CCSG - The Hotstove
The Pulse of CCSG - Match Week 22
Welcome to the Pulse of CCSG, a brand new product coming to you in a somewhat hasty and disjointed way for the first time today. The big question is why? Why another product from CCSG? Don't you guys do enough? And I understand. We have talented writers, put down articles all the time. We have our flagship ATO after the Whistle Pod coming to you almost every week. So why this new thing? Now, if you're listening to this, you've probably heard or participated in our CCSG hot stoves. Over the last three years, we've hosted live Twitter spaces and invited our members, members of other supporters' groups, and even the general public to come and talk to us with us weekly about all things CPL and all things outleddy, and we do that to preview our upcoming games and get predictions from all our members. But in the last couple of years, we've had more and more technical issues with that platform. We've had issues with finding our time when we could all get together and chat about these things, and we've just had a real drop in participation with people joining and talking on the hot stoves. So we've discontinued those. I don't know if we'll bring them back at some point in time, but right now I'm feeling there's a real lack of the other voices in CCSG being able to put out what they think about the games that have happened, about the upcoming games, and about this team in general. So I put it out on Discord earlier this week. I put out a series of questions and asked for people to submit some of their answers to those, and I'm editing and putting those together, and we're going to put those out in a new product today. And I should add here that yes, one of the benefits of being a CCSG member is access to our members-only Discord server. That's a place where daily you can be chatting with your fellow CCSG members, where you'll be getting some news first, we'll be up to date with all things that are happening in the league, where you can submit questions for our podcast for after the whistle, and now where you can submit answers for this new endeavor. You're going to hear from 10 people today, and some of these people are like Matt, who is a long-time CCSG content consumer, but first-time contributor. While others like Omar seem to just want me to stop bugging them. Yo Bryce, this is for whatever you're recording. I want to give a special thanks to Johnny, who actually submitted answers while sitting in the river on vacation. I think it's important to start with Billy and how he feels right now. Honestly I'm pretty excited about where we're sitting right now in the table. I'm pretty happy with that too, although I'd like to be on top. Hopefully we'll be back there soon. Now our last home game on August 31st against Vancouver had a Fiesta theme, and we had over 7,000 people at the game, so there's no surprise that a lot of our members thought that was the highlight of the game. The over 7,000 fans in the crowd, that's just amazing to see, and just shows the growth of the sport in the city, and hopefully we get to a point where we can see those numbers every game. I got to say it was the crowd, the Fiesta match really brought out everyone in Ottawa, a lot of football adoring fans, and newcomers alike filled the stands on the south side. The W was bumping, was loud, was engaged, and it was great. What an experience being at the front of the crowd that day as the cap over the Capital City Sports Group, and I think we really cheered the boys on to that victory. I think the best thing about the August 31st game against Vancouver was meeting our new friends Kevin Sally from Scotland who found their way into the dub and had a great time. Now of course some members found more joy in what was happening on the field. I was most impressed by the play of our centre backs against Vancouver, really didn't let them get any chances throughout the game, and they stood pat and they did what they needed to do. Keeping the clean sheet, we've had a lot of games where we've dropped points late, and being able to defensively stay cohesive and really keep our shape, limiting only one shot on target, only one chance, I think is something to be proud of, especially that we did for 88 minutes, so I think that defensive structure and being able to maintain that in the face of our current struggles, that's really commendable, and I really like to see it. I would probably say what I like most about this match versus VFC was we got to see a return to a little bit of the creativity that we saw early in the season. I really liked the way the ball moved at TD Place against Vancouver, the interplay between guys like Zappa and Ballyu and Manny, and even honestly Danny Moore on counter attacks or turnovers was brilliant, and it was just nice to see ATO finally generate some flashes of brilliance, and we've been on a bit of a slide as we're all aware, but it was nice to see that they still have some level of ability to provide us the football we love to watch and love to see. Ballyu tableau off the bench, he just looked so electric, just creating chances of left and right. He was unfortunate not to get on the score sheet there, but you know if he keeps something like that, it will be inevitable. I liked Iliatus's olympico, I like that he keeps doing these, he has this little niche specialty, and it really reinforces the point I've been trying to cross, that he is the prototypical player for this league, it's almost like it's built for him, and I'm glad that we have him back. The biggest thing I take away from it is I hope that he signs either with us or another team full time because he deserves to be in this league and it works well for him, and he works well in the league, it's match made in heaven and I hope it continues. So we did have a couple of other members who were a little