2023 CPL Regular Season — Match #84
Atlético Ottawa vs. Forge FC
August 26, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. ET/
TD Place in Ottawa, Ontario
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It’s a battle of third versus fourth place in the nation’s capital this weekend, as third-place Atlético Ottawa hosts fourth-place Forge in a pivotal Canadian Premier League clash on Saturday at TD Place.

A rematch of the 2022 CPL Finals, also held in Ottawa, this match could very well serve as an early playoff preview, too, as both teams remain very much in the mix to return to the finals once again this year.

At the same time, with just seven points separating first and sixth place heading into this matchday, one of them could potentially even miss out altogether if all goes wrong.

Yet, that’s why this match is so important. With all that’s at stake in the current CPL title and playoff race, every point matters at this stage of the season, especially now that there are just eight matchdays remaining on the schedule.

Because of that, look for both teams to come out strong, in a match that could certainly have intensity closer to the level of that final than a typical regular season matchup.

For Ottawa, it’s a big chance to maintain what has been a strong run of form as of late from them. Undefeated in their last four games (3W-1D-0L), they’ve also won six of their last eight games (6W-1D-1L), and enter this game on a six-game unbeaten run at home (5W-1D-0L).

Safe to say, they’re in excellent form at the moment, and are arguably the team to beat in the CPL right now.

Despite that, they feel that they owe Forge a win. In fact, the math backs that up – Forge is the only team that they’re yet to claim points off of this season, as they’ve lost both of their previous two meetings this season against them.

Not only that, but Ottawa has historically struggled against Forge, too, having beaten them just once across 14 previous meetings in their history.

Based on that, don’t be surprised if Ottawa comes out strong, as they look to change that form.

“We have eight finals,” Ottawa’s head coach, Carlos González, said of his team’s final push. “This game against Forge is going to be the first one. It’s always a big game when we play against Forge, and we just want to give continuity to what we’re doing, as we are in the best moment of our season, and it’s a very important moment now.”

“So we have to try to focus on keeping up what we’re doing that is working, and control the details, because these types of games are usually solved by those small details.”

As for Forge, they come into this game looking for some consistency. After their draw last weekend with the Halifax Wanderers, they’re now winless in three games, and have a record of 3W-3D-2L in their last eight games.

To be fair, they’ll probably make the playoffs if they maintain that, but it definitely won’t be enough to win a regular-season title, which is what you’d expect from the three-time North Star Shield winners.

Having won back-to-back games just once since May 13th, it’s been a topsy-turvy campaign over in Hamilton, one that hasn’t fully gone to plan, even if they’ve been picking up points along the way.

Because of that, they remain in the mix for that regular season title, sitting just two points off first place heading into this one.

Therefore, they’ll look to use that as motivation, especially knowing their history against Ottawa, allowing them to put themselves in a good position as they head into the final stretch of their campaign.

“What’s on the board is three points and some separation from the other,” Forge’s head coach, Bobby Smyrniotis, said this week. “We’re both sitting on 31 points, so this is an important game for both of us. (In a game like this), you don’t look at history, what you’ve done or how many times you’ve beaten a team because at some point that always switches, be it now or in 10 years, so that’s not a thought in our mind.”

3 THINGS TO WATCH

• Chaotic or cagey matchup on the cards? The first two matchups between these two teams this season couldn’t have been any more different than the other if they tried. First, both teams met in a cagey affair in Ottawa back in May, one that finished with Forge narrowly grabbing a 1-0 win after spending most of the game absorbing Ottawa pressure. Then, in June, both teams combined for a chaotic affair in Hamilton, one that finished 4-3 in the favour of Forge after a match that featured early goals, spectacular own goals and golazos. Given both teams’ reputations as usually defensive solid teams, one would expect them to try and replicate the performances from the 1-0 matchup, but it’ll be intriguing to see if the goals do end up flowing in this game. For what it’s worth, it’s also worth noting that both teams have also recently come off chaotic all-Ontario derby matches – Forge drew York United 3-3 on August 12th, while Ottawa drew York 3-3 on August 5th, so certainly the goals have been flowing in matches between Ontario teams this season. That’s probably not what both coaches will want to hear, so look for them to change that, although the precedent has certainly been set in that regard.

