Final Score: Atlético Ottawa 1-0 Cavalry FC
Goalscorers: Salter 7′
Game of the 2023 season: 68
CPL match: 435
Match in a minute or less
Atlético Ottawa held on for their fifth straight victory at TD Place Stadium as a seventh-minute Sam Salter goal was the difference in a 1-0 victory for the hosts.
It was Ottawa’s fourth clean sheet at home this season, as they held off a Cavalry side who had scored five goals last weekend against Vancouver FC. The Cavs did manage 13 shot attempts over the course of 90 minutes, but an Ethan Beckford strike off the crossbar was the closest they came to finding the back of the net.
With the win, Ottawa sits in fourth for the time being, just three points behind Cavalry who have now dropped to third. Atleti remains the only team to have defeated Cavalry in their last seven matches.
Three Observations
Atlético Ottawa’s evolution at TD Place continues after fifth straight home victory
There was no secret that Atlético Ottawa won the regular season championship last year on the back of their historic play outside of the nation’s capital.
With their fifth straight home victory, however, Atleti are now well on their way to setting historic marks in terms of their play at TD Place. They have already tied the number of wins they had all of last season (a club record), and now have four clean sheets at home, having managed five in 2022.
The biggest difference, however, for a team who scored just 14 times in 14 home matches last season (and just once more in two home playoff matches), is their attacking quality. Salter’s match-winner was the 11th goal they have scored at home this year as they close in on the club record of 16 in a season set in 2021.
Salter’s came from an opening part of the match in which Ottawa were significantly on the front foot, with three big chances inside the opening 15 minutes and dictating possession in the early part of the match as they flipped the usual script when these two sides usually play and put Cavalry under pressure.
“We tried to show a different face, a different image from the start,” said Atlético Ottawa manager Carlos González. “I think we did a brilliant 31 minutes in which we pressed high, in which we imposed our style of what we wanted to do on the field today and it is true that we created situations to maybe have a bigger score.”
After the rigid shape with which they played last year, no matter the venue, there has been real tactical flexibility as well lately. Players regularly swapped positions with ease, as they looked to unsettle the Cavalry defenders. Ollie Bassett would switch to the left at times, with Noah Verhoeven replacing him on the right in order to find more space. MacDonald Niba transitioned between a left wingback and left back in attack, while several other players noticeably shifted around the field in certain moments and opportunities.
When they lost the ball, however, the speed at which they quickly return to their nearly perfect 4-5-1 formation was impressive, and a big reason why Cavalry were held scoreless on the night.
“We have to always have a solid foundation, if we are able to neutralize the other team for sure we will get the opportunities to score,” said Niba. “We love defending, this is our team, we love defending from the front and everyone is committed and it is very good when we can come out with the clean sheet.”
Fluid attacking unit creates critical unpredictability for Atlético Ottawa
Ottawa’s attacking flexibility could particularly be seen in the way they attacked. Their attacking shape shifted between Salter playing up top alone, to Zach Verhoven joining him in a two from the left flank, with at times it becomes a front three as Assi got forward down the right wing.
This is part of the season when teams need to be a little bit tactically creative as they meet their opponents for the third and fourth time, if not more, this year. Having played Cavalry already this month, González knew that he needed his side to approach the match in a way the visitors were not expecting.
“We tried to tweak things with the pressure of the [front] three in certain moments, in other moments as you said with only one striker showing a different system,” said González. “This is what we are trying to do to be a little bit more flexible depending on the players that play each game and try to look for solutions, different solutions and try to solve the games in different ways.”
Ottawa’s passing chart shows the positional flexibility of their attacking players, in particular Verhoven (#16) who switched in and out of a role as a left striker, or as a left midfielder.
Atlético Ottawa’s passing chart against Cavalry (Courtesy: Opta)
Verhoven and Salter, in particular, were incredibly dangerous getting in behind the Cavalry backline and creating opportunities as a result. Atléti’s opening goal came off of a lovely reverse ball played by Verhoven from out wide into the path of Salter who split the central defenders with his run before calmly finishing his fourth of the season.
GOAL! ⚽️
A perfect beginning to the match for @atletiOttawa, with Sam Salter displaying composure as he elegantly slots the ball into the back of the net, granting his team a well-deserved 1-0 advantage against @CPLCavalryFC.
— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) July 29, 2023
Despite creating chances, Cavalry still can’t solve Atlético Ottawa
After scoring five goals against Vancouver FC and moving to the top of the table last weekend, Saturday night proved to be yet another frustrating affair for Cavalry against Atlético Ottawa as they were blanked for the second straight match. This despite hitting the woodwork, and creating 1.80 expected goals and five big chances on 15 shot attempts.
“That fifteen minutes kind of cost us the game, at the end of the day that is football,” said Cavalry fullback Fraser Aird. “On another day we score two, three goals, but that’s life. We will stick to what we are doing and we knew the way they were going to play at it was up to us to break them down.”
The absence of suspended striker Myer Bevan, perhaps, was felt as Cavalry lacked finish in front of goal. The usually heavily involved striker was replaced by Joe Mason on Saturday who made just eight touches during his 72 minutes on the pitch despite Cavalry holding 61.9 per cent of the possession.
“I’ve got to give credit to Carlos and his staff because to have your players suffer and not have the ball and literally bank in front of their goalmouth and wait for an opportunity, you’ve got to be patient,” said Cavalry manager Tommy Wheeldon Jr. “That takes a lot of good coaching and culture, but that is a problem we have to solve. We’ve got to come here again.”
The last meeting of the season between the two sides will come on September 2, also at TD Place Stadium — where Cavalry still have not won in club history. While every match is different and coaches will always be quick to dismiss the past, it is clear that Atleti is becoming a puzzle that Cavalry are consistently struggling to solve.
“I think that once you start to win games against an opponent and you start to [beat them in] the psychological battle,” said González. “Then every time you face them it is a tough one to start to manage your emotions and knowing that in the previous games, you were not able to break the other team. So I think that it is about this, although Cavalry is a great team and they are doing great performances, it is true that at the moment it fits well to our style, to our way of playing and we are having good results.”
CanPL.ca Player of the Match
MacDonald Niba, Atlético Ottawa
Going up against one of the league’s most lethal attackers in Ali Musse, MacDonald Niba was outstanding as he made three tackles, four clearances, and won possession ten times during what might well have been his best performance in an Ottawa shirt.
What’s next?
Ottawa remain in the nation’s capital where they will look to beat York United for the first time this season on Saturday, August 5 (7:00 p.m. ET). Cavalry, meanwhile, are back at ATCO Field for a massive matchup against Forge FC on Friday, August 4 (7:00 p.m. MT / 9:00 p.m. ET).
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