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Match Preview vs Atlético Ottawa
July 8, 2023
Ed Tait
by
Ed Tait

Match #14 

ATLETICO OTTAWA ( 3-3-6) vs  VALOUR FC (3-6-4)

When: Sunday, July 9th, 2 p.m. CT

Where: TD Place, Ottawa, Ont.

How to watch: OneSoccer is broadcasting all Canadian Premier League games live https://onesoccer.ca/

MATCH PREVIEW:

Valour FC hits the halfway mark of the 2023 season just outside the playoff line and looks to consistently start stringing wins together to get back in the fight. The club is coming off a 2-nil loss to Cavalry on Canada Day in which they dominated most of the offensive metrics other than the the most important one – the score.

This is the first of back-to-back games on the road and in Ontario, with this visit to Ottawa followed by a trip to Hamilton next weekend to face Forge FC.

Ottawa is 1-2-1 in its last four and has been leaky defensively in its last two matches – a 4-3 loss to Forge followed by a 2-2 draw vs. Pacific FC. They have won their last two games at TD Place, 2-nil over HFX Wanderers and 1-nil over Vancouver FC.

THE GAFFER SAYS:

GM and head coach Phillip Dos Santos on Atlético Ottawa:

“It’s a team that has been a little bit like us right now in that they have a clear identity of how they want to play and approach the game. I think their record is worse than what they are as a team because they’re a dangerous team playing at home and TD place is always a difficult place to go to with a good fan base that galvanizes their club.

“But every time we come from a counter-result I like to place these teams. After the Halifax game (a 2-nil loss) we had a tough challenge in Forge, and we responded with a win. This team has always found a way to respond.”

VALOUR FC SPOTLIGHT:

#99, Rayane Yesli, GK: Valour’s last line of defence was just this week named the CPL’s Goalkeeper of the Month for June. https://canpl.ca/article/valour-fcs-rayane-yesli-named-allstate-cpl-goalkeeper-of-the-month-for-june

Yesli leads the CPL in clean sheets with five and in saves with 42.

CRITICAL NUMBER

9.73%

Valour’s goal conversion percentage of 9.73 per cent is the lowest in the CPL. It’s representative of the club’s troubles scoring, as they are averaging just .85 points per game.

All-Time: Valour FC vs. Atlético Ottawa:

Overall (win-draw-loss): 5-3-2 (including Canadian Championship)

Last meeting: April 22, 2023, at Ottawa; Atlético Ottawa 1 Valour FC 1