It was a spicy game in the sleet and rain as a new-look ATO opened the CPL season Saturday afternoon. Over 5,000 were in attendance in the Pay-What-You-Can home opener to watch Diego Mejía’s first starting XI of the season return to TD Place against the Halifax Wanderers,
Miserable. Perhaps that’s a bit of an understatement to describe the cold and wet conditions that accompanied the opening of the 2025 CPL season in Ottawa. Equally, it describes the feeling of Atlético Ottawa supporters through the first 55 minutes of the match. The team came out flat, disjointed,
Whether you’ve been taking a much-needed break from social media, sheltering somewhere warm for the winter, or living under a rock, you might have missed key announcements from Atletico Ottawa as they gear up for the 2025 Canadian Premier League season. Don’t fret – that’s why we are
At last, the part you’ve all been waiting for (or not). This is the final article in my series ranking the Atlético Ottawa roster based on how well they performed using my advanced analytics model (detailed here) for the players ranked #5 to #1. Click the following links for
Another short introduction is called for. This series ranks the 2024 Atlético roster by how well they performed according to my advanced analytics model, which is detailed here.anyone Part 1 ranked players #20-16, which can be found here, and Part 2 (players #15-11), which can be found here. On
Coaching is not what people think it is. It’s more than showing up to the game with a few circles on a board and a vague idea of how to win. It’s waking up at 4:30 am in a cold sweat because you had a nightmare about
I could devote enough words to make Tolstoy blush and still I would fail to capture exactly what Ollie Bassett means to Atletico Ottawa. Yet cast your mind back and you’ll recall his arrival in our city wasn’t one of jubilant fanfare from all corners of support. Much
Let’s make this introduction as short as possible. These are the players ranked #15 to #11 according to my advanced analytics model, detailed here. You can read the article for the players ranked #20 to #16 here, and the overall ranking will be at the bottom. #15: Manny Aparicio
One of the most crucial tasks in the off-season is casting an eye towards the season that was, especially the players. Were they as good as you thought? Were they worse? Did they live up to expectations? and so on. That is what I am here to do, using advanced
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Due to a website migration, and further updates in my methodology, it was necessary to rewrite the article I penned in the winter of 2023/24. This is essentially the same article as that lost piece, with a few updated segments and a few new paragraphs.
You ride for six hours each way in the back of the bus, only to be provided with disappointment after disappointment. This is the life of a football fan. It's not even the performance in this case (which it was the last four times I've been
Carlos Gonzalez was right when he predicted fireworks in the quarter-final of the semifinals. After a nail-biting win that went the distance at TD Place, Atletico Ottawa is off to Hamilton and the quarterfinals of the Canadian Premier League. Twice Atletico Ottawa took the lead against bitter rivals York United
It was typical Atlético Ottawa, until it wasn’t. Every single trend that has fed into the story of Atlético Ottawa’s 2024 campaign was on display on Sunday afternoon: Ineffective at breaking down a low block through the first-half? Check. Janky set-piece goal direct from a corner? Check. A
There’s not much to say that hasn’t been completely analyzed (and in some cases, over-analyzed) in the build-up to the playoff clash between Atlético Ottawa and York United. Coach Carlos González , Atlético Ottawa COO Jon Sinden and midfielder Abou Sissoko joined a press conference Thursday afternoon ahead of
In the final regular season match on October 19th, Atlético Ottawa faced Vancouver FC, a battle that ended in a 0-0 draw. Despite the valiant efforts – Ottawa Ottawa recorded 4 shots on target out of 8, while Vancouver managed just 3 from 18 – neither team secured the victory they desperately
The more things change, the more they stay the same. I’m pretty sure I’ve led off at least one of these pieces in the exact same way at some point this season, but that only further serves my point. A week after a midfield performance that completely overwhelmed
