Atlético Ottawa hosts Pacific FC at TD Place for the first time in the club’s history when the two sides clash on Saturday evening.  It took a contentious 95th-minute goal to peg back Atleti in their first game on the road at York and Carlos González’s men will be looking to build on a spirited display this weekend.

“It was key to come back and show everyone that we’re not a team that was going to be pushed over and concede a lot of goals,” said midfielder Ollie Bassett. “We stuck in there [after the injuries], put a good shift and probably deserved to win the game. Hopefully, we can build on that this weekend.”  Bassett was involved in the build-up to the goal scored by Brian Wright and assisted by Zach Verhoven who, according to González, is growing into his new role.

“Zach is a player who is comfortable in small places and handles well situations where he is pressed,” explained the Head Coach. “He’s starting to learn more and get more freedome while still occupying the spaces we need him in.”

The team has been training on their basics and working on their identity this week as González looks forward to their clash with Pacific FC.  “This is the kind of opponent that we like, good teams that come here to put us in tough situations,” he said. “Our job is to put them in tough situations and I think it’s going to be a good game to play, the typical game that all players want to be involved with. It’s first place against second and that gives us a lot of motivation.”

Player to watch: Drew Beckie

Club Captain Drew Beckie returns from suspension to bolster a backline that suffered two injuries during the match against York United. Beckie’s return is not only an addition of quality but he also adds experience and leadership on the field.

Opposition

Recent form: L-D-W-W-W

Top scorer: Alejandro Díaz (3 goals)

Previous result: 2-0 loss to Cavalry FC

League position: 1st

Head-to-Head

Atlético Ottawa and Pacific FC have faced each other a total of four times, with the team from Victoria edging the head-to-head. This fixture has ended in favour of Atleti once, a 1-0 win during the abridged version of the CPL in 2020 known as the ‘Island Games’. The visitors recorded two consecutive victories after that, although in the last game Pacific FC needed an 86th-minute equalizer to salvage a draw.

Team News

Diego Espejo and Miguel Acosta are progressing well following their clash of heads in the game against York United last Friday. González is confident that he’ll soon have his full team available for selection for the first-time this season.