Another landmark for Atletico Ottawa on Sunday as it hosts its first-ever home playoff game in the Canadian Premier League.
Under new coach Carlos Gonzalez, Ottawa has already completed a worst to first regular-season journey, climbing from the league basement at 6-14-8 last year to top spot in the eight-team standings at 13-5-10 this season.
And last Saturday, it celebrated its playoff debut by defeating defending champion Pacific FC 2-0 in Langford, B.C., in the first leg of their semifinal. Ottawa, unbeaten in 10 matches (5-0-5) since a 1-0 loss Aug. 13 at Pacific, is now 90 minutes away from the CPL championship game.
Attendance at TD Place has reflected that success. The team averaged around 4,000 per home game this season, up about 30 percent over last year, and is expecting a crowd of 7,000 to 8,000 for the return leg against Pacific on Sunday.
"It's very special for the team, very special for the club and very special for the soccer community," said Gonzalez, who is expecting an "electric atmosphere."
In Sunday's other semifinal, No. 2 Forge hosts No. 3 Cavalry FC at Tim Hortons Field after a 1-1 draw in Calgary.
The semifinals will be decided on aggregate, with the away goals rule not in effect. The teams will go directly to a penalty shootout to determine a winner if the series finishes tied on aggregate.
Gonzalez says his team has put the first-leg win behind it.
"The team is hungry. The team has the correct mood," said the Spaniard.
Ottawa essentially cleaned house after last season with just seven players returning and 16 newcomers.
Gonzalez says he saw potential when he took over the team in late February.
"The important part was there. That was the talent of the players. Once you have the material in which you can start to work on, you have the most important thing," he said.
"We wanted to be able to compete against any team … This was a clear target because I could envision the level the team could reach," he added.
Zach Verhoven, a former Pacific winger who scored last weekend to help Ottawa to its first-ever win on Vancouver Island, says Gonzalez brought clarity to the squad.
"From Day 1, Carlos set out everything for the club. He was very clear on what he wanted to do with us as a group," said Verhoven, a B.C. native who joined Ottawa in April 2021. "It took everyone to dial in and kind of believe in that. Just putting in that work every day (in pre-season) in Spain and then carrying over into the season, you definitely saw the potential in his plan and the group of players we had."
Ottawa will be without the suspended Spanish defender Diego Espejo. Gonzalez said he will make a decision Saturday on the status of Macdonald Niba, Ivan Perez and Keven Aleman who are all dealing with injuries.
Cavalry coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. meanwhile, reports a healthy squad ahead of his trip to Hamilton. And he is confident his team can take Forge down
"Don't get me wrong. They're a terrific side," he said. "They're very well-coached. They've got some valuable players. But they're also vulnerable at times. And I don't think they've had as good a home record as they would have once liked. So it's not the fortress that people make it out to be."
"They've had some big-game experiences in the past. But the past is the past," he added. "So for us, we see it as an opportunity to go there and just be our true selves. We feel we've got enough in the tank to get the result to push us through."
The championship game will be played either Oct. 29 or 30 at the home of the highest remaining seed, with Ottawa, Forge and Cavalry all possible hosts. Fourth-seeded Pacific cannot host the final.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2022
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