The Supporter of the Year award, now in its third year, seeks to highlight an individual's exceptional contributions to the Capital City Supporters Group. These contributions can take many forms, including attendance at events, volunteer time, content generation, and more. A few notes before we introduce you to
After a challenging five-game winless streak, Atlético Ottawa has roared back to life with a complete 2-0 victory over regular season champions Forge FC. The teams faced off on October 12th at Tim Hortons Field, where Ottawa seized the momentum early, taking the lead in the first half. Not only
Thump. Thwack. Swish. Crack. Whiz. Boom. Bosh. Bang. Wham. Smack. Crash. Pow. Vamos. These are thirteen of the noises I heard when watching back the thirteen goals Rubén Del Campo has scored (so far) this season for Atlético Ottawa. But to bring only sound to Rubén Del Campos's
The Forward Press
After the loss in York a week before, even the staunchest ATO supporter would be forgiven for predicting another loss in Hamilton. Forge FC looked on unstoppable form to close out the season, with only one loss in its last ten league matches and a goal difference of +17 in
It’s only been six weeks since the last time I was genuinely excited to write this column, and yet it has felt like an eternity. Atlético Ottawa’s 2-0 win over Forge felt like the team’s most complete performance since their 3-0 win away to Vancouver in July,
The Forward Press
Just like last year, Atlético Ottawa will spend Thanksgiving weekend in Hamilton with hopes of squeaking a result against Forge, which has already clinched the regular season title and has eyes set on a third straight title. Atleti can glean hope in the theory that Forge might be cruising, having
The Forward Press
For the second time in one season, a critical error by Liberman Torres cost Atleti, this time on Sunday night against York FC, where Atleti fell one-to-nil. Unlike against Forge, the ill-tempered Ecuadorian couldn’t remain on the pitch afterward to make amends for his error and likely won’t
If you’ve been following my writing this season, you’ll know that I’ve been vocal about my struggles to find new ways to praise the play of Amer Didic. And yet, here I am, telling you why the man with the magic hat should add a Golden Scarf
I sit here, writing this at halftime, because trying to evaluate 65 minutes of a game down to ten men is an entirely fruitless venture. It's not as if there was much of anything to speak about for the first 25 anyway. Just more of the same moribund
The Forward Press
Atleti heads to the 6ix this week for a double-header against GTA opposition in less-than-ideal circumstances. Now sitting third in the league after being overtaken by Cavalry Saturday night, Atleti will need to dig deep for more positive results than the string of four straight draws. A win in York
It’s been a while since Atlético Ottawa last tasted victory - over a month since a 1-0 victory in the nation's capital. Atléti continues to hang to second place with only three matches to go, but another September draw - the fifth draw in the past six
On September 29, Atlético Ottawa faced the Halifax Wanderers at TD Place, resulting in a 1-1 draw. Ottawa dominated the first half with impressive play and strong performances, particularly from Ollie Bassett, who appeared to be regaining his form from past years. Halifax struggled with ball retention and failed to
“Doc, any news?” “Yes ma’am, the X-rays came back positive. He’s got that dog in him.” These were the words surely spoken in the Buenos Aires hospital in which Manny Aparicio was born when his parents noticed something unusual about their son and took him for testing immediately.
Did I ever tell you what the definition of insanity was? Insanity is doing the exact… same… thing over and over again and expecting things to change. #19 Rubén Del Campo (6): It was not a banner day for Rubén by any means. He was left out to dry for
The Forward Press
Atlético Ottawa drop deux points at the ‘Célébration Franco-Ontarienne' match, settling for a fourth draw in the last five matches, this time against Pacific FC. With Forge cruising to a comprehensive 4-1 win at Willoughby the day before, the onus fell on Atleti to match that performance at home
La bonne nouvelle, c’est que l'Atlético Ottawa est invaincu lors de ses six derniers matchs. La mauvaise, c’est qu’ils n’ont remporté que deux de ces rencontres et celle du 22 septembre n’en fait pas partie. En effet, pour la troisième match consécutif, Ottawa