ATO - After the Whistle

Is it an ATOvHFX game without a comeback, a red card, awful weather, like 4 goals, and yet ANOTHER classic? Listen to the boys talk about another opening day banger involving possibly the most box office fixture this league has to offer.

The long winter is over. The boys are back. Soccer is back. We are so back.

Is this the start of a wagon? Don't know. Don't care. What a game. What a pens. We're massive and we're going to Hamilton for the Semis. Vamos.

While the other result didn't go our way to clinch second place, we didn't hold up our end of the bargain either. Listen to Johnny and Joey talk less about the game as a single performance and instead lament our home form for the past three seasons and why it's holding us back.

What's another epic end of season ATO slide without a win over Forge? And one where we confirm the season series win over the league champs to boot? While it won't get us any closer to 1st place, 2nd is very much still in sight. Listen to Johnny and Joey discuss our return to form and how we could close out the season.

Well, 1st place is now out of reach. How long until 2nd place is as well? Listen to Johnny and Joey discuss how low we can really go.

Just read the descriptions for the last 4 episodes and you'll get the idea.

A draw you say? A blown lead you say? Are you sure you're not talking about any number of other games this season? Listen to Johnny and Joey talk about our latest re-run and what we might do to salvage our season.

Two leads. If you speak ATO of course that means two leads also blown. We go again? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Not the most inspiring result or performance but this game has summed up the team's form in general for the past couple of months perfectly. This team is becoming increasingly difficult to talk about, so thanks to the magnificent CCSG community for yet another stellar mailbag because lord knows this thing would have only been 10 minutes long without it!

The more things change the more things stay the same

You know what a win against a team at the top of the league and a win against a team near the bottom of the league have in common? They're both worth 3 points. Listen to Johnny and Joey talk about how we can look for positives from this result while still being realistic.

This is getting a little boring isn't it? Listen to Johnny and Joey discuss what they think of this slide and if it's posisble to stop it.

Well... on to the next one.

Talk about a buzzkill! From a routine win to a draw that felt like a loss, these last two games might just be the epitome of ATO's midseason form in 2024. Listen to Johnny and Joey talk about why we can't seem to get it right at home and how important these next few matches are.

Three Goals. Three Points. Routine. Lord knows we needed one of these. Listen to Johnny and Joey discuss how the most dominant team in the league can continue to churn out these performances week over week.

So that's what that feels like, huh. Sometimes you can throw an entire shovelful of spaghetti at the wall but none of it sticks. Listen to Johnny and Joey discuss how we fell victim to a performance that an erstwhile ATO used to subject others to.

Almost a year to the day after a 7-goal thriller in Hamilton saw us score in the opening minutes, give up an own goal, as well as concede after an embarassingly misplaced backpass, we've quite literally repeated all of those things again. However, this time we've seen ourselves come out on top in another 4-3 result, this time at home. This was an all-time CPL classic and one that will be remembere...

Without context, a 1-1 draw away at Cavalry is not an ideal result. With context, a 1-1 draw away at Cavalry is a more than ideal result. Listen to Johnny and Joey talk about this recent lull in our form and how we can and are trying to correct it.

Welp.... it was gonna happen sooner or later. Unfortunate who it was against but given our record it was almost written in the stars, wasn't it? We lick our wounds and go again. Listen to Johnny and Joey break down our first loss in the league this season and why it's nothing to panick about just yet.

That takes us to 11-0 over Valour on the season. Sometimes a win can feel as routine and expected as the sun rising in the morning. Listen to Johnny and Joey give a rundown on how the boys have hit their groove.

HOW HAVE WE MANAGED THAT, THEN??? We might have had no business at all walking away from that game with a point but getting it done when the going gets tough is what championship teams do. Listen to Johnny and Joey discuss one of our greatest comebacks ever.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times! We recorded a record win against Forge at home before crashing out of the Canadian Championship, again in the Quarterfinal round, not 4 days later. Net positive or net negative? Listen to find out our take.

Can we be stopped? Listen to the guys discuss the keys to how we unlocked the most solid defense in the league so far this year.

Not as exciting as last week.... not even close. Two draws and two goals (one in each direction) as we see us dropping what felt like 2 points at Vancouver, while also ensuring we head to Pacific honours even for our second leg of the Canadian Championship Quarter Final tie.