do more, where we can improve. We’ve focused on that for the last couple weeks and I think most importantly our group, the players are looking forward to another match at home and going out and working on ourselves. We’re still chasing the complete game.” — Pacific FC head coach James Merriman “They have plenty of tools in attack. They have good players over there and they are a pragmatic team. Although we might think that Pacific are going to dominate you with the ball for 90 minutes, mainly they are scoring on counter-attacks and set-pieces. They’re a team that runs really well, that exploit the spaces really well; they are vertical in certain moments and they also they have power with Didic in set-pieces. … We are clear what their strengths are, we know them really well.” — Atlético Ottawa head coach Carlos González