Atlético Ottawa is the most improved club in the Canadian Premier League under new head coach Carlos González ,a Spaniard who has coached the Kuwait national team. And it never hurts to have the weight of a parent club like Atlético Madrid behind you.
PFC (3-1-1) meets Ottawa (2-1-1) today at 3 p.m. PT at TD Place Stadium in the nation’s capital.
“They [Atlético Ottawa] have made some good signings in the off-season,” said PFC head coach James Merriman.
Chief among them is 23-year-old Ballou Tabla, the former Major League Soccer striker with CF Montreal, who played for Canada in Under-17, U-20 and U-23, and has two caps with the senior national team.
“Ottawa seems organized and quite well prepared and has improved for sure from last season,” said Merriman.
“They are organized defensively and very compact. They can make it difficult to break down their defence. And they are good and effective in their attack in transition.”
Although they are running first and second in the early table (ahead of Friday night’s league action), both clubs have matched the spring weather in cooling off recently. PFC followed three consecutive home wins to start the season at Starlight Stadium with a scoreless draw at FC Edmonton and 2-0 loss in Calgary against Cavalry FC. Atlético Ottawa followed two opening victories with a 6-1 drubbing at the hands of Winnipeg’s Valour FC and by allowing a goal in injury time in a deflating 2-2 draw against York FC.
Of the Tridents, Merriman said: “Our team is in good spirits and in a good space and everyone is extremely motivated.
“The players know it’s early in the season. We’re not too worried about [the recent slide]. We’re not getting too low with the lows or too high with the highs. We’re in a good place and staying true to our identity.”
This will be the first visit by PFC to TD Place Stadium, also home of the Ottawa Redblacks of the CFL. Atlético Ottawa joined the CPL in the 2020 bubble season, which was held entirely in Prince Edward Island, while PFC’s scheduled away games to Ottawa in 2021 came during the early portion of the season, which was bubbled and played in Winnipeg.
It is a homecoming for three Tridents who played for the former Ottawa Fury of the North American Soccer League and USL Championship. PFC captain Jamar Dixon is a native of Ottawa, who originally came to the Island to play three seasons with the Victoria Highlanders of the amateur Premier Development League, before being capped three times for Canada and playing pro in Europe and four seasons with the Fury. PFC veteran goalkeeper Callum Irving came out of NCAA Div. 1 with the University of Kentucky Wildcats to play three seasons with the Fury. Tridents defender and former Canada U-20 and U-23 player Thomas Meilleure-Giguère played two seasons with the Fury on loan from Montreal of MLS.
“It’s nice for them. This was their home for two-three seasons with each of them living here, training here and playing here,” said Merriman. “But they are obviously representing us. It’s nice for them to be back but they are prepared for the match.”
Merriman listed key defenders Meilleure-Giguère, who went out in the FC Edmonton game and missed the Calgary fixture, and Kunle Dada-Luke, who missed both Alberta games, as probables for today.
PFC returns to Starlight Stadium next Saturday to face FC Edmonton.
cdheensaw@timescolonist.com
