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MATCH ANALYSIS: Bassett puts on a show as Atlético Ottawa continue rise up the table
August 19, 2023
Canadian Premier League
Away Match Match Analysis Nathan Ingham Ollie Bassett Sam Salter Valour FC

Final Score: Valour FC 1-3 Atlético Ottawa
Goalscorers: Polisi 73′; Salter 10′, Bassett 41′, 68′
Game of the 2023 season: 78
CPL match: 445

Match in a minute or less

Atlético Ottawa moved up to second place in the Canadian Premier League table, and within one point of league leaders Pacific FC, on Friday evening, after beating Valour FC 3-1 at IG Field.

Sam Salter opened the scoring for the visitors with a brilliant backheel finish, redirecting a low cross from Jean-Aniel Assi into the bottom right corner of Rayane Yesli’s goal after the young winger did very well to create some space for himself on the right side of the box before playing the ball in. Yesli was beaten for a second time later in the half, as Ollie Bassett volleyed the ball at him from close range, and the shot went through the Valour goalkeeper’s hands.

Bassett made it three goals to nil for Ottawa in the 68th minute, curling a free kick into the top left corner to all but confirm the victory on the road for his side, before Marcello Polisi pulled one back for Valour a few minutes later with a powerful rocket of a shot from distance — but it was too little too late for the home side.

Three Observations

Ottawa continue upwards trajectory with another statement victory on the road

Playing a second consecutive match on the road after beating Pacific FC 1-0 in Langford last weekend, Atlético Ottawa picked up another three points on the road on Friday to continue their rapid ascent up the standings.

Friday’s 3-1 victory is their sixth win in their last nine matches, with two draws and just one loss during that span. Both of the draws came from losing positions as well, signalling that they are capable of bending but not breaking and finding ways to get back into matches when they do concede.

Carlos Gonzalez’s side are playing their best football of the year as well — scoring goals at a good rate, and shutting things down defensively to hang onto points once they get them. They did both on Friday, and without some key players — Diego Espejo, Macdonald Niba, and Carl Haworth were not in the matchday squad, and Maxim Tissot and Abou Sacko are still recovering from injuries that have kept them out for several weeks.

In their place, youngsters Tyr Walker, Zachary Roy, and Luke Singh put in good defensive shifts alongside the more experienced Carl Ouimette, and would have kept a clean sheet with Nathan Ingham if not for an unsavable shot from distance from Marcello Polisi.

With the result, Ottawa end the day just one point back of Pacific FC for top spot in the CPL standings. Pacific take on last-place Vancouver FC on Saturday, an opportunity for the Tridents to increase the gap between the two sides again. Ottawa’s resurgence — and how close the next four sides in the table are as well, separated by just a handful of points — puts a lot of pressure on everyone as the race toward the finish line, and the regular season title, really heats up.

“I’m very proud of the win, it’s a very big one after a very short week,” Gonzalez said after Friday’s match, referencing his side’s travel from Langford to Ottawa on Sunday, back west to Winnipeg midweek, then playing Friday.

“Big credit to what the players did. They played a very consistent game, and were very solid again. We showed a good image of the type of team that we have to be until the end of the season. Very happy for that, and for the effort the players are putting every single minute on the field.”

Bassett and co. put together an attacking performance to remember

Friday’s win took a well-rounded performance from the entire team, but it was again their attack that put on a show, taking advantage of their opportunities.

It started just ten minutes into the match, as Jean-Aniel Assi attacked the Valour backline down the right flank. He took on, and beat, three Valour defenders to give himself an opportunity to cross the ball into the box, and he played a low cutback pass across the area. Sam Salter met it with a brilliant backheel to redirect the ball into the bottom right corner for one of the nicest goals of the season thus far — but somehow not even the best of this match (more on that goal later).

Lively throughout the opening half, Ollie Bassett doubled Ottawa’s advantage, volleying the ball through the arms of Rayane Yesli after Gianni Dos Santos cut it back to him. It was the first of two goals for the reigning CPL Player of the Year — his ninth and tenth goals of the season, tying him with Forge FC’s Terran Campbell atop the Golden Boot leaderboard.

