Ninety minutes separate both Atlético Ottawa and Vancouver FC from the TELUS Canadian Championship final.
Vancouver head into Thursday's semifinal leg two with a 3-1 lead on aggregate, but the high-scoring Atlético Ottawa have plenty of confidence that they can overturn the deficit.
No Canadian Premier League team has ever qualified for the CanChamp final in a full tournament. Both these two clubs are desperate to be the first.
Ahead of Thursday's clash on OneSoccer and TSN5 (kickoff at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT), here's what both sides have been saying.
Diego Mejía, Head Coach, Atlético Ottawa
On his confidence in his team to overturn a two-goal deficit:
"I have a lot of confidence. We showed before, we put focus match by match. This is a very good challenge for us, this match. We know we need to come back, we've come back in a lot of matches before. I have a lot of confidence in the roster. We're going to play with our fans. I think if we play in our model, if we don't commit easy mistakes, we will have a lot of chances to pass through to the final."
On how prepared Ottawa are to play against Vancouver's low defensive block:
"We need to score goals. I think we’re capable of that. We’re the best team at scoring goals this season, and at creating chances. Only the first seven matches in the league, we played against high blocks or mid blocks. The other matches in the league we played against low blocks, so we’ve trained a lot in the situation."
On what has made CPL Golden Boot leader Sam Salter's season so special:
"You need to try to put the players that are in the best moment. Sam showed me all year that he’s in very good shape. He’s a super professional player. But like I always say, Sam [doesn’t] have a lot of chances to score if Noah Abatneh doesn’t pass the ball really well, or David Rodríguez pass the ball to score, or Aparicio cross a ball. The goals that Sam Salter scores are goals for Atlético Ottawa, not just for Sam."
Callum Irving, Goalkeeper, Vancouver FC
On the historic opportunity for Vancouver FC and the challenge in playing Ottawa:
"It's hugely exciting for us as a club. It's a great opportunity for us, and a huge moment in our short time of being a club in the CPL, and one we definitely don't take for granted. Obviously it's a big challenge; Ottawa is a great team, you're seeing the season they're having in the CPL. We've had some great games against them so far this season where it's been quite competitive, and we know the attacking firepower they have. Even though we're in a good position after the first leg, things can change quickly if you're not focused and sharp and locked in from the first minute."
On why Vancouver have been better in the CanChamp than CPL this year:
"It's impossible to deny that obviously the form in the cup has been better than our form in the league. Upon reflection, for myself, it can be difficult in the league when you get yourself down into a position that we're in, to feel that motivation to get out of it, because you get a win, you get three points and you might still be in the same position you were before the game started. Whereas you put in a 90 minute performance in the cup, you can put yourself in a great position for the second leg. And if you do it in the second leg, you're automatically through to the final; you get that reward at the end of that 90 minutes.
"You talk to anybody that's played in domestic cup competitions, there's just a different level of energy, a different level of focus, no matter where you are in the league, because your reward is at the end of the match; it's an instant thing. To focus your mind over those 90 minutes can be a bit easier. Especially when you're having a tough campaign in the league, I think it can be a sort of respite from that and a bit of a beacon for positivity at the club when you're struggling."
Martin Nash, Head Coach, Vancouver FC
On how big a moment this is for VFC, and the opportunity to play the Whitecaps:
"It's a big moment in our season. Everyone feels it, and the guys are well prepared and looking forward to the occasion. If we can get to a final, that'd be amazing for our club. And to play a local rival would be brilliant."
On why this cup run has been so magical for Vancouver:
"Cup competitions are definitely kind of a funny thing with teams sometimes. There's so many instances in leagues around the world where teams aren't doing well in the league and managed to go on a big cup run. For whatever reason, the guys have been dialled in and focused in all the cup matches so far. I'm looking for the same thing from the guys tomorrow."
On how they need to approach the game against Ottawa:
"We were here a couple weeks ago, and we played quite well and lost 3-1. The guys know that we're going to have to be dialled in. No one's switching off in any moment of the game, and you can't give them any goals. We have to work hard; if we can score a goal or two ourselves, it'll put more pressure on them. It's interesting to be two goals up, but we're going to have to work even harder in this game than we did at home to be able to see out the tie."
On the benefits of playing high-stakes knockout football for young players:
"It's great for the players to be involved in these kinds of knockout matches that once you lose, you're out. There's a lot on the line for being focused and learning how to win games and manage games. In a league, sometimes when there's a long league [season], those moments of managing games and managing moments, it's been a struggle, but we've seen them do it in cup games."
