2021 CPL regular season — Match #55
Atlético Ottawa vs. HFX Wanderers
August 29, 2021 at 1:30 pm ET/2:30 pm AT
TD Place, Ottawa, Ontario
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca // Tickets available here

HFX Wanderers will complete their three-match Ontario road trip Sunday with a matinee against a reeling Atlético Ottawa at TD Place – the east coasters’ second trip to the nation’s capital in CanPL play.

Sunday’s tilt is the battle between last (Ottawa, 11 pts) and second last (HFX Wanderers, 13 pts) in the CanPL standings – though they are far from desperate spots as the regular season nears its halfway point.

Stephen Hart’s Halifax side arrives in Ottawa on the heels of back-to-back 1-1 draws to Forge FC and York United – two matches where they generated plenty of chances in the attacking third and looked favourites to win. Halifax has been playing excellent football, creating chance-after-chance in both games, but have been left rueing missed chances.

Ottawa, meanwhile, greets HFX on back-to-back losses – against Valour FC 3-2 in the Canadian Championship and a heavy 4-0 result away to Forge at midweek. Ottawa’s backline has conceded seven goals in the last two games and lead the league with 23 goals conceded. Centreback Drew Beckie has been ruled as doubtful by coach Mista, joining injured defenders Vashon Neufville and Brandon on the injured list and leaving the backline without any extra reinforcements.

A win by either team could see them leapfrog into sixth place in the CanPL standings, depending on results, as they search for a halfway point turnaround win.

Make your match picks prior to kickoff at canpl.ca/predictor for a chance to win prizes, including the grand prize of a trip to the 2021 CPL Final!

3 THINGS TO WATCH:

• Defending in the penalty area: By now your average Atlético Ottawa supporter is bound to tense up whenever their side is one-on-one in their own 18-yard box. Ottawa has conceded a staggering seven penalties through 14 matches – more than triple the next CanPL teams on just two. That errant defending in the box has undoubtedly cost Mista’s team, including on Wednesday when the side nearly made it to halftime without conceding against Forge before Keesan Ferindnand’s tackle sent Daniel Krutzen to the spot for the first of four goals.
• Eriks Santos, Tevin Shaw suspended: Both teams will be without players due to suspension Sunday. Wanderers centreback Eriks Santos has been handed a three-match suspension for a red card-worthy tackle late against York United Wednesday. Atlético Ottawa midfielder Tevin Shaw, meanwhile, will miss out on yellow card accumulation. Stephen Hart has also confirmed centreback Kareem Sow will depart the club following Sunday’s match as he returns to Montreal Carabins for the season. It’s been a successful season for the 20-year-old tenth overall 2021 CPL-U Sports Draft pick, who has amassed 810 minutes – eighth-most on the Wanderers this season – starting in the Winnipeg bubble.
• Story of the first half of the season?: Sunday will see both teams cross the halfway point of the CanPL season with eight matches in The Kickoff season-opening bubble and another six outside of it. Wanderers coach Stephen Hart said his team’s lack of finishing was their story so far – the handful of missed chances against York is a prime example of that. Mista, meanwhile, is quick to highlight the growth of his team since Winnipeg as his story so far: “We suffered in the bubble and then after but what happened is necessary to have more experience, especially for the players, and to build our philosophy or identity.”

ALL-TIME SERIES

Atlético Ottawa wins: 1 || HFX Wanderers wins: 2 || Draws: 0

Previous match:

August 14, 2021 – Atlético Ottawa 2-1 HFX Wanderers

KEY QUOTES

“I cannot fault my prayers for their effort in these two road games – I thought we should have gotten a result in both. I still believe in them, I will always believe in them, but sometimes in football things just don’t go your way.” – HFX Wanderers head coach Stephen Hart

“I told my players ‘please, I don’t want more penalties in this game. Seven in 14 games is crazy’. I’ve never seen a similar situation. But the only way to learn is to make a mistake. Maybe next time in the box they will think they need to be more patient.” – Atlético Ottawa head coach Mista