Unbeaten Ottawa TFC U15 boys top reigning OPDL east-champion OSU Force in 1-0 grudge match win

By Tyler Reis-Sanford

The Ottawa TFC under-15 boys’ soccer team continued their undefeated 2025 Ontario Player Development season with a hard-fought 1-0 victory against the crosstown rival Ottawa South United Force on Wednesday night.

Held on Ottawa TFC’s home turf at Millennium Field, an energetic and passionate crowd helped contribute to a physical, playoff-like atmosphere in a marquee matchup to close local competition in the first half of the OPDL season.

Ottawa TFC (now 9-3-0) entered the contest with an undefeated record but trailed OSU (now 10-0-2) in points. The win drew the reds level with the Force heading into each team’s road games this weekend, two points back of first-place Woodbridge (10-2-0).

“I think we were expecting exactly what this game was – it was a hard-fought, physical battle,” signalled Brogan Engbers, who has helped elevate Ottawa TFC’s boys’ program into a top provincial contender and served as head coach during the match.

“It was never going to be the prettiest game of football, our boys stepped up [Wednesday] big time. We definitely had a plan coming into this, and when you’ve got a group of guys that can commit fully to a plan and believe in each other and execute, that’s where the magic really starts to happen.”

The opening minutes saw Ottawa TFC control the pace of play, which prevented OSU from developing any sustained attack in the offensive end. As the first half continued however, OSU created multiple scoring opportunities against a strong defensive front, but ultimately failed to convert on a number of scoring chances.

Late in the first half, after a barrage of shots from the OSU attack were stopped by the reds’ defence, Ottawa TFC forward Soulyeymane Diomande banged home the lone goal of the night. The score came as part of a lightning-fast counter-attack, and shifted the momentum of the match until the closing minutes of the second half, which saw OTFC goalkeeper Eric Frederico make a number of impressive stops to keep his clean sheet.

From whistle to whistle, both sides challenged the other to make the first mistake, often pressing the ball handler hard, and sending double-teams to trap the opposing players and create turnovers. Ottawa TFC’s man of the match Josh-Yvan Nzokou knew that the game would come down to who would best be able to manage the physicality and aggression of the game.

“You really have to scan whenever you get the ball, people are coming at you quick,” Nzokou reflected. “You have to play with your team. If you’re trying to play alone, it’s not going to work.”

When looking forward to the future, Nzokou believes he and his Ottawa TFC teammates have proven they’re the ones to beat in the OPDL. He said that his side isn’t worried for when they head to George Nelms Sports Park to face off against OSU on their home field in the second half of the season when the top east and west squads are combined into a premiere division with the standings reset to zero.

“It’s simple,” indicated Nzokou. “We beat them once and we’re gonna beat them again.”

The Force entered the match, and the season, with definite targets on their backs, having topped the OPDL U14 east division last season to qualify for this summer’s Canadian Player Development Program Championship.

Read More: ‘Calma’ a rallying cry for OPDL-champion Ottawa South United soccer sides

Ottawa TFC were the east division runners-up last year, finishing eight points back. That squad became the first boys’ team from OTFC to make the OPDL playoffs, but they endured a heartbreaking finish when they were eliminated in penalty kicks in the semi-final round.

The Force are fired up in their quest to follow in the footsteps of the OSU group one age category older, who captured the national title in the inaugural PDP championship last summer.

Read More: ‘No better ending’ than a historic national title for OSU Force, with some players departing to pro soccer academies

This year’s nationals, set for Aug. 27-31 in Vaughan, are the primary focus for the Force at present.

“[Wednesday], we competed well but we just didn’t take advantage of the chances we had. Some little things make the difference, but that’s football, we move on,” said OSU head coach Mohandi Mulay. “For them, it’s a final, it’s a trophy. For us, it’s just another game and that’s it.

“We know who we are, and we’re going to prove and show them the level of team that we are. We’re going to take our revenge.”

Mulay added that managing the emotions of the game, which saw cursing, scuffles and arguments with referees in front of a boisterous Ottawa TFC home crowd, is an important part of the growth for his young players.

“I like it. I like to see so many people here,” highlighted Mulay. “I like the environment, but they (his players) need to get used to it. If they want to go to the next level, we need to learn to manage these kinds of emotions, these kinds of moments.”

There are several more local teams at or near the top of the table in other OPDL divisions. The OSU U14 boys, OSU U14 girls, Ottawa TFC U15 girls and OTFC U17 girls all sit within the top-2 of their OPDL east division standings. The fifth-place U14 girls are the West Ottawa Warriors’ top team, with a .500 record of 3-3-3.