Full house for U15 soccer game shows soccer culture has arrived in Ottawa

By Dan Plouffe

Yes, Wednesday evening’s Ontario Player Development League match is remembered for a fantastic finish that goes down as a 2-1 comeback victory for Ottawa TFC over Ottawa South United, but the real winner is the sport of soccer in Ottawa.

With a packed Millennium Park stadium in attendance, the rise of football culture in the nation’s capital is on full display. This U15 boys’ youth soccer match between two unbeaten local teams draws more spectators than you’d find at most university soccer games.

And when the final whistle blows, the stands empty with young supporters rushing the field like you’d see after a big university American football game.

Ottawa TFC’s victors gather in a huddle for a bouncing song and chant in French, again mirroring a professional or international soccer match vibe, but instead it’s on a community field in Cumberland.

“It was unbelievable, really,” Ottawa TFC coach Cian Lynch beams. “It makes all the hard work, all the long hours, worth it, to see the smile on, not just the people involved in the game, but the crowd too. It’s special.”

This match isn’t quite a masterpiece of the beautiful game – the contest has more punting over possession than both clubs typically showcase against other opponents – perhaps a product of the stress of the stage for the developing players.

“It’s a local derby. Tensions are high. It’s never going to be the prettiest of football,” Lynch acknowledges.

But the entertainment value is all there, and there is an entire community appreciating a spectacle that’s gone on in relative obscurity until recently.

Brogan Engbers, now 26 and a rising talent in the coaching ranks, marvels at the scene, which was unlike anything he ever experienced when he played at that level.

“Never pulled any crowd like that,” laughs Ottawa TFC’s high performance director. “The quality of the players is much higher, too, across the board. In my day, it was like a couple players here and there on each team. If you look on the field now, it’s 22 guys that are capable of playing at a high level.

“Players getting to showcase themselves in front of a crowd with high emotions, especially at this point in the season too, it was a special, special time.

“That’s ultimately where a lot of these players want to go, is playing at the professional level. To get a taste of what an intense crowd is, what the energy is like, it can only be good for the sport.”

A decade ago in the OYSL, it was Team Canada star Jonathan David in wonder at the “big crowd” that turned out for his Gloucester Hornets’ U15 rivalry game with OSU. Quite funny to think back to that now – yep, those lawn chairs did indeed go a couple deep down the sideline next to the drainage slope.

Ten years later, an OPDL showdown fills the bleachers, and – much to the chagrin of the match officials – a good chunk of the grass next to them too, with other passionate youth players soaking in the moment.

This is the place where teenagers want to spend their evenings with their friends.

There is no halftime show like you’d see at a pro game, but what happens organically on the field is so much better.

Half of the stands empties onto the pitch as kids kick around a hundred balls. Young players energized by the spectacle, feeding their need to get more touches at any possible opportunity.

Around the stadium, you hear parents speaking with accents from around the world, injecting further colour and life into the global game which has found its place in Ottawa.

Behind the bleachers, you see U10 players jumping in to help serve drinks at the canteen, and coaching staff working the BBQ. On the opposite sideline are the general managers from both clubs, engaged as ever.

There is no question where any of them want to be on this evening. Even if it’s not the team they’re personally connected to, it’s their club, their community.

“It’s brilliant,” Lynch underlines. “I mean, we pride ourselves on being a club that puts people first, and we put having good people and good values in the club over the importance of just winning. I think that shows today.

“You know, it’s 8:30 p.m. on a Wednesday night, night before school and work, and you see parents, kids, cousins, dogs – everyone’s out to watch. I think it shows the togetherness we’ve got in this club, not just in this team, but across the board. Everyone comes out to support one another, and we’re a family.”

There’s a strong competitiveness between the clubs, and equally strong mutual respect. After his OSU team huddles to lick their wounds while the home side enjoys a boisterous celebration on the field, coach Mohandi Mulay makes sure to find Ottawa TFC’s players and coaches to congratulate them despite his side’s devastating defeat.

Likewise, players greet their opponents with handshakes and pats on the back. Not in a contrived lineup, but on their own accord.

“We have to have fair play,” Mulay signals. “At the end of the day, they are our rivals, but not our enemies. They competed very well and they did their best.”

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