harder to please, yeah Vancouver Green was great to be honest, it's nice to finally get a win. I like that it was a win at home, other than that not too much, and that's just the start of our critical portion because I did ask what people found most disappointed about that game. I think we should have got way more. I was probably most worried by how our midfield played, I think they allowed Vancouver to have a lot of space and operate between the midfield and defense. I think something that a lot of the better teams in the league can be able to exploit and hopefully that can get short up before we start playing them. I mean obviously it was Nathan Ingham's haircut, why Nate why? No, that being said, as many of you know I'm a pretty huge Ollie Stan, I have been since you joined the club, but his penalty was so telegraphed you could probably see it from space. As a player, the caliber we know Ollie would be, you really can't be missing chances like that, especially given his penalty kick record this season as well, so everyone in the league seems to know your go-to spot, so I'm going to be changing it up, but I'm honestly really hoping that the one boy Ollie can really turn it around late in the season and help us slip the shield this year. After the game I did ask Nathan if he at least donated his hair to Loxelove or another charity. I can definitely understand why more than one member was disappointed. Aside from Nathan Ingham's haircut, I think the most disappointing thing about the game was simply that we had a lot of chances to get up, 2-0, 3-0 and we weren't able to follow through on those, we had one off the post, we had the missed penalty and we had one from Salter, which was just wide, so I think had we been able to really put this game to bed, I think that would have really energized the dub, which was what we needed after our long run of bad form. I honestly think it could have been a 4-0 game, we were pretty unfortunate not to score more than one goal, especially with how well we were playing, 16 shots, 3 big chances created, and I would like to see the team be more clinical in the last couple of games of the season. We know that York is one of the most clinical teams in the league, probably the most clinical team, and they're just able to put the ball in the net, and that's how we got to learn how to do. I think not being able to finish our chances was pretty disappointing, we had at least three or four that I think should have gone in, or we really should have been able to take better advantage of, but this is the CPL, if the finishing was at the consistent level that you'd expect, then the players wouldn't be here. So I think while it's disappointing, it's understandable that we weren't able to close out that game earlier and help bump up our goal differential even higher. I'm disappointed that we're continuing to use Bassett for those, a majority of those early set pieces. When we know we have people like Iliadus or Maraire who can actually produce with set pieces or lead to productive chances, Bassett has had more than enough time to either get better at these or be taken off of them, and the fact that neither of those things happened is very telling to the time, effort, and specialization we have in preparing players for set pieces when it is not something they have a pre-established history in. There was a lack of consistency by the players I found, you know, we would really go on strong and then slow down, then go on strong and then slow it out, and there was not a constant momentum and that reluctance or the way they held back then led to opportunities for Vancouver to tie it up and possibly win the game in times. I think the fact that we were kind of toothless that we didn't really take our chances, we had one with three big chances and missed all of them, the goal wasn't on a big chance, so it was just we kind of lucked out, we weren't clinical enough, I didn't like that, we only had like 40% possession, only 74% pass accuracy at home, that's really not the best. Next I asked our members if they thought that Adletico would be hoisting the regular season trophy at the end of the season, and we got a range of answers starting with the hopeful. I hope so. I think we can still win the regular season shield, we're only two points behind, with the win this weekend we could be back on top, and if we don't drop the ball as we close out the season we could easily win, we have the individual talent to do so, and as long as that all comes together I think we can definitely win the shield. I think that this team is getting more momentum, especially with the return from injury for a couple of key players, like Kevin dos Santos, Max Tiso, and along with Iliad as playing like he is, and Jesus Delamo, I definitely think we'll be in contention for the regular season shield. A few others landed directly in the maybe column and realizing that it's going to require a lot more work. That's a tough one man, late season forage, you're always going to put your money on them, but I don't know. With Kevin dos Santos and Max Tiso coming back anything could happen, that's a hard maybe for me. I have my hesitations to say yes. I want to say yes because I love this team. I love Edletta Quadaway. I love the players, but they have yet to show me that they deserve it. They have yet to show me that this is the team too curious to a championship like they did in 2022, and I can only hope that they will, but the consistency again, just like with all the August 31st game, it was representative of the entire season. They lacked the consistency and I don't know against teams strong as some of the other competitors, and I hate to say this, but York and Forge, I don't know if we have that consistency to be able to routinely beat those teams and stay above them in the standings. It's really hard to tell. I