Atlético Ottawa vs. FC Supra du Québec
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Could Supra and Atlético Ottawa become the league's best of enemies? Relatively close geographically, and with the potential to ignite a proper Quebec-Ontario rivalry, the two clubs share many similarities: a strong preference for Quebec-born players, a desire to make a community impact, and clear sporting ambitions. The foundation for a thrilling competition—both for the fans and on the pitch—is well and truly there.
The first clash between the two clubs ended in a narrow victory for Atlético, despite being dominated from start to finish. This undoubtedly sparked the first flames of a budding rivalry.
And this upcoming match? It shouldn't slow down this developing storyline. The two clubs are tied on points in the standings (11 points, though Supra has a game in hand) and are battling to hold onto 4th place, which is the final playoff qualification spot.
As a nearly three-week break kicks off for the World Cup, finishing this first part of the season near the top of the table would be welcome news for two teams that have had a very lively start to the campaign, to say the least.
On Supra's end, it obviously took a lot of work to get everything in place for their inaugural season. So far, it’s been highly promising in terms of both gameplay and results. However, they need to make sure they tighten up the ranks on defence, as Supra has yet to keep a clean sheet.
The squad also needs to show much better focus or manage to conserve their energy for the second half. Out of the 9 goals conceded since the start of the season, 7 have come in the second 45 minutes.
For this final match before the break, coach Nick Razzaghi will welcome the return of Alessandro Biello to the midfield. The 20-year-old, who served a 4-game suspension for verbally abusing the referee against Cavalry, will look to pick up where he left off after a blistering start to the season. Named the CPL's U21 Player of the Month in April, Biello had an excellent start, and his challenge now will be proving that this lengthy suspension hasn't knocked the wind out of his sails.
For Atlético Ottawa, there has been no shortage of action over the last few weeks. Coach Diego Mejia is packing his bags for Mexico alongside part of his staff to take the reins at Atlético San Luis, their "sister" club. While waiting for a new head coach to be appointed, the nation's capital team will be managed by Drew Beckie.
On the pitch, their results remain up and down. After securing just one win in their first 5 matches—which happened to be against Supra—Atlético seemed to turn things around with 2 wins and a draw in their next 3 games, plus a convincing Canadian Championship victory over Toronto FC. A mirage? Perhaps, considering the Rojiblancos fell to Vancouver FC on the latest matchday.
This matchup against Supra is therefore particularly important—not only to avoid being leapfrogged by today’s opponents, but also to stop any doubt from creeping into the locker room.
The good news for Atlético is Ballou Tabla’s return to form. After a quiet start to the season, the Quebec winger has found his scoring touch again. The CF Montréal academy product has tallied 2 goals and 1 assist in his last 3 matches, along with a Canadian Championship hat-trick against Toronto FC.
NEWS & NOTES
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Absent for several weeks due to personal reasons, goalkeeper Garissonne Innocent is expected to be left out of the Ottawa squad once again.
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Diyaeddine Abzi is suspended for this match due to yellow card accumulation.
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Joakim Milli, who missed the game against Pacific FC with a finger injury, remains unavailable. Mario Gerges is expected to start in goal for Supra.
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Ballou Tabla will be honoured before the match, having become the all-time appearance leader in Atleti history. He played his 110th match (across all competitions) against Vancouver. Tabla has recorded 27 goals and 16 assists during his time with the club.
PROJECTED STARTING XIs
Atlético Ottawa: Crampton; Cloutier, Abatneh, Mbomio Antinoro, Timotéo; Castro, Aparicio; Tabla, Villal, Garcia
FC Supra: Gerges; Auguste, Ferdinand, Chrétien, Wandje; Mlah, Biello; Rea, Bey, Bayiha; Kwemi
KEY QUOTES
"This is a team that is close to us, there are a lot of Quebecers on the squad, so in a way, it's a bit of a special matchup. However, we need to win it just like every other game. Ultimately, there are a lot of stakes surrounding it, but it remains a soccer game. They are a team that is very strong on the ball. It's ingrained in their squad and their style of play. Their coach has changed and the former assistant is on the bench, but I expect the exact same thing; nothing will change for them." - FC Supra head coach Nick Razzaghi
"The ice is broken now. I just think about continuing to put in the work, the effort, and the discipline to prepare for this game like any other. Against Pacific, for my first start, there was definitely a bit of nervousness early on and it took a few minutes to settle in. After that, it’s just a game like any other. Maybe the rain messed with my head a bit, but otherwise, everything went well. I’m happy with my first game and I’m already excited for my second." - FC Supra goalkeeper Mario Gerges
"I am very impressed by what Supra has accomplished so far. It's perhaps even beyond their own expectations. Nick [Razzaghi] has deployed numerous lineups across different matches and they manage to compete with everyone. They have good individual players, so it will be a tough game for us. The key will be managing transitions. That's important, with their attackers, with Kwemi, with Rea. They sit back and are quick in transition." - Atlético Ottawa interim head coach Drew Beckie
