2023 CPL Regular Season — Match #68
Atlético Ottawa vs. Cavalry FC
July 29, 2023 at 7 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. MT
TD Place Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario
Watch Live: OneSoccer // Tickets available here

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Two of the Canadian Premier League’s hottest teams face off in the nation’s capital on Saturday, as Atlético Ottawa hosts Cavalry for the first time in 2023.

Both clubs have just a single loss in their last five matches and after relatively shaky starts to the season are rounding into form. Cavalry, in particular, are flying right now as a dominant 5-1 victory over Vancouver FC this past Saturday vaulted them to the top of the CPL table.

Playing against Ottawa, however, has been a nightmare for the Cavs in recent years. In fact, they have only defeated Atleti twice in CPL action, and have never won at TD Place Stadium — the only stadium in the league where they have not picked up three points. In fact, the Ontario road trip in general has not been kind to the Cavs, as they collected three points on just one of their last nine trips to the province.

The two sides have split 2-0 results so far this season, with both matches being played at Spruce Meadows, and Ottawa are the only CPL side to have defeated Cavalry in their last six matches.

“Look they took ten points off of us last year, we only gained one off of them,” said Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. “So I think we’ve got to look at it as this is a new challenge with this new identity that we seem to have. This is just another opportunity to change the narrative.”

After picking up three straight wins, Ottawa underwhelmed during a difficult away trip to Halifax, falling 1-0 to the Wanderers this past Sunday. However, a return home will be welcome for Atleti, who have not lost at home in two months — winning four straight at TD Place Stadium.

Cavalry, however, have been one of the league’s best teams away from home of late a big reason for their rise up the CPL table. Their win in Langley last weekend was preceded by impressive victories at Starlight Stadium and IG Field. They are tied with Atlético Ottawa for most goals scored away from home with 14.

The Cavs will be without leading goalscorer Myer Bevan for this match, after the joint Golden Boot leader picked up a red card late in the side’s match against Vancouver and has been suspended for two games. While Roberto Alarćon is still a few weeks away from returning, there was some positive news on the injury front as central defender Callum Montgomery has returned to full training and should be available soon once he regains match fitness.

For Ottawa, the biggest question mark revolves around fullback Miguel Acosta, who was removed from last weekend’s match against Halifax in the 63rd minute due to a muscle injury. Atleti are still evaluating him during their training sessions and a decision on his availability for this match has not yet been made.

OneSoccer is also available as a linear channel on Optik TV (Ch. 980), the pay-TV service operated by Telus, one of Canada’s ‘big three’ telecoms companies, as well as on streaming service fuboTV Canada. Tous les matchs de l’Atlético Ottawa sont aussi disponibles en français sur OneSoccer, 

3 THINGS TO WATCH

• Myer Bevan’s absence creates an opportunity for other Cavalry attackers: Over the next two matches, Cavalry will have to find offence from different sources as leading goalscorer Myer Bevan has been suspended after being shown a red card against Vancouver FC. The New Zealand international leads the league in goal contributions this season with eight goals and three assists and is tied with Forge FC’s Terran Campbell for the lead in the CPL’s Golden Boot race. While missing two matches will certainly be a blow to Bevan’s campaign to lead the league in scoring this year, but is a big opportunity for some other players to step up. The club’s leading goalscorer the past two seasons, Joe Mason, has started just once since April in a combination of injury and Bevan’s form. New signing William Akio, meanwhile, will be hungry to get his opportunity and could provide a different look at the number nine position. “It wasn’t by design, but now we will use it as a positive, give somebody else an opportunity to come in and have a go at scoring in that position,” said Wheeldon Jr.

• ‘Ruthless’ Cavalry have been far better at seeing out results: Through the early part of the season, the story surrounding Cavalry FC was how many points they had dropped from winning positions, with a league-leading 12 so far this year. However, they have now gone eight matches without dropping a point from a winning position. A big part of this has been the club’s recent ability to build on leads, as Cavalry now lead the league in goals scored with 26. But for Wheeldon Jr. the evolution has come at both ends of the pitch, with his side’s resolute defending also a key to their recent results. More clean sheets will certainly be a target over the second half of the season, as the Calgary club are tied for the fewest kept in the league with three, but there have been positive signs of improvement. “I think what you are seeing now is that there is a little bit more ruthlessness in both boxes, where defenders like [Daan Klomp], Brad Kamdem, Udoko [Chima], Kobza are blocking shots and Marco [Carducci] making saves, to the other side you are seeing Ali Musse little scissor step overs, Sergio Camargo getting rebounds…we are just a little bit more ruthless,” he said. “But every game is a new opportunity to be better.”

• Ottawa’s excellent chance creation at home: The biggest story in Atlético Ottawa’s recent resurgence is how well they have been playing at TD Place Stadium. After starting the season winless in their first four matches at home, Ottawa have now won four straight. A big shift of late, and especially from last year, has been their ability to generate offensive opportunities at home. They sit second in the league in expected goals at home with 15.34, third in touches in the box (194) and first in shots of target (51). They still don’t carry a lot of possession and still create the majority of their offence from attacking situations but have evolved in the way they attack opponents and the frequency with which they can now create scoring opportunities.  “We are playing good games here at home,” said Atlético Ottawa head coach Carlos González. “I think the chemistry and the synergies we are creating with our fans over here at TD is great. We always have extra energy to fight for and we hope we can continue with that.”

PROJECTED STARTING XIs

Atlético Ottawa (3-5-2): Ingham; Ouimette, Espejo, Singh; Haworth, Zapater, Bassett, Antinoro, Niba; del Campo, Salter

Cavalry (4-2-3-1): Carducci; Aird, Klomp, Chima, Kamdem; Daley, Kobza; Musse, Camargo, Fisk; Akio

ALL-TIME SERIES

Atlético Ottawa wins: 7 || Cavalry wins: 2 || Draws: 1

Last meeting:

July 12, 2023 – Cavalry FC 0-2 Atlético Ottawa 

KEY QUOTES

“It is true that in the last few games, from last season, we have got good points [against Cavalry]. But we cannot focus on the past. I think it is going to be a new game, against a team that is in a good stretch, that they are now the leaders of the CPL.” — Atlético Ottawa head coach Carlos González

“You have to take points on the road. I think that is what has been important for our run of late is I think we have won that last three in a row on the road. It helps, because you know you are going to get points at home, most teams do. But it you can go and crash people’s parties I think that is [important].” — Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.