MATCH PREVIEW: Atlético Ottawa vs. Forge FC (2022 CPL Final)

2022 CPL Playoffs — Final
Atlético Ottawa vs. Forge FC
October 30, 2022 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT 
TD Place Stadium Ottawa, Ontario 
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca & TELUS Ch. 980 // Tickets available here

One more game, one more final. That has been the Atlético Ottawa motto all year during a season in which they rose from the league’s basement to keep the team focused on that task at hand, not looking beyond the next match. Now, as they prepare to face Forge FC in the 2022 Canadian Premier League final on Sunday, it is also factually accurate.

After a year that has seen them go from last place in the league in 2021 to the 2022 CPL regular season champion, Atleti is set to face their biggest test yet. They face a Forge side who have been to all four of the league’s finals, not to mention the fact that this is their 32nd knockout game in their four seasons as a club.

Having finished top of the table, however, they will get the luxury of hosting that final in front of their home fans in what is expected to be an excellent turnout at TD Place Stadium. Despite being the home team, however, Atleti coach Carlos González said that the pressure is on the visitors.

“The reality is that we are playing against probably the best team of the CPL,” said González. “Forge has played in the last four finals, they have won two, they have lost the last one. So I think there is only one favourite. They have the pressure to win, we have the desire to win. I think this is the difference.”

Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis, when asked about González’s comments, saw things a little bit differently. He believes that the club’s immense wealth of experience means they can come into this game more confident than under pressure.

“We have got two North Star Shields back at home, I can go to sleep easy at night and so can a lot of the players,” said Smyrniotis. “Pressure is maybe playing in the Azteca, these are games that you come out and enjoy. [We] are playing in our fourth final, we have played in a lot of big matches so we are coming out here to enjoy the game. They are the ones who are playing in front of a big crowd, which I hope it is [with] what the numbers are looking like. If it could be even larger, even better.

“They are the ones who are going to have to come out and play some football and entertain all these fans that are coming out here.”

Interestingly, despite being undefeated in their last eleven matches — including the end of the regular season and the first two legs of the playoffs — Ottawa has only won a single match at home during that time. Forge, meanwhile, has had their own struggles away from home. The Hamilton side has not won an away match since July 31, coincidentally perhaps when they defeated Atlético Ottawa 4-0 in the nation’s capital.

In fact, the Hammers have never lost in Ottawa, and earlier this season was the only time that Atleti defeated Forge in their 11 all-time meetings. That match, a 1-0 victory at Tim Hortons Field on July 3 was also the first and only goal they have ever scored against the Hamilton outfit.

Ottawa reached the final after defeating defending CPL champions Pacific FC 3-1 on aggregate in their first two playoff matches in club history. Forge, meanwhile, defeated rivals Cavalry 3-2 on aggregate after a wild second leg that saw both sides reduced to ten men.

Traditionally, single-game finals tend to be cagey affairs with few chances as both sides look to limit mistakes and nullify one another’s game plan. That will perhaps be made all the more likely by the fact that this final pits the league’s two best defensive sides over the regular season.

It is worth noting that should neither side score during the 90 minutes, or if the match remains tied at that time, there will be a traditional extra time period. That includes two 15-minute halves, before a penalty shootout to determine the winner should extra time still not break the deadlock.

There will be a sizeable absence in the Forge team during the final, as captain Kyle Bekker will miss the match through suspension after being sent off in the second leg of the CPL semifinals. Otherwise, however, Smyrniotis said that Forge are fully healthy heading into tomorrow’s match.

Ottawa, on the other hand, will get a suspended player back as key defender Diego Espejo, after the Spaniard missed the second leg of the club’s semifinal against Pacific this past weekend. González said his entire roster has been in training and will be available, making it difficult for him to pick a side as everyone will naturally want to be involved in such an important match.

