More grief for FC Valor with a loss to Atlético Ottawa

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Valor FC's three-match tour of Ontario ended Sunday afternoon in the nation's capital with more frustration, disappointment and heartache.

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Winnipeg's Canadian Premier League side lost 2-0 to Atletico Ottawa on Sunday afternoon at TD Place to end a week-long tour that saw them drop all three matches against their eastern rivals – 2-1 to Hamilton Forge FC. last weekend, followed by a 7-nil loss to Ottawa in the Canadian Championship preliminary round on Wednesday.

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Valor are now winless in four CPL matches to start the season and five in total, including the Canadian Championship. They have scored twice and conceded 10 goals in league play and have been outscored 17-2 in all five matches this year. You don't need a math major to understand how flexible this differential is for boldness.

Still, given Wednesday's setback, there were some moments for courage against Ottawa. The problem is that two failures led to two goals – again with sloppy and sloppy defending.

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“Today wasn't about Xs and Os. We knew it was nothing tactically,” said veteran midfielder Noah Verhoeven, who was loaned to the Valor from Ottawa. “We just wanted to come out and fight and compete. It was tough on Wednesday and it was about showing we can fight. We tried to deliver that today — I thought we brought it in moments, two tough goals (against), but overall we fought better, and we can build on things like that.”

Erlik received a corner kick in the first minute, but ended up scoring seven times and only two shots on target. In addition, two defensive lapses proved costly as Ottawa's dynamic attack was followed by goals from Ruben del Campo in the 19th minute and Gabriel Antinoro's second 13 minutes later. The same was true in Wednesday's Canadian championship loss, with the team conceding two goals from corners.

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“Let me start by saying it's going to be tough for guys to do today after what happened on Wednesday,” Valor GM and head coach Philip Dos Santos said. “We've had two days where we haven't been able to train and it's a big blow for the team and a big blow for all of us. It will make you tired.

“What I'm asking the guys is that we need to be better specialists, fight, be more responsible in our approach to the game and the game. Today, the team showed what we can be. I'll go back to the second half against Pacific, a very good team performance against Forge, big impressions from today's game, where we learned more about what the team could be.

“But again, moments hurt you,” he added. “It's another two-set game, the second leg of the second goal we're talking about, and we've got to make sure we handle those moments a little bit better for the team to be consistent.”

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The Valor will now return home for a few days before heading east again later this week for their fifth straight season-opening road match – largely due to the installation of new turf at Princess Auto Stadium – and visits to Toronto and York United FC. Friday night. The Valor won't play their first match until Sunday, June 2 at home against Vancouver FC.

“We had a tough start to the season – everyone knows that,” Verhoeven said. “We want to build on that fight and that competitiveness and fall because when you have that, everything can fall on you. You say luck and everything goes your way in a season, but if you're a competitor, things like that can happen.

“(Going into the season opener) was tough. We knew it was going to be difficult when we saw the schedule and with them redoing the field. But we're now at the point where we're in it, so it's about showing the character. The lads came in after a really tough result on Wednesday and we've battled a bit to lean on some of the lads and we've got captains to help hold the pack.”

'V' NOTES

Jonathan Viscosi started in goal for Valor, but had to leave the game after suffering a groin injury in the 36th minute. He was replaced by Darlington Murasiranwa … Center back Tass Murdukutas made his first appearance of the season after coming on in the 77th minute with an injury and missing the opening matches.

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