| Final Score: Atlético Ottawa 0-0 York United Goalscorers: N/A Game of the 2025 season: 66 CPL Match: 661 |
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Match in a minute or less
For the second consecutive league match, neither York United nor Atlético Ottawa could solve one another -- battling to a 0-0 draw in the nation's capital on Sunday.
In the fifth meeting between the two sides this season in all competitions in 2025, chances were limited, with the first shot on target of the match coming in the 68th minute. There was just one shot on target each between the two sides over the 90 minutes.
For only the second time since week two of the CPL season, the draw means that Atlético Ottawa finish the weekend not in the top spot, as they slip to second after Forge's statement 5-0 win over Valour on Saturday.
York remain in fourth place, but are now tied on points with third-place Cavalry FC.
Three Observations
'Clean sheets don't get beat': Nine Stripes finding results through defensive excellence
TD Place has been a nightmare to travel to this season for opposing clubs, with the hosts playing dominant football, scoring 19 goals in their first seven home matches of the season.
On Sunday, York United became the first team to hold Atlético Ottawa goalless in the nation's capital in 2025, with another outstanding defensive performance to earn their third consecutive clean sheet.
While they came to Ottawa looking for what would have been a big three points -- only leaving with one, there was plenty to be impressed about with the way they limited the opportunities of one of the best attacking teams in league history.
"The big thing is clean sheets don't get beat," said York United head coach Mauro Eustáquio. "Extremely proud of the mindset, extremely proud of the culture that we're creating. And again, it's a gained point. And not many teams come here and do that."
Sitting in a low block throughout the match, York allowed Atlético Ottawa to knock the ball around the back, but did an outstanding job of taking away their time and space in the final third. They limited Ottawa to just one shot on target, and a further off the crossbar, and 0.57 expected goals -- Ottawa's lowest xG total at home in a match this season by a margin of 1.18.
York United defender Luke Singh mentioned after the match that the Nine Stripes knew that Ottawa were going to come out in the same 3-4-3 formation as them -- meaning they were going to have to win man-to-man battles all game long. Especially on the defensive side of the ball, York did that well.
If there was one area that Eustáquio feels could have improved on Sunday, it was his team's control of the ball. At times, when they won it back, they would look to progress too quickly instead of holding on and allowing themselves time to breathe. That is arguably when they looked the most vulnerable in the match.
But with their seventh straight match without a loss, this York team has quickly developed into one of the league's most difficult teams to score on, and, critically, to beat.
Atlético Ottawa happy with performance, but can't solve York United block
There was no doubt on Sunday which team was the protagonist.
Atlético Ottawa held a stunning 74.2 per cent of the ball, the most possession a team has had this season in the league, and the third most all-time -- narrowly trailing the CPL record, which was Forge against FC Edmonton in 75.3 per cent back in 2022.
They had 22 touches in the York box, and 75 final third entries. But as much as they tried to find a way through the defensive shell of York United on Sunday, they were left frustrated at the final whistle, lacking the decisive moment they had so methodically searched for.
The closest they came was in the 65th minute, when Ballou Tabla sent a thundering strike off the crossbar after some great work down the left flank. Their first shot on target, meanwhile, didn't come until the 90th minute when David Rodríguez sent a low strike straight at Urtiaga.
"I think we created chances," said Mejía after the match. "We created superiority outside, we had runners inside, we play with a lot of patterns to find free pockets and driving. I think that we have the chances. Soccer is like this, we have the opportunity to score but I am very proud of my team, and I think that this is the way we need to play."
If anything though, there was perhaps a lack of urgency until the dying moments of the match to get the goal. While Atleti knew that they couldn't take too many risks, and allow York to get the opportunities on the counter, a touch more speed and directness in attack might have made the difference on Sunday.
Atlético Ottawa no longer first place, but confidence remains high
For several weeks now, Atlético Ottawa have been hearing the footsteps of Forge FC in the CPL title race.
On Sunday, they finally stumbled ever so slightly in a 0-0 draw with York United, meaning that the Hamilton club will end the weekend as the CPL's top team.
The story is far from over, as both teams still have 11 remaining matches in the league, including playing each other both home and away, as well as the two-legged TELUS Canadian Championship semi-final, and potentially a final, to contend with scheduling-wise.
Atlético Ottawa still have just a single loss this season, which is now the difference between them and unbeaten Forge -- who made a statement on Saturday in their 17th consecutive unbeaten match in the league with a club-record 5-0 home victory over Valour.
If the inability to respond by finding the goal on Sunday at all changed Mejía's confidence in his group, his post-match comments certainly didn't reflect it.
"I am very happy, because we wait a long time for this moment, for this kind of model, for this kind of play," said Diego Mejía. "I don't know if you watch before this kind of play in this league. So, for sure, we will raise the shield. And in the future, we will talk about this team for a lot of years."
As the season nears its final round, this increasingly two-horse title race between Forge and Atlético Ottawa looks like it is going to be an incredible battle, between two special teams that are raising the standard of the league to new heights.
What They Said
"I think that it's really tough when one team just came here to not play, and to waste time, and just defending, is really hard. But I am very proud of the behaviour of our team, because finally we are on our way. We have all the attention on our goal, in the final goal, that is the be the Champions of this league." -- Atlético Ottawa head coach Diego Mejía
"On the other side, you're probably going to have someone saying, only one team came here to play and only one team wanted to win and only one team wanted to have the ball. The reality is, we came here. We did a job. There's two sides of the ball, there's a defensive and there's an offensive side. I think today, once again, we showed that we are mature. It's not easy to come here and get points." -- York United head coach Mauro Eustáquio
CanPL.ca Player of the Match
Frank Sturing, York United
A third consecutive clean sheet for York United once again highlighted just how important Sturing is to this team's backline. Against the league's best attack, he made 6 clearances and won three of four duels, consistently breaking up key chances with strong positioning and reading of the play.
What’s next?
Atlético Ottawa are off to Winnipeg, where they take on Valour FC on Sunday, August 10 (3 p.m. ET).
York, meanwhile, host 905 derby rivals Forge FC on Saturday, August 9 (1 p.m. ET).
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