His second goal was the more impressive of the two, a curling free kick into the top right corner from a tight angle deep on the left flank. Yesli tried to cheat a bit by standing closer to his back post to be ready for a cross, and Bassett spotted it and made him pay.

“I’m enjoying it,” Bassett said after the match of his recent form — as it was his goal last weekend that saw Ottawa beat his former club Pacific FC as well. “I enjoyed last year as well, and I feel like that has carried on into this year. I’m enjoying playing with this group of players, and I think when you’re enjoying it, that’s when you’re at your best, and that’s certainly how I’ve felt now for the last 18 months.”

“Ollie has given us so much,” Ottawa head coach Carlos Gonzalez said after the match. “He’s an X factor in our team, and doesn’t need much to create or make chances to score goals, which is very important for a midfielder. I think we are putting him in correct spots, and playing a bit more offensive in higher areas, which can better for the team and he can make more of a difference.”

Bassett has surely vaulted himself back into the conversation for the Player of the Year award again, and if he were to win it again he’d be the first player to win it twice. There’s a lot of football still to be played first, of course, but with the way he — and Ottawa — are playing, they could continue to skyrocket.

Valour vow to keep fighting for a playoff spot during final stretch of the season

This season hasn’t gone to plan at times for Valour FC, who entered this season with the self-imposed expectation that they would be challenging for a playoff spot when the regular season was all said and done. The Winnipeg-based side finished in fifth place in both 2021 and 2022, so with the expanded playoffs this season to five teams rather than four, they felt it was finally time for them to taste postseason action.

After Friday’s defeat at home to Atlético Ottawa, however, they see themselves eight points back of the fifth-placed Halifax Wanderers, with the Haligonians possessing a game in hand — set to be played on Saturday at Tim Hortons Field against Forge FC. It won’t get any easier for Valour either, as their next three matches are on the road against Halifax, Pacific FC, and York United.

That stretch is must-win to keep their playoff hopes alive, but despite the uphill battle in front of them, Phil Dos Santos and his team’s commitment to push until the final whistle of match number 28 of 28 has never wavered.

Friday’s match was a frustrating one for the Winnipeggers, as they had 15 shots in the match (four more than Ottawa) seven of which were on target, the same tallies as Ottawa. Walter Ponce in particular had four chances to put the ball into the back of the net in the first half, forcing saves out of Nate Ingham twice, striking the post moments after Ottawa’s opening goal, and putting the ball over the net from a yard out.

They did find a goal in the second half, on an incredible strike from Marcello Polisi, for his first professional goal. It was just that kind of night for Valour, who have been looking for more goals from their attackers for months.

“We’re never going to give up, we’re going to fight until the final day,” Polisi said after the match. “We’re not going to stop, it’s part of our DNA. We owe that to the fans, to the staff, and most importantly to ourselves.”

Echoing that sentiment was Polisi’s head coach. Dos Santos spoke candidly after the match, saying that as the person in charge of the team, responsibility for their form this season starts with him.

“At the end of the day, I’m the leader of the process, I have to take responsibility for everything,” Dos Santos said. “It’s too easy to be here and speak about chances missed and things that we can do better. At the end of the day, I have to take responsibility.

“I don’t question the integrity of the players, they’ll always show up, they’ll always fight.”

Dos Santos also admitted that trying your hardest isn’t enough to win games when other things aren’t going your way. They have a big opportunity to try and turn things around and start chipping away at the gap between them and the playoffs when they visit the Halifax Wanderers next weekend.

CanPL.ca Player of the Match

Ollie Bassett, Atlético Ottawa

The reigning CPL Player of the Year firmly put himself back in the conversation to win the award again this year, scoring his ninth and tenth goals of the season to help Atlético Ottawa pick up three big points on the road.

What’s next?

Valour FC hit the road next weekend, traveling to the east coast to take on Halifax Wanderers on Saturday (4:00 pm AT/2 pm CT). Later that night, Atlético Ottawa host Forge FC at TD Place in a rematch of the 2022 Canadian Premier League final (7:00 pm ET).

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