 3 THINGS TO WATCH

• Forge FC will have to make do without suspended captain Kyle Bekker: Bekker is irreplaceable. That was the common refrain among Forge FC players and staff ahead of Sunday’s match. The 2020 league Player of the Year, who also became the first Canadian Premier League player to reach 100 appearances for his club earlier this year, will miss Sunday’s match after being sent off in the second leg of the semifinals. How Forge look to replace their talismanic midfielder will likely be key to their success in the 2022 Final. Options are plentiful, including a like-for-like replacement with youngster Noah Jensen, who was not in the 18 for the second leg of the semifinal. Smyrniotis could also consider moving Tristan Borges into more of a number 10 role in the midfield, or shifting 2022 Defender of the Year Alex Achinioti-Jönsson back into his preferred central midfield position. “The one thing I’m sure of is that you always need a lot of depth and that you need quality, so that you are not missing a step when a playing is missing,” said Smyrniotis. “Obviously, as a leader, he is fantastic but we have guys who step into that role who can keep us the same tactically, but we can also change things up with some different players and shift things around.”

• ‘Massive’ crowd expected in the nation’s capital: As they prepare to host their first-ever final, Atlético Ottawa are expecting a large crowd in the nation’s capital. As the club has grown in success this past season, so has the incredible support for the club off the field. Atleti defender Max Tissot, who grew up in the region, has been encouraged by the growth he has seen in the city’s soccer community this season. “It feels different, honestly,” said Tissot. “There is more hype around the team and more noise as well. I feel like crowds have grown game after game, and the energy from the crowd has grown as well. When started my career in 2013 there wasn’t a professional team here. So to see soccer grow this much so quick, it has been great.” If there is any club that feels prepared to face such a hostile away environment, however, it is Forge. Having already played in a final earlier this year in the Canadian Championship against MLS side Toronto FC, and played in front of a large crowd at the historic Estadio Azteca, Forge will feel they have all the experience to not be at all intimidated by Sunday’s atmosphere.

• Who will play hero in the biggest match of the year? Cup finals are often decided by a single moment of magic, meaning each one has the opportunity for some player to make a name for themselves. Both clubs have proven to have key differences makers over the course of the season. Atleti’s Ballou Tabla and Ollie Bassett are both nominees for the CPL’s Player of the Year award, while youngster Woobens Pacius just became Forge’s all-time playoff-leading goalscorer. In fact, every one of the five players who have scored in a CPL Final to date will likely be on the pitch on Sunday. David Choinière and Tristan Borges remain key pieces of the Forge attack, both playing a big role in a 2-1 victory over Cavalry in the decisive second leg of the semifinal last weekend. But finals goals are perhaps just as likely to come from unexpected sources as well, such as Defender of the Year nominee Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson or Max Tissot (now with Atlético Ottawa) during the 2020 final, or Alessandro Hojabrpour (now with Forge) who scored the winner last season for Pacific. Who will add their name to that list, and the CPL history books, on Sunday? That remains to be seen.

ALL-TIME SERIES

Atlético Ottawa: 1 || Forge wins: 8 || Draws: 2

Previous match:

August 27, 2022— Atlético Ottawa 0-0 Forge FC

KEY QUOTES

“We started to say since the start of the season ‘one more, match one more final’. It is starting to make sense since a few months ago. It started to make sense now heavily.” — Atlético Ottawa head coach Carlos González

“Back in August when it finished 0-0, I told a few of the guys [on Forge], ‘I will see you in the final’ and here we are. So credit to them for a fourth final in four years, but obviously I want to win it for our team. Being a local guy it would mean a lot to me.” — Atlético Ottawa defender Max Tissot 

“It is a very special thing to see the people still seven years later who are still around the club, still around the city. It makes it even more special. I’m excited just to get the game started.” — Atlético Ottawa defender Drew Beckie 

“Each season has been something a little bit different, in a different venue. But what remains the same is that it is a 90 minute match. He know these matches are usually decided on details, sometimes not the best of football matches, but I think the drama that goes into them makes it very exciting for the fans, the supporters.” — Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis

“We’ve talked about it the whole week with the team; coaches told us to just stay sharp for 90 minutes. They’re obviously going to have that one, two, three chances maybe but it’s our job to keep them away from our goal and try to stop the counter-attack.” — Forge FC defender Daniel Krutzen

“It’s a final, but at the end of the day it’s a game like every other game. Of course as a striker you want to have the perfect ball, and in a final it’s all about details, so I want to make sure to be ready for that occasion.” — Forge FC defender Woobens Pacius