There is an adage in North American sports that teams don’t really have a rivalry until they meet in a playoff series. Pacific FC and Atlético Ottawa checked that box last fall when Ottawa, owned by La Liga giant Atlético Madrid, beat Island-based PFC in the Canadian Premier League semifinals.
“I liked how we played against them last year [in the regular season], but obviously it didn’t go our way [in the playoffs],” said PFC head coach James Merriman.
He said that provides a bit of a revenge factor among the veterans but that it’s more about what is happening this year. Two teams who feel they have something to prove, based on the first three weeks of this season, collide today at 4 p.m. PT in the nation’s capital at TD Place Stadium, also home to the Ottawa Redblacks of the CFL in that other brand of football.
Pacific FC is off to a 1-1-1 start in the CPL and Atlético Ottawa with two draws and a defeat. Both clubs are coming off 1-0 losses in their previous games, PFC to defending league champion Forge FC of Hamilton, Ont., and Atlético Ottawa to York United.
“When you lose a match you quickly want to move forward,” said Merriman.
“Our guys are hungry and motivated going into this game. We know they [Atlético Ottawa] are hungry to get a result, as well. These are two teams that want to respond after their last matches, especially us.”
The Tridents believe they dominated their last two league fixtures at Starlight Stadium only to tie Cavalry FC of Calgary 1-1 and lose 1-0 to the Hammers.
“We are not going to change the way we play,” said Merriman.
He admitted, however, the offensive pressure has yet to result in a multitude of goals. The Tridents have only three goals in four games in open play across all competitions, including the victory on penalty kicks over Cavalry FC in the opening round of the Canadian Championship for the Voyageurs Cup after regulation play ended 1-1.
It was a familiar refrain as Merriman, on Friday in his pre-game media briefing, mentioned his club’s lack of finishing in the final third of the pitch.
The offence will be aided today by a fully recovered Manny Aparicio, the dynamic Canada-capped attacking midfielder, who returned to the line-up last week from injury and saw action in the final 30 minutes against Forge FC.
“Manny gives us a big boost and lift and is 100 per cent fit,” said Merriman.
The Tridents will need his creativity to unlock an Atlético Ottawa defence that was the best in the league last season. Atlético’s style is to absorb pressure, then punish opponents when they least expect it on the counter. PFC learned that lesson the hard way last year in the first game of the two-legged playoff semifinal series when Ottawa was mostly outplayed, but scored twice late against the flow to stun the Tridents and the crowd at Starlight Stadium.
“We respect who we are playing. They know how to hurt you on the counter,” said Merriman.
The second game of the semifinal series last year was drawn 1-1 before more than 8,000 fans at TD Place Stadium but it wasn’t enough for PFC as Atlético Ottawa advanced 3-1 on aggregate and moved on to the 2022 CPL championship game, a 2-0 loss against Forge FC.
Today is PFC’s first road game of the 2023 season after three league games, and the Canadian Championship opener, at home at Starlight Stadium.
CORNER KICKS: Atlético will be wearing their third jerseys today featuring the logo of Shelter Movers, a non-profit Ottawa organization which provides free moving and storage services to people fleeing violence or abuse. The jerseys feature drawings by children who were moved to safety by the organization.
