Match Preview: Valour FC vs. Atlético Ottawa

September 17, 2022 – Canadian Premier League (CPL) – Atletico Ottawa News Release

The race towards the playoffs and regular season title is continuing to heat up in the Canadian Premier League.

With just weeks remaining in the 2022 regular season, five points is all that separates first and fifth place as of writing, leaving everything up in the air with just four to five games remaining for each team.

Given that seven teams are still in the race to win the ‘North Star Shield’ entering this weekend, that means that a lot of movement is still to come, too, which should make for a photo finish in the fourth season of the league.

Because of that, Valour FC’s clash against Atlético Ottawa at Winnipeg’s IG Field on Sunday is massive, for many reasons.

“It’s a very important game for both teams, it’s going to be a big final,” Ottawa head coach, Carlos González, said this week. “We’re looking forward to trying to prepare for the game in the best way. And we know there’s going to be a battle, it’s going to be a tight game, where we’re going to fight for our spot in the playoffs, and we are going to fight to maintain our position in the league.”

First, there’s the push this could give Ottawa, who currently sit atop the table, as a win here could push them closer towards not just potentially booking a playoff spot, but locking up that regular season title, too, which would be the final bow on a great regular season campaign from the capital side.

Ottawa’s remaining regular season schedule

Secondly, there’s the fact that Valour is one of the hottest teams in the league right now, as they’ve picked up the second-most points of any team over their last five games, currently on a run that has seen them nab seven wins and two draws in their past 13 matches total.

Valour’s remaining regular season schedule

Lastly, there are the other matches that will be going on this weekend, as York played Halifax in a do-or-die game for both of them, Cavalry takes on Edmonton in a matchup they’ve typically dominated, and Pacific plays Forge in a seismic game, meaning that movement in the playoff race and the title race is guaranteed through all of those matchups.

Therefore, a team picking up a win in this game could go a long way towards maintaining a good position in both of those races, only adding to that pressure.

Especially given that both teams are coming off of results they might’ve wanted back, as Valour dropped a 1-0 result to Halifax, while Ottawa drew Pacific 1-1, they’ll…