3 Atlético Ottawa players to watch in Sunday’s Canadian Premier League Final

Atlético Ottawa will play in, and host, their first Canadian Premier League Final on Sunday evening when they welcome Forge FC to TD Place.

They will be in for a tough match against the two-time North Star Shield winners, but Ottawa finished top of the regular season table for a reason, and certainly won’t be scared of the Hammers. With a pair of Player of the Year nominees in the team and Goalkeeper of the Year nominee Nathan Ingham, as well as some of the league’s top defenders, they will be a force to be reckoned with on Sunday and in the years to come.

Here are three players to keep an eye on during Sunday’s championship game.

Nathan Ingham:

Ottawa’s starting goalkeeper Nathan Ingham was the star performer of the Canadian Premier League semifinals, earning the Performance of the Match in both games against Pacific FC. Ingham made several key saves in both matches, including a few from point blank range in the second leg to keep Ottawa’s lead intact.

A Goalkeeper of the Year nominee after a season in which he kept eight clean sheets and shared the league lead with Callum Irving for saves, Ingham was incredibly consistent. He only conceded two or more goals twice this season, a key part of Ottawa’s strong defensive unit.

There aren’t many goalkeepers in the CPL as good as Ingham at remaining calm under pressure, and look for the Ottawa netminder to put in another strong performance again on Sunday.

Diego Espejo:

Another crucial piece of Ottawa’s backline has been young centre-back Diego Espejo. The 20-year-old Spaniard, on loan from parent club Atlético Madrid, is one of the first names on the team sheet for Carlos Gonzalez, thanks to his consistency and technical ability.

Espejo is a commanding physical presence, strong in the air and capable of making a big tackle. He’s anchored the backline, and was only dribbled past four times all season — fewest among the defenders who have been on the field for at least 1,500 minutes. He was suspended for the second leg of the semifinal due to yellow card accumulation, and will be returning to the lineup motivated and looking to make a difference as usual.

With the strength of Forge’s attacking unit, especially the in-form front three of Woobens Pacius, David Choiniere and Tristan Borges, the Ottawa backline will be under immense pressure, but look for Espejo to be that strong presence to protect Ingham’s goal.

Ballou Tabla:

One of two Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year finalists from Atlético Ottawa this season — the other being midfielder Ollie Bassett — Ballou Tabla has gotten better and better as the season has progressed. As Carlos Gonzalez and his team have become more comfortable with one another and developed tactically, so too has the former CF Montreal and FC Barcelona B attacker.

In his first Canadian Premier League campaign, Tabla has wowed observers with his pace and comfort on the ball. He’s scored seven goals and added four assists thus far in 2022, including a goal in the first leg of the semifinal against Pacific in which he lobbed the ball over Callum Irving’s head to open the scoring.

Tabla is audacious, as demonstrated best by his long-range bicycle kick against Cavalry FC in September, and doesn’t shy away from taking on defenders. Watch for him to try and get in behind the Forge FC defenders on Sunday, to create goalscoring opportunities for both himself and his teammates.