2024 TELUS Canadian Championship — Quarter-Finals (Leg 2)
Pacific FC vs. Atlético Ottawa
May 29, 2024 at 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET
Starlight Stadium in Langford, British Columbia
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca & TELUS Ch. 980 // Tickets available here

It’s all to play for at Starlight Stadium on Wednesday night as Pacific FC host Atlético Ottawa in the second leg of the 2024 TELUS Canadian Championship quarter-finals with the score tied 0-0 on aggregate.

Atlético Ottawa, who currently sit top of the CPL regular season standings, will be looking to reach the semifinal stage for the first time in club history. For the host Tridents, they will be looking to reach the final four for the third time in four years.

The first leg between these two sides was a rather dry affair — with Pacific becoming the only club this year to keep Atlético Ottawa off the scoresheet. That result means that any draw in which goals are scored means Atleti would advance. Any win by either team would see them advance, while a 0-0 draw means penalty kicks.

Pacific FC already have experienced spot kicks in the competition this year, having defeated TSS Rovers in this manner during the preliminary round. Atlético Ottawa, meanwhile, were eliminated from last year’s Canadian Championships at this stage in a penalty shootout at Tim Hortons Field.

Since the the first leg, the two sides have been in very different form. Atlético Ottawa are coming off a statement 3-0 victory over Forge FC in the nation’s capital on Saturday, and still have not lost yet in all competitions this season. The weekend prior, the two sides met in the league at Starlight Stadium, with Rubén del Campo scoring the lone goal in a 1-0 Atlético Ottawa victory.

Pacific, meanwhile, are in the midst of a brutal offensive slump with just one goal in their past four matches, a penalty this past weekend dispatched by Ayman Sellouf in a 2-1 Salish Sea Derby loss to rivals Vancouver FC. They are winless in their last four games in all competitions.

With Atlético Ottawa’s 1-0 victory in the league action during their last meeting, the all-time series between these two sides is completely tied, with five wins each and six draws.

Travel will play a big factor for Atleti as they make the cross-country trek from the nation’s capital. For Pacific, meanwhile, despite being on the road at the weekend it was a quick return from the lower mainland after facing off against rivals Vancouver FC.

Of particular note on the player availability front ahead of this match, Nathan Ingham is back for Atlético Ottawa which sets up an interesting decision for Carlos González when it comes to selecting his goalkeeper for this match.

Toronto FC, Forge FC and back-to-back defender Canadian Champions, the Vancouver Whitecaps, have already booked their place in the competition’s final four. The draw to determine the semi-final matchups, as well as potential hosting rights for the final, will take place at half-time of Wednesday’s match — revealing the opponent.

All CPL matches are available to stream on OneSoccer, FuboTV, or on TELUS Optik TV Channel 980.

3 THINGS TO WATCH

• Atlético Ottawa will get a chance to prove depth: Following Saturday’s win over Forge at home, Atlético Ottawa now face the challenge of travelling cross-country to Vancouver Island for Wednesday night’s clash with Pacific FC. The match will continue a busy stretch for the capital club, who are playing their eighth of nine matches in a 36-day stretch — including trips to Halifax, Langford, BC. and now Langley twice. As such, González is likely going to need to rely on his bench early and often on Wednesday. The good news is it has been delivering for him lately. Both Alberto Zapater and Dani Morer came off the bench and scored and assisted, respectively, on Saturday against Forge. In CPL action, Atlético Ottawa are currently tied with Vancouver FC for most different goalscorers this season, with seven players finding the back of the net (eight in all competitions) — even with Del Campo leading the Golden Boot race with five of his own. “This month, we’ve played a lot of games, I think we are going to play 8-9 games in one month and a bit,” said González. “We have to try to manage the efforts so that there are no injuries, and to maintain everyone well-activated so that they’re ready in any moment. They’re understanding that this is a team sport and everybody is having their opportunities, their moments.”

• Can Pacific FC rebound from ‘worst performance of the year’: After a great start to the season, especially defensively, it has been a frustrating May for Pacific FC. That was punctuated by a 2-1 loss to rivals Vancouver FC in the Salish Sea Derby, which coach James Merriman called their worst performance of the season. Pacific allowed two goals in that match for the first time this season in all competitions. They also conceded 2.21 expected goals, significantly more than the 1.29 that was their previous season high. The Tridents revealed this week that key central defender Aly Ndom will be out for the season — further compounding that issue. But after showing up flat in one of their biggest games of the season to date, Pacific will get a quick turnaround, and an opportunity to rebound in their biggest game of the year to date.

• With Ingham back what does Atlético Ottawa do in net?: After missing the past three matches, González confirmed that Nathan Ingham is available again on Wednesday. This creates an interesting decision for the Atleti manager when it comes to his choice of goalkeeper for this match, and going forward. To start the season, Ingham had been preferred for league matches, with Yesli getting starts in the cup. Might that be reversed now that Yesli has been so good in CPL play during Ingham’s absence? Or will González stick with the hot hand for this critical match and perhaps give Ingham an opportunity this weekend when Atleti host Halifax? It is worth mentioning, Ingham has been very good against Pacific of late, and has not lost in his last six matches against the Tridents. That includes keeping a clean sheet at Starlight Stadium during the first leg of the CPL Playoff semifinals in 2022. For Pacific, meanwhile, they have largely relied on veteran shot-stopper, and former Atlético Ottawa goalkeeper, Sean Melvin. The only time Emil Gazdov, who has played six of the club’s seven league matches, has seen action in the Canadian Championship this year is for the penalty shootout against TSS Rovers — which could be an interesting side story to watch in Wednesday’s clash.

PROJECTED STARTING XIs

Pacific FC: Melvin; Dada-Luke, Amedume, Meilleur-Giguère, Lajeunesse; Toussaint, Young, Sellouf; Zanatta, Heard, Moore

Atlético Ottawa: Yesli; Twardek, Didić, Singh, De Brienne; Bassett, Zapater, Aparicio, Sissoko; Tabla, Del Campo

ALL-TIME SERIES

Pacific FC wins: 5 || Atlético Ottawa wins: 5 || Draws: 6

Last meeting:

May 17, 2024 —  Pacific FC 0-1 Atlético Ottawa

KEY QUOTES

“I think over both games against Ottawa, we’ve played very well. We know we have more in us. I think it’s going to be a great match tomorrow night. We know we need to win to advance.“ — Pacific FC head coach James Merriman

“They’re a team that is tough to break and they’re a team that have personality, and it’s going to be tough at their home. I’m sure they’re going to look for the win and put pressure on us and we have to equalize the energy and equalize the attitude. I think that is a key point, to see who wants it more. We go there to get into the semifinals, that is our only target at the moment.” — Atlético Ottawa head coach Carlos González

NET ATLETI HOME MATCH IS THIS SUNDAY…