think we can be winning their regular season shields. I think that's certainly still on the table, but these last seven games we play against every team. We haven't played well against York away. We haven't played well against Forge away. Those are two massive fixtures in these last seven to determining who wins the title. If we win all seven of our remaining games with the regular season winners, and that's I think what we need to focus on. Of course, some others were even more pessimistic. Obviously, we're going to win it. We're going to win the double. Everyone knows that. I mean, to be honest, it's a bit of a tough one, given how we were once eight plus points clear at the top of the table, and somehow we managed to slide through, I would say arguably maybe the worst form or close to the worst form of any team this year. I think we've got a good shot, but it's going to take a lot more tightness and focus than even what we saw this past week with the win over Vancouver. I think Forge probably still ends up winning the CPL shields. Our most important game in the remainder of the season is against them, but it's away, and they've only dropped four points out of a possible 33 at home this season, and really they just have the team to be able to win those big games down the stretch. See, it's easy. We just need to win all the remaining games, and we're going to win that shield. Now, I also asked who our work horses are going to be going down into this last stretch of the season. First to watch, I think Iliadis has kind of proven himself as a player that we didn't expect was going to be so valuable, but is. A lot of our goals have been from set pieces lately, so he's been invaluable, and I think he's going to be the one to watch. I've got to give the work horse to Iliadis, man. He is getting a second time around with this club. He knows he has something to prove. He knows he's around a lot of amazing players, but he's filling a gap. He's filling a gap, left by, you know, Ollie Bassett, left by Tabla. They're not at the peak of their performances right now, and so he can see that he can fill that gap, get a solid, reoccurring place on the starting 11, and truly be one to cement himself not only on this team, on this roster, but in this league as a star player. It's going to be Iliadis. What a player he's turned out to be for us this season. Only three games. He's already one of our players of the season. Me and Didditch also, both absolute grinders, work horses, they're going to pull through. So we have a few people showing love for Olympic or specialist, but we also have multiple people. Shall we love for our Bosnia and Giant? I think Didditch is going to be an important player going forward, both in the defense and in the transition of play. I think that he is able to really control the ball well, and he makes up for what is a noticeable lack of distribution from our goal-tending. It's got to be Didditch. I don't know if he's had a bad match yet this season, he's a great player, his header is a serious threat, and he's got the magic hat, so keep your eye on him. We also have Patrick bringing up the name of the other person that we imported from Pacific this year. Our work horse down the stretch has to be many aparicio, he's been a work horse the entire season, and as we've seen, as he plays well, this team plays well, and when he isn't on his game, we kind of start lacking behind. I think he's had a really good last couple of weeks, and if he can carry that through the last quarter of the season, I think this team is going to be able to show the best version of themselves. Of course, there's always someone who just can't make up their mind. I think we've got a number of work horses on this team that really put in a shift. Many aparicio coming back into form has been electrifying. I think Matteo DeBrian has also been improving, particularly on the defensive front, his decision making sometimes isn't the best, but the work rate is absolutely unmatched. I'd be curious to see if Chris Twardock can manage to get back into the fold and back at pace, and I'll be very curious to see how Kevin DeSantis comes back into this team coming off of his injury, and really seeing if he can be one of those key work horses to getting us back on top. And here's Patty with a surprising answer for this question. I would say the safe answer, in this case, based on the performances we've seen recently would be Iliadis or Matteo DeBrian. They both kind of proven themselves with tenacity and great when we needed it. I mean, I could even throw a mani in there, I guess, as well. But I will throw out a bit of a bit of a dark horse contender. I like Abu Sisoko. I think his looks were excellent this week, and it's been really nice to see him find his groove with the club and in our structure. So for that reason, I think, again, if he can elevate a little bit more and be a little bit more sturdy on the ball, we could really see some brilliance from that side of the pitch, which would be awesome. I mean, Abu Sisoko, who could have possibly seen that coming? Sorry, what's that, Matt? I think that Abu Sisoko, he's getting better and better, and more familiar with the players that we have, and him, he's a Swiss Army knife, man. He can go anywhere, he'll run, he'll work his ass off. And yeah, that's all you got him. Of course, this week, the boys are in Winnipeg to play Valor on Monday, September 9th. So let's find out what people are thinking about this game. What's the score going to be, and who are you excited to watch? I think my score prediction for Valor going into Monday night's game is probably going to be a 2-1 win for a buddy. Valor's been shown that they are not a team to mess around with, and they've pulled off some pretty good victories recently, and they're not at the bottom of the table anymore. That's Halifax. But so Valor's not a team to underestimate. And I think that they can probably sneak one on us, and I'm going to guess the 50th. But I truly do feel that Auto was going to come out in front, and it's always nice to see Matteo DeBrian playing his former club, his former city. And I think that he's going to be one to watch, because he's always looking to make it impact in those games. Now I'm going to cut now some little slack. As you mentioned before, he was the capo at the game last week, he probably missed Matteo picking up that yellow card, and he doesn't know that Matteo will be suspended for tomorrow's game. Actually, we're hoping that Matteo makes it out to the pub to watch the game with us at our watch party, and maybe he'll bring his parents along. I think the player to watch against Valor is going to be Ilya Ciliatos. He's had a great last three games, filling is the left center back. But I think he's going to be shifted out to left wing back to fill in for the suspended Matteo DeBrian, and hopefully he can carry on the performances he's had at one position into the other one, and help us avoid a result like we had against Valor last time. My score prediction is going to be, I'm going to say, 3-1 at Letty. I don't think we're at the point where we're going to smash Valor, even though they're obviously having a pretty rough season. I would say my player to watch would be Tier Walker. I really liked his performance and some of his performances for this season, especially in this game, though, to have a 20-something year old go out there, win every duel, push out some great dueling stats and clearances and interceptions, and just honestly, to see a 20-year-old kid, you know, that calm on the pitch in a professional match amid all the chaos that was going on. So, yeah, I'm going to say he's worth a closer look this coming week. Now I'm with Patty. I want to see Tier Walker play every minute of the remaining games. He's going to be our workhorse down the stretch because we need those huge 21 minutes. Let's find out what some other people think about tomorrow's game. I think I will go with 3-0 and my player to watch is Sam Salter. He's our best forward right now and he pushes the play, he creates goals. I think it's going to be a two-nil victory with a brace from Del Campo, assists coming from Antonoro, and let's say Salter. I think that'll be fun. And I think the player to watch is going to be Del Campo, so yeah. My score prediction for Monday's game against Valor is two-nil for Atletti. I think it's going to be a very tough game and I think Valor is going to have some chances, but I think they're going to struggle to put them away against a more solid defensive front. My player to watch for that game will be Kevin DeSantis as I'm really hoping that he's back in the line up and back fresh to bring something new to the offense of this team. That's right, that's a fresh roller rink rumor, but none other than KDS started on Thursday night. Now, Billy and Johnny are feeling about the same about tomorrow's game. I'm going to say a nice two-nil win away from home. We're going to get a three-nil win. These boys are agreeing on more than just the score line. You know, honestly, I'm hoping to see more out of Valor. I hope Valor has a great match on our game. Player to watch in that one, Belu Tableau. When he came on for the last 30 minutes against Vancouver, he was ferocious. Yeah, he skied a bunch of shots, but he created a big chance and created three more chances in only 30 minutes. I think he's got to really have a point to prove and I see him proving that point against Valor. Now, my score prediction is going to be 2-1 for Ottawa, and I'm going to say Doug Campo is the player to watch, but I'm going to get the last prediction to Jen, who's actually going to be at Princess Auto Stadium for this game tomorrow night. I'm going to make the same prediction I made the last time ATO played Valor and I made a prediction. I'm going with five-nil at Lenny. I think coming off the win this past weekend, we can come back and utterly dominate Valor like we did in our seven-nil victory earlier this year. And if we do that, this will be just what we need to finish this season strong and win the league. Vamo said Lenny. Vamo said Lenny and safe travels Jen. I can't wait to see you on the screen of that game. If you're in Ottawa and you're listening to this before 8 p.m. on September 9th, get to GCP for our watch party for this Ottawa Valor game, it's 75 cent wing night at GCP. So you have an additional reason to come and hang out with us. In the case you missed it, for the first time ever, there will be analytical Ottawa player cards. This is a set that was designed by CCSG. We have an order in and we should have a packs of cards available at the next home game. So if you didn't order one, contact us, we'll have some other ones available for sale. So I want to give a big thanks to Billy, Jen, Joey, Johnny, John, Matt, Nelson, Omar and Patrick Gibson for sending in answers for today. But I think we can all agree that the best thing about this new experiment was getting Patti's voice back into our ears talking about it, Lenny football. Well, I've got to say good, it feels good to be back on the mic talking Lenny football. I'd just like to give a huge shout out to the CCSG members. You guys have kept the dub turned up to 11 every match day at TD Place. I know I'm still across the ocean from everybody, but it's good to see in here my CCSG fan on match day broadcasts every week. It's funny because I actually got to catch Kelzio Spitzia match in Italian Series B this week. And it just made me realize how much I miss you all even more. So keep it up and I'll be home soon. And I'll also give Patti the last word on the pulse for this week. I guess I'll leave you with a Vamos, Lenny. Let's go. [BLANK_AUDIO]