Atlético Ottawa currently sits atop the Canadian Premier League (CPL) standings, but its first-ever post-season remains uncertain as the regular-season comes to an end.
On April 9, Atlético kicked off its third season in the CPL with a 1-0 victory over Calgary-based club Cavalry FC. Six months later, with three games left, the club now leads a playoff race so tight all top teams risk missing out on playoff soccer.
As a sister club to soccer giants Atlético de Madrid, Atlético Ottawa has access to plenty of overseas talent. One product of their European ties is talented defender Diego Espejo, currently on loan from the Spanish side.
Despite recent progress, Atlético Ottawa’s success in the CPL is new. In its brief history, the club has never made the playoffs. Last season, it finished at the bottom of the league.
Atlético hired new coach Carlos González in February. He was part of a coaching staff overhaul that saw the addition of Carleton men’s head coach Kwesi Loney. There has been plenty of movement on the pitch, with only seven players returning from the previous season.
A fresh start seems to be what the team needed.
Returning defender and team captain, Drew Beckie, saw potential in this refurbished team.
“With my experience of playing for many years, [I have] a real read of the team and … a real read of the staff,” Beckie said.
From the team’s pre-season in Spain, he had “expectations that [they] would compete for the title.”
Atlético’s poor 2021 season comes down to circumstances that were out of the players’ control, according to Beckie. He, along with the other players, felt motivated by the team’s underwhelming season and began to focus on things they could control.
“We can control how we train, where we train, what we eat, how we’re sleeping—all the little intangibles that [set us up for] success on the field,” Beckie said.
While Beckie waits with high expectations, Atlético sits in first place with 11 wins, nine draws, and five losses. The club leads the league in clean sheets (10) and ranks second in fewest goals conceded (25). Defender Maxim Tissot says they’ve got a “tight-knit group in the back.”
While it is hard to net a goal against Atlético, the team has had a hard time scoring themselves, averaging 1.16 goals per game. After a one-all draw against Winnipeg’s Valour FC on Sept. 18, the team is currently on a four-game tie-streak with just two goals scored.
Atlético is aware of its goal-scoring issues. Part of the problem is the opposing teams adjusting defensively and dropping deeper on the pitch.
“We’ve been working for the last couple weeks on breaking pressure, breaking a line that’s a bit lower,” Tissot said.
Players have worked on scoring from set pieces to bolster their offence, according to Beckie. In their most recent game against Valour on Sept. 18, Ollie Basset scored an Olimpico off a corner.
Going into the final matches, Loney is not worried about the team’s lack of offensive output.
“Your first [devensive] action is your first [offensive] action,” he said.
Atlético’s next match will be on September 24th, against second-place Cavalry FC, a team featuring the league’s seventh and eighth highest goalscorers. Following their match with Cavalry, Atlético’s players will face sixth-place Halifax Wanderers and seventh-place York United for their last two games of the season.
Two of those three matches will be away, which would favour Atlético—the team has seen more success on the road this season. Loney hopes to see the squad continue their recent success.
“[We want to] maintain that mentality, maintain that energy, maintain what has gotten us here so far, it’s done us well,” he said.
To bring home as many of the remaining nine points as they can, Atlético is looking inward at how they can maximize their strengths while working on the aspects of their game that need improvement.
“Our destiny is in our hands,” Tissot said.
With hopes of winning their first championship in club history, Loney will push his team to keep up their defensive form.
“I think [for] any team that’s looking to go deep into a playoff, make a run, you have to be defensive first,” he said.
As for the players, they are preparing to battle for every point possible during the remainder of the regular season.
“[The team must] make sure we’re not leaving anything to chance,” Loney said.
Featured image by Tim Austen/Freestyle Photography.