• Ottawa looking to maintain home form: It’s been a huge improvement for Ottawa this year – they’ve really turned TD Place into a fortress. After picking up 21 points in 14 home games (5W-6D-3L, 1.5 points per game) last year, they’ve already picked up 17 points in 10 home games this season (5W-2D-3L, 1.7 points per game). Not only that, but their form has been on an uptick as of late, too, having picked up 16 points of an available 18 across their last six home games (2.6 points per game). Because of that, it has made TD Place a hard place to play. Yet, they’re doing so off overall improved home play, too, as they’ve already scored as many goals (14) as they did last year, and have so far conceded eight fewer. A big reason for that, however? Their approach, as they’re playing a lot more aggressively in games, dictating the tempo in matches. From the play of Ollie Bassett offensively, to the leadership of Alberto Zapater, Carl Haworth, Karl Ouimette, Nathan Ingham and more, this team is finding more balance at home, and it’s helping them get results. “We cannot focus on what we’ve done already,” González said. “We have a new set of games in which everything is quite equal, in which we are in the position that we want it to be to still be contenders for everything until the end of the season, but we’re happy to be at home because we’re always going to have the support of the fans, and they can provide us with an extra push in the key moments.”

• Can Forge tidy up defensively? A big reason for Forge’s success in 2022? Their defensive play, as they conceded just 25 goals in 28 regular season games, which ended up paying off for them big time in the playoffs, as they knew how to shut it down in the big moments. This year, however, they haven’t been able to maintain that. Despite having only played 21 games this season, they’ve already conceded 26 goals, which is the third-highest in the league, and already more than what they conceded in last year’s regular season. Yet, that’s been a big reason for their struggles with consistency this season. When this Forge team is at their best, they control games on both sides of the ball, and they haven’t been doing that as much defensively as they would’ve liked this year. They got the pieces – Manjrekar James has been a key rock at the back, 2022 Defender of the Year Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson remains in good form, and their midfield group is among the best in the league, but it hasn’t clicked as much as they like. If they’re to win a regular season title, they’ll need to change that, so no better time to return to their old habits than the present. “Just look at the table, and you’ll know that we got work to do,” Smyrniotis said. “There’s no ability to relax, there’s no chance to say there’s another game in front of you, each one is more important than the one before, and that’s the mentality we need to have here.”

PROJECTED STARTING XIs

Atlético Ottawa (4-1-4-1): Ingham; Ouimette, Singh, Walker, Acosta; Zapater; Assi, Bassett, Iliadis, Verhoven; Salter

Forge FC (4-2-3-1): Henry; Rama, Achinioti-Jönsson, James, Metusala; Sissoko, Hojabrpour; Badibanga, Bekker, Poku; Campbell

ALL-TIME SERIES

Forge FC wins: 11 || Atlético Ottawa wins: 1 || Draws: 2

Last meeting:

June 25, 2023 – Forge FC 4-3 Atlético Ottawa

KEY QUOTES

“I feel that the team is in the best moment of the season, they’ve got confidence, maturity, identity, individual development, strength, competitiveness, and our defence is solid, so I think that this has been the best version of our team this season. And when you are at or near your best, it’s going to be easier to win and beat your opponents. At the same, I think that Forge is a team that even though they’re having ups and downs over the last month, they are always a team that doesn’t need to do much to win a game. We saw it in the last game that we played against them here at home, we dominated them in a lot of the parts of that game, we created more chances, but then in the last minute they won the game, so we have to have an eye on those on those type of situations, and we have to keep our attention for the 95 minutes of the game” — Atlético Ottawa head coach, Carlos González. 

“I think Ottawa has shown that they can morph into different versions of themselves this season. That’s why I think we need to focus on ourselves more than the opponent. If they’re the version of themselves that they mostly use on the road, one that sits back and defends, we’ve got a version of us ready for that. If they’re the version of themselves they mostly use at home, where they’re more expansive in their play, we’ve also got a version for that. You can’t just say that they’re a team that plays one way, so you’ve got to be prepared for different things, and they’ve shown that over the course of the year.” — Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis.