Welcome to The Forward Press for Matchday 3, where Ottawa came away with a last-gasp winner to snatch three points from Supra, and almost 90 Atleti faithful represented CCSG, singing loud and proud all game long!

Coach Diego Mejía and first-time goalscorer Tyr Duhaney-Walker joined the media post-match to discuss our inaugural match (and win!) versus the Quebec-based outfit. For this, and all subsequent Supra matches, CCSG will be publishing a combined French and English edition of The Forward Press!

(French version follows, la version française suit)

The translation for this article was made possible by C.D. Girard, with editing by Antony Da Silva-Casimiro.

Mejía’s comments can be viewed in full here: https://www.cplsoccer.com/atleticoottawa/news/atleti-win-inaugural-clash-with-fc-supra-du-quebec

He opened the session with a touching message to longtime Forge FC player Kyle Bekker, who recently announced he had been diagnosed with testicular cancer and had undergone successful surgery:

“On behalf of Atlético Ottawa, I want to send our full support to Kyle Bekker. He's one of the best players in the history of this league. This is a hard moment, and beyond any rivalry, there are things that are bigger than football. We wish him a full and speedy recovery, and today I think that we are all on the same side.”

CCSG would also like to send our thoughts to Kyle Bekker and his family during this time, and we look forward to facing him on the field once again following his recovery.

Mejía then was asked about the atmosphere at Supra’s first-ever home match: “The environment is incredible, the team is incredible, the brand is incredible, the stadium―we are in CPL―and it's incredible . . . Talking just about the pitch and the stands, it's fantastic. I want to come back and play more games in this environment.”

He wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, however, as he described an invasion of small children in the dressing room before kickoff, and understandably looks forward to Supra ironing out the kinks of starting a new franchise from scratch.

As for the game itself, it generally followed the trend of this season, with Ottawa dominating possession but finding little joy when trying to break Supra’s defense, and getting hit hard on the counter. For the first time at length this season, Mejía acknowledged his opposition's talent defending the ball and admitted that his team made “some bad decisions,” which led to quick counters the other way. That said, he again stated that this is how he wants to play, showing what he is willing to give up in order to control the flow of the match. He also gave credit to starter and Man of the Match Garissone Innocent, who made 9 saves en route to his first clean sheet of the year and kept his side in it until Ottawa’s late winner. 

The scorer of that winning goal was Centre Back Tyr Duhaney-Walker, who made his 50th professional appearance on the day, and whose last-gasp, points-stealing goal was his first time finding the back of the net. He followed Mejía in front of the microphones (https://www.cplsoccer.com/atleticoottawa/news/local-defender-duhaney-walker-scores-first-goal-on-50th-appearance):

His first couple of questions pertained to his feelings on the match:

“It's an amazing feeling to get our first win of the season. The atmosphere here was nice, it's close to Ottawa, so we've got a good rivalry with the fans, and I'm happy to get the win . . . we didn't start the season off in the way we wanted. This is a good way to boost morale for the team, show what we want to do for the rest of the season, and move forward positively from here.”

Many have foreseen a possible rivalry between FC Supra and Atlético Ottawa developing, given their proximity to each other for travelling fans and the general Ottawa-Québec rivalry in other sports. Of course, this will take time to develop and blossom, but that doesn’t stop the league and its media from pushing the narrative as much as possible. As such, Duhaney-Walker’s last two questions pertained to the clubs and their feelings towards each other: “It's going to be a good rivalry, especially since we have a lot of players from the province as well. Just the fact that people here know each other, it adds a little bit of fight into every duel and challenge…now we have [bragging rights].”

This match also marked CCSG’s first road trip of the season, which saw record attendance for such a trip! Mejía ended his press conference with a reference to the travelling support and the upcoming home opener: “We miss our fans, we miss our stadium, we miss the sun! We need to play one match with the sun, please. I hope that next Sunday we are going to play in the best environment in this league.”

You can contribute to that environment by showing up to TD Place in full voice this Sunday, April 26th, at 1 PM when Atleti takes on Vancouver FC! VAMOS!

The Forward Press: Supporters en déplacement, erreurs et rivalités potentielles

Bienvenue à The Forward Press pour la 3e journée, où l'Atlético Ottawa a arraché la victoire 1 à 0 dans les derniers instants pour soutirer trois points au Supra, tandis que près de 90 fidèles partisans de l’Atléti représentant le CCSG, ont chanté fort et fièrement tout au long du match !

L’entraîneur Diego Mejia et l’auteur du but gagnant Tyr Duhaney‑Walker se sont adressés aux médias après la rencontre pour discuter de notre match inaugural (et de notre victoire !) contre l’équipe québécoise.

Meija a ouvert la séance de questions avec un message touchant adressé au joueur de longue date de Forge FC, Kyle Bekker, qui a récemment annoncé avoir été diagnostiqué d’un cancer des testicules et avoir subi une opération réussie :

« Au nom de l’Atlético Ottawa, je tiens à envoyer tout notre soutien à Kyle Bekker. C’est l’un des meilleurs joueurs de l’histoire de cette ligue. C’est un moment difficile, et au‑delà de toute rivalité, il y a des choses plus importantes que le soccer. Nous lui souhaitons un rétablissement complet et rapide, et aujourd’hui, je pense que nous sommes tous du même côté. »

Le CCSG souhaite également transmettre ses pensées à Kyle Bekker et à sa famille face à cette épreuve, et nous avons hâte de l’affronter sur le terrain une fois son rétablissement complété.

Mejia a ensuite été interrogé sur l’ambiance lors du tout premier match à domicile du Supra :

«L’ambiance est incroyable, l’équipe est incroyable, le modèle est incroyable, le stade — nous sommes en PLC  — et tout est incroyable… En parlant uniquement du terrain et des tribunes, c’est fantastique. Je veux revenir et jouer davantage de matchs dans cet environnement.  »

Cependant, tout n’était pas rose, puisqu’il a décrit une invasion de jeunes enfants dans le vestiaire avant le coup d’envoi et, de manière compréhensible, il espère que Supra parviendra à peaufiner les petits défis liés au lancement d’une nouvelle franchise.

Sur le déroulement du match, la rencontre a suivi la tendance observée depuis le début de la saison : Ottawa a dominé la possession, mais a eu de la difficulté à percer la défense adverse, tout en se faisant souvent surprendre en contre-attaque. Pour la première fois de façon marquée cette saison, Mejia a reconnu la qualité technique de l’adversaire et a admis que son équipe avait pris « quelques mauvaises décisions », menant à des contre-attaques rapides de l’autre côté. Il a toutefois réitéré qu’il assumait pleinement cette approche de jeu, expliquant ce qu’il est prêt à concéder pour garder le contrôle du match.

Quant au match lui-même, il a globalement suivi la tendance de cette saison, Ottawa dominant la possession, mais peinant à se montrer dangereux face au bloc défensif du Supra, tout en étant puni sur des contre-attaques rapides. Pour la première fois de la saison, Mejía a reconnu la qualité de l’adversaire dans la gestion du ballon et a admis que son équipe avait pris « de mauvaises décisions », ce qui a mené à des transitions rapides de l’autre côté. Cela dit, il a réaffirmé que c’est ainsi qu’il souhaite jouer, montrant ce qu’il est prêt à sacrifier pour contrôler le rythme du match.

L’entraîneur des Rojiblancos a également tenu à souligner la performance du gardien de but titulaire et l’Homme du match, Garissone Innocent. Auteur de 10 arrêts, il a ainsi obtenu son premier blanchissage de l’année, maintenant son équipe dans le match jusqu’au but vainqueur d’Ottawa en fin de rencontre.

Ce but décisif a été inscrit par le défenseur central Tyr Duhaney‑Walker , qui disputait ce jour-là son 50^e match professionnel. Son but en toute fin de rencontre, celui qui a permis d’arracher les trois points, était aussi le premier de sa carrière. Il a rejoint Mejia devant les médias par la suite.

Ses premières questions portaient sur ses impressions du match :

« C’est un sentiment incroyable de remporter notre première victoire de la saison. L’ambiance ici était bonne, c’est près d’Ottawa, donc on a une belle rivalité avec les supporters, et je suis heureux d’avoir obtenu la victoire... On n’a pas commencé la saison comme on l’espérait. C’est une bonne manière de remonter le moral de l’équipe, de montrer nos ambitions pour le reste de la saison et d’avancer positivement à partir de maintenant. »

Plusieurs observateurs estiment qu’une rivalité entre le FC Supra et l’Atlético Ottawa pourrait émerger, en raison de leur proximité géographique pour les supporteurs en déplacement ainsi que de la rivalité générale entre Ottawa et le Québec dans d’autres sports. Bien entendu, cela prendra du temps à se développer et à s’installer, mais cela n’empêche pas la ligue et les médias de pousser ce récit autant que possible. Dans ce contexte, les deux dernières questions adressées à Duhaney-Walker portaient sur la relation entre les deux clubs et leurs sentiments l’un envers l’autre.

« Ça va être une bonne rivalité, surtout parce que nous avons beaucoup de joueurs originaires de la province également. Le simple fait que les gens ici se connaissent ajoute un peu plus d’intensité dans chaque duel et chaque défi… maintenant, nous avons les [droits de vantardise]. »

Ce match a également marqué la première sortie de la saison pour le CCSG qui a enregistré une affluence record pour un tel voyage ! Mejía a conclu son point de presse en faisant référence au soutien des supporteurs en déplacement et au prochain match d’ouverture à domicile.

« Nos supporteurs nous manquent, notre stade nous manque, le soleil nous manque ! Nous avons besoin de jouer un match au soleil, s’il vous plaît. J’espère que dimanche prochain, nous jouerons dans les meilleures conditions de toute la ligue. »

Vous pouvez contribuer à créer cette ambiance en venant à la Place TD ce dimanche 26 avril à 13h, alors que l’Atléti affrontera le Vancouver FC. VAMOS !

About Alexander:

When he isn't busy playing or watching sports (or going to school), Alexander is managing his Atlético Ottawa database, which he started in 2020, and tracks everything you can think of about the club and its players. He also runs a BlueSky account dedicated to analyzing and rating CPL and NSL players using statistics, CPL by the Numbers.

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Forward Press, covering the press conferences bracketing Ottawa’s 3-1 loss away to Cavalry on April 12th! Before we begin, a quick state of the union: Starting last week, the club has begun publishing the quotes from each press conference on their website, which should be hailed as a victory for the free press. It certainly makes our jobs a lot easier over here at CCSG, but does pose a fundamental dilemma for the future of The Forward Press. This project began as almost the sole bulk publisher of the remarks from the press conferences, but now with the club putting the record out in full, it has seemingly become redundant. 

However, I hope to keep The Forward Press working as an independent fan source in the media sphere, combining the quotes with an overview of the match that occurred during the week to provide context to the sound bites (text bites?), similar to the format last season. This will allow us to remain a voice in the press conferences to ask questions the fans want to know answers to and ensure that we make the most of the clubs shift in publications. The quotes pulled from the conferences will be choosier, and the entire transcript will be linked for your own perusal. 

That being said, Mejia joined the media late last week to discuss what was a flat loss to Forge on opening weekend, ahead of their trip to Calgary (the full quotes can be found here): https://www.cplsoccer.com/atleticoottawa/news/every-word-from-diego-s-pre-cavalry-press-conference.

Mejia began with fielding a question about the need to improve following their 2-0 loss to Forge: 

“It was a weird match, and I am pretty happy with the performance. We need to be more aggressive. We are creating new patterns for our players…we are on a good pathway right now. We need a little bit more time, but we are going to create something special for this year.”

An understandable position, given it was their first match of the season, following a topsy-turvy pre-season new to players and staff alike, with two brief training windows sandwiching a pair of games against Nashville which basically amounted to a trial by fire. 

He also touched upon what was the biggest talking point following the loss, the complete lack of shot attempts, dismissing it with the statistic that Forge only generated one shot attempt from open play, and the remaining nine coming from set pieces. While true, and bound to improve, their first shot on target against Cavalry only came after seventy-odd minutes of play, even with the lion's share of possession (Atleti was once again outshot on the whole). They did manage to score one however, an improvement from the blank last week, and we will see how Ottawa plays against teams that aren’t such tough outs as Cavalry and Forge. 

Another question broached the subject of Football Video Support (FVS), another hot topic following what has been a generally lackluster debut for the technology, with long delays, select angles for review, and opaque rationales for decisions. Mejia was clear that he doesn’t want to use the cards because they take a lot of time, and that the players should be able to play with fewer stoppages that interrupt momentum. However, he will intervene when necessary when he believes the calls are incorrect. 

As for injuries, Mejia had this to say: “We recovered some players. The only player that isn't available is Ralph Khoury; he suffered [discomfort] in his abductor, but I have all the other players available to play.”, as well as the fact that Innocent is also back in training, but starting on the bench for the time being (whether he is still nursing a knock is unclear). The ongoing injuries to Loic Cloutier and Richie Ennin were not mentioned, neither was the fact that Roni Mbomio is still unavailable due to his visa issues (likely a standing absence until we hear news otherwise). 

The game itself was played on hard, cold turf, in often blowing snow, as Mejia selected an almost unchanged XI from last week, with the exception of Timoteo slotting in for Aguilar and drawing into Left Wing as Antinoro moved to CAM. Cavalry struck twice within twenty minutes through Klomp and Paton, and then again in the 67th from Ntignee. Ottawa was stifled offensively until late, when Habibullah came off the bench and scored a consolation with two minutes to go in normal time. Like last week, they dominated possession but were restricted to zero shots until almost three-quarters of the game had gone, showing a general lack of offensive chemistry going forward, not to mention a frailty at the back. Meijia opened his post-match press conference by defending his team (the full quotes are here - https://www.cplsoccer.com/atleticoottawa/news/antinoro-and-atleti-don-t-care-abot-the-noise-post-cavalry):

“Possession is the way that I choose to play, but it's not possession for the sake of possession. It's the way I choose to create opportunities…it's the way I feel the game…It's normal to start like this. We changed half the roster, so it's normal. I'm happy with the way my team competes. We need to work more and have more time with the new players to create something special.” 

Putting aside the understandable frustration at an impotent attack, Mejia raises a good point – Ottawa had to rebuild their roster almost entirely after their success last season. By my count, they signed 12 new players for this season, accounting for two of the starters this week and four substitutes, and lost 13 through retirement, the expiry of loans, or releases. This is a staggering turnover, certainly more than Cavalry or Forge, two teams that can expect roster continuity year over year (although no other team seems to enjoy this luxury). While one obviously hopes chemistry will improve, and sooner rather than later, possession-based approaches take time to implement with new players, and certainly paid dividends last season, so we will have to wait and see whether it can work again without some of our premier goal-scorers from 2025.

Anitnoro joined his manager in facing the media, and was asked about the frustration of the opening two games: 

“It's obviously frustrating because we're used to winning and we always want to win. The most important thing for us is how we play. Half the roster has changed, and it takes a while to understand and get into the groove of how we played last year...

We know the areas we need to improve…We know what we have to do. We have the belief in the system and believe in each other. It's two games into the season, and there are 26 games left. We know we're going to figure it out, we know we have to improve, and we'll be ready for next Sunday.”

In a follow-up: “Offensively, we need to create more. We have to make fewer mistakes. We have to play simple. It all comes from believing in the system and from everyone being on the same page. Once that starts, we are all going to be playing better, and the results will start to come.”

There were also some echoes of last season, of their us-versus-them mentality:

“People on the outside don't think we are going to do the same thing as last year, but we really don't care about the outside. As long as the people who are in the Family, who are together, believe in this process, we know we're going to be okay.”

Admirable fighting words, and one hopes they portend well for the future. Up next, Ottawa travels to La Belle Province for their first tilt against Supra, at 2PM, Sunday April 19th, and CCSG will be right along with them for our first road-trip of the season! VAMOS!

About Alexander:

When he isn't busy playing or watching sports (or going to school), Alexander is managing his Atlético Ottawa database, which he started in 2020, and tracks everything you can think of about the club and its players. He also runs a BlueSky account dedicated to analyzing and rating CPL and NSL players using statistics, CPL by the Numbers.

The wait is over. A new Canadian Premier League season has officially kicked off with a marquee clash between the two 2025 champions: Atlético Ottawa (North Star Cup) and Forge FC (CPL Shield). ATO began their campaign on the road by travelling to Hamilton, but were defeated 2-0 as Forge capitalized on two set pieces to secure all three points in the league’s opening game of the year.

Head coach Diego Mejía opted for a largely familiar starting XI, maintaining as much continuity as possible from last season. With four players sidelined through injury (Loic Cloutier, Garrisone Innocent, Richie Ennin and Ralph Khoury) and Roni Mbomio still unavailable due to a visa issue, Ottawa fielded a lineup closely resembling last year’s core. Only three new faces broke into the starting eleven for the first time in the CPL: Daniel Aguilar, Erling Myklebust, and Tristan Crampton. Notably, Crampton made his professional debut in this match, and later joined Mejía in the post-match press conference.

Crampton didn’t offer much reflection on his debut between the sticks for Atlético Ottawa, but the young goalkeeper was candid in assessing his performance. While he acknowledged the value of learning from Nathan Ingham last season (who has since moved on to Cavalry FC), his focus remained on the positives of his play. He highlighted a handful of saves and his passing as strong points in his game. He also spoke to the penalty conceded, striking a similarly measured but positive tone: “We’ll learn from the situation,” he said. “It’s the first match, there [were] a lot of good things after this moment, and I don’t think that moment reflects the team’s game or my game.”

On the pitch, Atlético Ottawa controlled possession for long stretches but struggled to transition into the final third, failing to register a single shot attempt. Both Crampton and Mejía pointed out the lack of threat in the final third as an area for improvement moving forward, with Mejía likening this to players still learning his system, which they will better understand the more matches they play. Overall, the gaffer was candid about the team’s need for continued improvement, which will come with more games. Despite the result, he was not concerned, stating, “You cannot win the trophy right now and you cannot lose [it] as well,” and expressed strong confidence that his team will “win a lot of matches this year,” a familiar sentiment he asserted last season. 

Meanwhile, Forge FC capitalized on two set pieces, scoring once from the penalty spot and again via a controversial corner sequence involving a handball. Despite registering 10 shots, only four were on target, reinforcing Crampton’s assessment of his backline. He praised his defence for limiting the damage, noting that Forge “didn’t have a lot of shots on goal . . . most of the shots they got were off target . . . we did well to limit the damage . . . [and] we nullified most of it.” Though he did mention the need to work on defending set pieces.

Finally, the match also introduced two significant rule changes: the daylight offside rule and the implementation of Football Video Support (FVS) challenges. Both added an extra layer of intrigue and complexity to the game and became a focal point in the press conference.

Neither Crampton nor Mejía felt the new offside rule affected the team’s performance or playing style. Crampton offered his perspective, stating that he “...didn’t see a huge difference” on the pitch, but added that they might see more on the video. Mejía echoed the sentiment, explaining that the offside rule doesn’t affect ATO as he plays his centre backs high on the pitch. He did go on to add an afterthought that “...maybe in the set pieces you need to defend a little bit different.”  

With Forge scoring both goals from set pieces, it was evident that the new offside rule may require some strategic defensive adjustments from the red-and-white stripes. The team struggled when challenged close to their net, though those difficulties may also be partly explained by the controversial FVS reviews that occurred in the lead-up to both goals.

Crampton was first to address the introduction of FVS, offering little on the subject and making it clear that such decisions fall outside a player’s immediate focus. He emphasized that anything relating to video review is left to the coaching staff. Instead, players are concentrating on their roles within the match: “...you’re focused on playing your system, playing well, and performing”. However, the ATO gaffer was much less reserved when providing his perspective on the new system.

It’s well known in the CPL that there has been disappointment regarding inconsistent refereeing in past seasons, so Mejía was quick to clarify that FVS allows coaches the opportunity to challenge the game, not the referees’ decisions. He went on to explain that both his challenges came down to rule interpretation. In one case, a dangerous high kick occurred next to a player’s face, which should still result in an indirect free kick even without contact; in the second, a goal following any handball―intentional or not―should be disallowed.

Unfortunately for ATO, neither of these rules were applied, which resulted in both goals against them. Mejía finished his point adding, “The problem is not about the challenge, the problem is the rules. We need to know the rules.” This was a pointed statement underscoring the need for consistent officiating in the league, and we can only hope that with the introduction of the FVS, more consistent calls will follow, or at the very least, that officials will be held more accountable for how rules are interpreted and applied.

Overall, Mejía showed support for both changes and offered a positive perspective, adding, “I am not the guy who choose[s] the rules, I am the guy that needs to adapt the rules . . . I see this like [an] opportunity to grow as a coach, [and] it’s going to give me more tools for the future.”

Overall, Diego Mejía and Tristan Crampton remained optimistic despite the result, expressing confidence that the squad has the quality to succeed this season as they adapt to the new group dynamic. Crampton offered his perspective on what needed work ahead of the next game stating in French: “Offensively, we definitely want to create more chances, and that’s something we’re going to work on in training. We’ll try to generate more shots on goal. Defensively, we’ll also work on our set pieces – that’s something we learned today and will keep pushing to improve.”

On the other hand, Mejía spoke of his trust in his players and how he is working on developing a model of play based on his players’ skills. Much like last season, he has confidence in his team and believes they will do well this season―well enough for him to boldly state the team will “score one more goal than the rivals [for] the rest of the season”. With such a confident prediction, only time will tell if the gaffer is able to keep his word. Luckily, we won’t have long to wait as Atlético Ottawa look to respond and improve on this first result during their next match away at ATCO Stadium on April 12^th against Cavalry FC. 

About the author:

C.D. Girard (she/her/elle) discovered Atlético Ottawa during their 2023 season and has been a loyal fan ever since. A long-time admirer of the sport, she first began playing football at the age of seven and most looks forward to international competitions, supporting both Canada and the Netherlands. 

The final five players of this roster breakdown are here! As a refresher, this series covers the statistical impact of each Atlético Ottawa player, going over their strengths and weaknesses based on their underlying numbers, their overall grade (based on my analytics model, a summary of which is available here), a few of my thoughts, and their contract situation next year. For those who missed the previous instalments, they can be viewed here (Part 1), here (Part 2), here (Part 3), and here (Part 4). At the end of the piece is the overall ranking table. Enjoy!

#5 - Ballou Tabla (CAM, 72.4 WPA)

This was a tremendous bounce-back season for Ballou Tabla, playing a role akin to a second striker or a CAM rather than his typical winger. This allowed him a lot more freedom to select his route of attack, and of course bouncing off of the most talented player in league history, David Rodríguez, did not hurt his impact either. His goals mostly came from the penalty spot, including one muffed attempt that he bundled in after the goalie saved it, but he did contribute during open play with his assists. He drew a lot of fouls, was a more consistent dribbler than last year, and, as usual, did not contribute much on the defensive side of the ball. While perhaps not at his scintillating 2022 form, Tabla was certainly a force up top and was an ever-present starter for Ottawa this season. 

Contract Status for 2026: Under Contract, through 2026

With his brilliant form and coming off a title win, it is no surprise that Tabla is generating some transfer buzz, though more from teams at level rather than a step up—Supra anyone? Any team would have to pay a fee, so perhaps that dims the interest slightly, given his age and inconsistent form, but only time will tell. If he can produce at the same pace as last season in 2026, with both his front-three partners gone, he will be an extremely valuable asset, but that is not guaranteed, given his history.

#4: Monty Patterson (ST, 75.4 WPA)

Sample sizes can make one goal and one assist in fewer than 200 minutes look like prime R9, so pardon the high ranking here. I think most ATO fans expected Patterson to play a slightly larger role this season, but with Sam Salter’s form, frankly, there was no room for him. He played his part as a spark plug off the bench for the most part, but is clearly on the hunt for a different fit and more play time, given the recent news that his contract had been terminated by mutual agreement. I enjoyed having him as a closer option off the bench, and we wish him well in his future endeavours. 

#3 - Juan ‘Coque’ Castro (CM, 77.6 WPA)

Up until this past season, Ottleti had never had a truly competent midfield—it was the history of the Ottawa. That started to change with the addition of Alberto Zapater, and then again Manny Aparicio, and then absolutely with Coque’s signing in the winter. While Aparicio was decent last season, he was a bit all over the place without a reliable partner, and the Mexican Maestro changed that. While his statistical impact wasn’t all that sexy, with his best stats being his distribution and nothing else too high up, it was the reliability behind Aparicio and his leadership that really transformed our midfield pivot into by far the best in the league, and possibly in the history of the Canadian top flight. 

Contract Status for 2026: Under Contract, through 2026

I think it was a no-brainer to activate his option, and I’m happy to see the club has done so. Ottawa would have been remiss not to make sure he returns for what will be another stellar season in the nation’s capital, and even Champions League action in February!

#2: Manny Aparicio (CM, 81.2 WPA)

As the second in our pivot this season (and heavily alluded to in the previous section) at number two is the heartbeat of the Ottawa midfield, the bulldog Manny Aparicio—he was everywhere on the pitch for ATO this season and contributed positively in basically every aspect of play. Nothing particularly stands out in his statistical profile, but that’s because almost every statistic is a positive when accounting for both volume and rate, something he had struggled with previously. His one glaring negative trait was his tendency to give away more fouls than he drew, but as an enthusiastic tackler on a team that fouled mainly to stop counters—as most top teams do—I would not count that against him. 

Contract Status for 2026: Option

Like for Castro before him, I think not activating his option would be a fireable offence for whoever makes that decision. Aparicio showed tremendous growth in a system that relied on consistent and energetic midfield play, and given that Mejía is back for another year, it is safe to assume he will replicate a similar season next year.

#1 - David Rodríguez (CAM, 81.3 WPA)

Moses, DR7, DRod. The fact that Rodríguez accumulated at least three sobriquets this season is a testament to the transcendent talent that he is and the heroic impact he had on the field for Ottawa this season. Frankly, it is a waste of words to describe him, as any fan who watched even a single game of his knows what a monster he was for us. It is even less worthwhile to dwell on the minutiae of his statistical impact, because frankly, it trivializes his generational season, one that will almost certainly go down as one of the best in league history, from a player who is undoubtedly one of the most talented ever to wear a jersey with a CPL logo.  

Within a day of the final, Rodríguez was jet-setting off to talk to MLS teams, given that his contract is up with not just Ottawa, but also Atlético San Luis, his parent club. It is safe to say he will not be returning to the nation’s capital next season, but he might make an appearance AGAINST us if he signs with the team that we get drawn against in the Champions League. Wouldn’t that be a treat, eh?

And that wraps up the list, highlighting some of the best single-season performances in ATO history! The final rankings are listed below, and aside from a few surprises, I do think it is a fair reflection of most players’ individual seasons this year. I would also like to extend a big shoutout to my editor, who put up with my misuse of em-dashes and lack of accents! Until next time!

In this fourth and penultimate installment of the 2025 ATO roster breakdown, players #10 through #6 will be ranked! As a refresher, this series covers the statistical impact of each member of the Atlético Ottawa roster, going over their strengths and weaknesses based on their underlying numbers, their overall grade (based on my analytics model, a summary of which is available here), a few of my thoughts, and their contract situation next year. For those who missed the previous installments, they can be viewed here (Part 1), here (Part 2), and here (Part 3). At the end of the piece is the overall ranking table. Enjoy!

#10 - Tyr Duhaney-Walker (CB, 67.9 WPA)

Of the four youngsters who vied for starting spots on the backline (five with Mbomio), Duhaney-Walker was the one who graded out the best, but who most often sat on the pine. It is possible that these rankings are a product of the small sample size, but even last year, when he had a larger role, he scored just as well. I am sure I was not the only one who might have appreciated him getting some more looks. His dueling was only slightly above average, but he graded out well everywhere else and distributed the ball extremely well. 

Contract Status in 2026: Out of Contract

Personally, I would love to have him back next season, especially with all the transfer rumours swirling about pretty much every other member of our young defensive core. With enough game time, I think the sky is the limit for this kid, so having him back on a long-term contract and then profiting off a future sale should definitely be the plan.

#9 - Kevin dos Santos (WM, 70.0 WPA)

While there is nothing particularly flashy about dos Santos’ statistical spread, he performed well all around, as expected from a consistent starter in a hybrid winger/full-back role. His best ranks came from his crossing and chance creation, but he also rated well in tackling and dribbling. He wasn’t the largest contributor behind the ball or in duelling, but made up for it going forward. Dos Santos preferred to attack the goal with his dribbling or with a cross, which is a trait he's had since his Inter York 9 days, so his through-pass ranks were pretty mediocre for a winger, but he still showed up offensively. 

Contract Status in 2026: Out of  Contract

Another year of dos Santos will definitely not go amiss. Still relatively young, this was his first full season back from a late-season return from injury in 2024, so now with his feet under him and proven comfortable in Mejía’s system, 2026 would surely prove a good one for him.

#8: Aboubacar Sissoko (CM, 71.0 WPA)

The odd man out from last year’s midfield with the addition of Castro, Sissoko served more of a utility/swiss-army-knife type role under Mejía in 2025. With limited minutes—almost exclusively off the bench—he played as a midfielder (both defensive and offensive), a wingback, and even once as a centre-back. Statistically, his numbers reflect that small sample size; however, he did rank well in drawing fouls, but the rest shows the ups and downs of someone who only played a handful of minutes each game and in multiple positions. That being said, he was responsible for that goal-line clearance in the Final, so no matter what he has bought himself free drinks for life in Ottawa.

Contract Status in 2026: Out of Contract

Like Duhaney-Walker, I would love to have Sissoko back for next year. I thought he played his part admirably off the bench, but the question remains whether he wants another season like that. He has never really had a concrete starting role during his time in Ottawa, and frankly not during most of his time in the CPL outside of one season with Forge, so he might look for greener grass somewhere else–Supra, anyone?

#7: Alberto Zapater (CDM, 71.3 WPA)

El Toro started his career with a trophy in sunny Spain and ended it with a trophy in snowy Ottawa. This season didn’t reach the highs of his previous two seasons in the capital, with him mostly coming off the bench to close out crucial games, but like Sissoko he played his role to perfection. His higher ranking comes mostly from his small-sample-inflated scores in ball distribution, something he has always performed well in, and like Sissoko, he shows a lot of ups and downs in his other ranks. A Zaragoza legend retiring in Ottawa is something odes will be written about, and we are eternally grateful he chose us to perform his swan song with. 

#6: Samuel Salter (ST, 72.0 WPA)

Before my house gets burned down in retaliation, Sam Salter was absolutely the best striker in the CPL this season, and can be argued as the best goal-scorer in league history—period. My model ranks performances on a rate basis, so someone playing slightly better in fewer minutes will get boosted above someone who appeared in almost every minute possible this season, even if the latter did put up monster counting stats and broke every scoring record possible. I think the biggest thing to take away from this profile is not the scoring metrics, which we know to be slightly deflated, but the general outline of his game—he was used more like an out-an-out striker this season in Mejía’s system and had to do less build-up work himself. However, when he was called upon to do so, he improved his distribution success rates from last year, and, even if the stats don’t suggest marked improvement in his duelling, I thought he excelled at bringing the ball down with his back to goal and laying it off for an onrushing Ballou Tabla or David Rodríguez, something he didn’t attempt as much as I would have liked in previous seasons, nor something he was good at when he did.

His monster season earned him a pre-contract agreement with GAIS in the Swedish first tier, where he will be plying his trade alongside Matteo de Brienne in European continental competition no less! For the first time in Ottawa history, we had an explosive striker capable of linking up with his peers, and it very tangibly paid off, both for him and us fans. All hail the Salt Bae, we thank you for your service and wish you the best of luck!

And with those last two soldiers leaving us in 2026, that wraps up Part 4 of this roster breakdown. The last article should be coming out next week, and while you may know who is included, the final order will be revealed then! Toodles!

Welcome to part three of a five-part series breaking down the 2025 Atlético Ottawa roster! In parts one and two, the first eight players were ranked in descending order based on their WPA, an all-encompassing metric designed to quantify a player’s on-field impact. The methodology for that is broken down here, and if you missed the previous two articles, part one is here, and part two is here. As usual, each player is accompanied by a small blurb detailing how their season went, both statistically and aesthetically, their contract status for 2026, and, if their contract is up in the air, a little recommendation.  The final rankings are put in a table at the end of the article for easy digestion. With that out of the way, vamos!

#15: Noah Abatneh - CB (60.1 WPA)

Like Sergei Kozlovskiy before him, and Loïc Cloutier after him, Abatneh is partially carried by his admittedly great passing numbers. However, one must take into consideration that a lot of those were sideways and backwards, evidenced by his good-but-not-great through-ball stats. He ranked fairly well in defensive “desperation” actions—blocks and clearances—but only ok everywhere else. Of course, a lot should be said for putting up these types of numbers at such a young age, something that applies to all of his compatriots on the back line, and he has improved since last year when he suited up for York9—I mean York United—I mean Inter Toronto. 

Contract Status in 2026: Option, presumably a club option

Like seemingly every single other youngster on the roster, Abatneh is attracting interest from larger clubs—in this case, CF Montréal and Atlanta United of the MLS. If either of these manifests, Ottawa will not receive any transfer money. But if they don’t, Atleti will almost certainly activate his option and bring him back for one more year, where if he keeps improving all aspects of his game, he will be a force to be reckoned with. 

#14: Loïc Cloutier - CB (60.5 WPA)

Cloutier presented almost the exact same profile as Abatneh, with good passing and alright defensive stats, but he was a better tackler, giving him the slight edge. He was a little more defensively minded than Abatneh, but offered a little less going forward, so overall he graded out about the same, which again is a credit to him, given his age. 

Contract Status in 2026: Under contract, with an option for 2027

Cloutier has been marked for transfer speculation, but as of yet has had no concrete rumours on a destination. Thankfully, he would rank as one of the few to give Ottawa a fee; if not, he will still grow tremendously with another year at this level.

#13: Gabriel Antinoro - WM (62.1)

Like with Coulanges, the wingers in Mejía’s system graded fairly strangely, so pardon the metrics and score being so mediocre given a season many would class as tremendous. Antinoro was everywhere in 2025, although as demonstrated by the distribution of statistics, mostly focused on the offensive side of the game. He didn’t show many weaknesses, aside from his duelling (a given with his stature) and long ball metrics, and he ranked above average in basically every other category. Antinoro did not grade out well last season, and it shows that Mejía has really rounded out his game on both sides of the ball.

Contract Status in 2026: Under contract through 2027

If you took a drink every time an Ottawa U21 player gained transfer looks you’d be in the hospital for alcohol poisoning, and Antinoro would have contributed to that. It has been reported that he has drawn interest from Toronto FC in the MLS, which like all of his compatriots, would be a huge career move for him. I don’t know what his future holds, but of course selfishly I would love to have him back next year patrolling the flanks in the CONCACAF Champions Cup and in our title defence.

#12: Roni Mbomio - CB (62.2 WPA)

In the words of Kanye West, a figure totally devoid of controversy I am sure (and just imagine I am singing this with perfect tune), “He’s done miracles on me.” Mbomio came in on what was effectively an emergency loan from Atlético Madrid and saved our season when we had no other CB options, slotting immediately into the back line only a few days after he arrived in Canada. His passing and ball progression were excellent, he duelled well when called upon, recovered the ball, and chipped in defensively as well. If he had played the entire season he might have even replaced Espejo in the shrine I have set up for ATM CB loanees. 

Contract Status in 2026: Loan presumably will expire

They tell you not to fall in love with loanees, but here we are again. It has emerged recently that Mbomio is training with the Atleti first team, a massive step for the kid. After his international debut with Equatorial Guinea, I look forward to tracking his career progression after what was a gift from God sending him here to win a title.

#11: Brett Levis - LB/CB (67.2 WPA)

Brett Levis was so much more than he needed to be for Ottawa’s back line this season. Levis was one of the best LBs in the history of the league when he left Valour for better things, but came back after a bit of career stagnation in the USL to be a veteran depth option at the position. Unfortunately, Mejía’s system precluded the use of conventional full-backs, and since Levis was not necessarily up for a winger role, he slotted in at CB instead—and performed tremendously when called upon when no other options were available after not being in the squad for a stretch. He was involved in every defensive action, and his rate stats are excellent across the board, in an admittedly small sample. He was also tremendous at moving the ball forward, something I’m sure was highly valued by the coaching staff. While not exactly the role most envisioned him in, he proved a key cog in the Ottleti title-winning machine.

Contract Status in 2026: Under contract

I’m not sure what next year will have in store for him. Given rumours that our backline might be decimated by transfers, perhaps he will have a bigger role as a full-time CB, but he might also play a depth role again once some replacements are brought in. Time will tell, but I have every confidence in him to fulfill any task he’s given.

That’s it for what was a defensive-heavy article—most would agree our defence was largely average this season, and the model agrees. Up next are mostly midfielders and forwards, always the most exciting players to analyze (for most). Enjoy!

Welcome back to part two of the five-part series in which the 2025 ATO roster is broken down analytically! Following the first part, wherein some comically low sample sizes were analyzed (available to read here), this next edition dives into the mushy “meh” part of the roster, with a few smaller sample sizes and a few surprises. As always, if you are new to this series, or would like a refresher on the methodology, the introduction to statistics is linked here. And as a final reminder, each player will be statistically analyzed briefly, with a few comments on their eye test and a reminder of their contract situation. If they are up in the air for 2026, a recommendation will be given. Allons-y!

#20: Sergei Kozlovskiy - CB (53.7 WPA)

I think this is a fair assessment of Kozlovskiy’s season. As a high-schooler playing his first professional season, he was bound to experience bumps in the road, and he did—notably his duelling and discipline, which is to be expected for someone his age. What carried him was his passing, especially his short passing, which is a given for any ATO player working under Mejía, but also his long passing, a strength the coaching staff used early in the season to exploit the opponent over-committing on one side. These low scores are to be expected given his age and inexperience, so I was not too shocked to see them. 

2026 Contract Status: Unknown, possibly under Contract through 2026 at least.

It was recently reported that Kozlovskiy has received interest from MLS and Europe, so if he leaves Ottawa it will be for better things—it is also possible this would generate transfer revenue. However, if his suitors choose not to snap him up, both he and the club would benefit from one or two more years of development in the CPL.

#19: Noah Verhoeven - CM (54.5 WPA)

Verhoeven was, for all intents and purposes, a non-factor in this year’s team. A semi-regular starter in 2023, and on loan to Valour in 2024, even with a coaching change, his star continued to fall. He was stuck behind every other midfield option on the depth chart, a quandary not aided by the fact Mejía only ran with two options in his 3-4-3. In his very limited minutes he showed decent passing, always a strength of his, and alright tackling, but not much else of substance.

2026 Contract Status: Out of Contract

Unfortunately, while still young, I don’t think Verhoeven has shown enough to re-sign him for a fourth year. 

#18: Joaquim Coulanges - WM (55.5 WPA)

One unfortunate consequence of Mejía’s 3-5-2 is that the wide players don’t really fit into any mold I have ready for them—they contribute too much on defence to be considered true wingers, but also bomb forwards too often to be considered fullbacks. I made an executive decision and placed all our wide players as wingers this year, which had a generally negative impact on their WPA. As a result, I’d concentrate on the underlying metrics more for these players, Coulanges included, who, mind you, also had a relatively small sample size, one I might even consider too small for proper analysis. Nevertheless, his up-and-down numbers come out a little in the wash when aggregated, but he showed flashes of dynamism on the wing this season. Signed initially to be a defensive wing-back, he proved very able going forward, and he has bags of potential at only 19 years old.

2026 Contract Status: Signed through 2026, with options for 2027 and 2028. 

#17: Amer Didić - CB (56.0 WPA)

Didić’s season was ruined after only four matches due to a season-ending leg injury, so he didn’t have the time to put up the monster numbers we are accustomed to seeing, on top of obviously not being able to marshall the defence made up mostly of babies. I think this one is pretty self-explanatory.

2026 Contract Status: Out of Contract

It’s a no-brainer to say that Ottawa should sign him back for next year; however, with his recent injury and winning a title, one could be forgiven for wondering whether he might hang up the boots after this season. We will have to wait and see.

#17: Kevin Ortega - CDM (56.3 WPA)

Another extremely small sample size, given the locked-in XI we saw week-in-week-out under Mejía in 2025. Ortega was technically a CDM, but also saw action as a more attack-minded midfielder, so his metrics are a little all over the place. 

2026 Contract Status: Loan presumably at an end.

I think at the start of the season most fans probably thought we’d see more of Ortega this year, but with the generational midfield duo ahead of him, it was hard to break into the starting lineup. There are no guarantees, but it’s likely we’ve also seen the last of him, which is a little unfortunate, as he showed to be a reliable option off the bench, if only to close out games.

That wraps up part two of this breakdown! Probably a little less analysis than usual, there wasn’t much to say on these guys, to be honest—they played their part. This also ends the collection of players who ranked below average this season, and given there are 15 players left to rank, I think that’s pretty good! Until next time!

About Alexander:

When he isn't busy playing or watching sports (or going to school at uOttawa), Alexander is busy managing his Atlético Ottawa database, which he started in 2020, and tracks everything you can think of about the club and its players. He also runs a Twitter account dedicated to analyzing and rating CPL players using statistics, CPL by the Numbers.

Welcome to this year’s edition of the article series that bums everyone out because their favourite player doesn’t have enough blue boxes! To be completely honest, I delayed finishing up all the stats work I had lined up because I wanted to coast on the high of the final just that little bit longer, and to keep pretending that every player who suited up for ATO this year was perfect and God’s gift to mankind, but alas I have a job to do.

As a refresher, my work can be summarized concisely thusly: it is a ranking system that looks at the statistical impact of all CPL players in a given season, comparing them to each other and their positional peers to determine who performed well or poorly, and what the dimensions of their impact were. While that description is a little esoteric, I have written an entire article breaking down the process, linked here, which goes into much more detail about what goes into the model and what the numbers represent. I highly recommend checking that piece out if you are new to my work, as all the numbers can be a little overwhelming. It also talks about the inherent biases of advanced analytics. 

Like last year, this series will present a reverse ranking of all the ATO players this year, based on their overall and adjusted WPA, or Weighted Percentile Average score. There were 25 outfield players who logged minutes this year; however, two have been excluded from this list as they had too small a sample size to effect a proper analysis–Jason Hartill (three whole minutes!) and Richie Ennin. Each article will feature five players (except the first, which will have three), to make a total of five articles. Alongside the graphs, I will include a little summary of which stats jumped out at me, a few aesthetic thoughts, and an overview of their contract situation in 2026. If a player’s status is uncertain, I’ll give my thoughts as to what the club should do. A summary of the rankings is included at the bottom of every article. With that out of the way, and a reminder that no matter how much orange there is on a player’s card, they’re still a CPL champion (!)–let’s get started!

#23 - Jean-Aniel Assi (Winger/Wing-Back, 31.2 WPA)

As with all three inclusions in this article, Assi had a comically small sample size, so these numbers don’t really mean much–few minutes leading to statistical extremes. You could maybe say he was a good dribbler, but that’s about it. You might remember he played for Ottawa in 2023, and when he did he was a decent chance creator, but woeful just about everywhere else. His crossing and general distribution had room to improve, as well as his defensive metrics when he played at Wing-Back. By the time he suits up for Atleti in 2026, it will have been two full years of growth, so we will hopefully see lots of improvement from him in a larger sample. 

2026 Contract Status: Signed through 2027, with an option for 2028.

#22 - Ralph Khoury (Forward, 32.0 WPA)

Small sample size, statistical extremes, etc., etc. but I am shocked that his duelling and tackling rank so high for a player this young–usually they score very poorly in that regard. I will say that I liked the flashes that Khoury showed in his few cameos, bringing a youthful energy and spark to the team in late-game situations. He is under contract for some time, so he has lots of runway with which to work and show his talent in more minutes.

2026 Contract Status: Signed through 2027 as an Exceptional Young Talent, with options for 2028 AND 2029.

#21 - Antonio Álvarez (CAM/WB, 32.4 WPA)

On loan from Club América, Álvarez was brought in late in the season with the intention to fill two holes in the squad–the depth options at CAM behind Ballou Tabla and David Rodríguez, and at WB behind Gabriel Antinoro and Kevin dos Santos. Unfortunately, Álvarez got injured after his third appearance and did not lace them up again, making his loan spell a disappointing one. As with Khoury, I liked his few stints, and his time with ATO will be one of unfulfilled promise. 

2026 Contract Status: Loan presumably at an end.

That does it for this article, as we got the really small samples out of the way, and prepared for the next four articles, nicely balanced at five players apiece. The next article, breaking down players #20-16, will be out in the coming days, and there will be at least one surprise! See you then!

About Alexander:

When he isn't busy playing or watching sports (or going to school at uOttawa), Alexander is managing his Atlético Ottawa database, which he started in 2020, and tracks everything you can think of about the club and its players. He also runs a BlueSky account dedicated to analyzing and rating CPL and NSL players using statistics, CPL by the Numbers.

“It’s never an upset if the so-called underdog has all along considered itself the better team.” – Woody Hayes

Call it arrogance, but we’ve earned it. No team in the CPL has achieved what Atlético Ottawa has this year, and now we’re reaping the reward – hosting the CPL final. This is what happens when a team gets everything right, and Ottawa is that team – the one that made history week after week, the one that proved youth doesn’t mean inexperience, and that records are meant to be broken.

While the pundits were fawning over Forge FC and their fabled undefeated run, Atléti were silently working to deliver the best season the club has ever seen. You may counter my claims by stating the team failed to secure a spot in the Telus Canadian Championship Final and finished second in the league. However, the team has done so much more, and the stats don’t lie. This club has broken numerous club and league records, the players have been recognized and rewarded for their skills, and fans are more involved than ever. So let me break down exactly how Ottawa has delivered this season.

Exceptional Young Talent

Every team needs a strong foundation, and leading up to the season, we expected a backline of veteran players: the club taking an option on Amer Didić, signing Brett Levis, and encouraging Jonathan Grant’s return from injury, leaving our young players sprinkled in as depth. Yet ATO was dealt a curveball when Didić suffered a season-ending injury, Levis was sidelined for a large stretch, and Grant wasn’t able to regain full match fitness.

Facing the unexpected, Ottawa now had the youngest backline in the league at an average age 19 years old, including two players marking their professional debuts in the opening matches of the season. And instead of cracking under the pressure, they thrived.

Loïc Cloutier quickly grew into a composed, intelligent presence on the pitch, reading plays like a seasoned pro. Then came Sergei Kozlovskiy, ATO’s first Exceptional Young Talent signing and Canadian Men’s National Team U17 call-up, who at 16 became the second-youngest player to start for the club, missing the record by 50 days. These two were supported by Noah Abatneh, who led the league in passes with an accuracy of 95.6%, earning Defender of the Year and Best Canadian U21 nominations.

Anchoring the defenders was veteran goalkeeper and first club centurion Nathan Ingham, who collected three Goalkeeper of the Month awards and a Golden Glove nomination. Together, the backline held firm, conceding only 28 goals – the fewest in club history — and keeping 11 clean sheets, the most for the club in a single season. Ingham, alongside teammate Manuel Aparicio, also made a record-breaking 12 Team of the Week appearances. This wasn’t just defense; it was the foundation and the launchpad that allowed our attack to hit the ground running.

It also wasn’t just ATO’s young defenders proving themselves; the spark carried forward through our wings and attack, where the energy of Gabriel Antinoro and Joaquim Coulanges turned youthful potential into pure excitement. Antinoro didn’t simply rack up minutes — he owned them, logging more U21 time on his own than the entire York United squad. His efforts didn’t go unnoticed either – Gabi capped off his breakout season with a nomination for Best Canadian U21 Player, alongside Abatneh. Coulanges, meanwhile, made his mark by scoring off the bench in his second professional game.

By season’s end, ATO had more U21 minutes than York, Forge, and Halifax combined, and averaged 150% more U21 minutes than the other clubs. That’s not luck – that’s a club living its philosophy of developing young talent while setting a new club record of 8,575 minutes and surpassing the 2,000-minute threshold in a record eight matches.

Attacking Masterclass

With such a strong back core, our attacking players had the freedom to push the limits - and they did, smashing records in a campaign that redefined what great football looks like in the CPL. Atlético didn’t just score goals; they flooded the net, setting a new CPL regular-season record of 56 goals.

At the heart of it all was Player of the Year nominee Sam Salter, rewriting the record book himself with 19 goals in regular play and 24 across all competitions, earning him the CPL Golden Boot. Helping him reach that honour was his four-goal masterclass against Valour FC, the most by a player in a single game, later matched by York FC’s Shaan Hundal. He is also, as of writing, the outright all-time CPL top goal scorer with 46 marks in five seasons, three of which came with ATO. 

However, Salter wasn’t carrying the load alone. The trio of Salter, David Rodríguez, and Ballou Tabla combined for more regular-season goals than Pacific FC, Valour FC, and Vancouver FC managed as entire teams. Player of the Year nominee Rodríguez was the creative engine, tying the CPL’s regular-season assist record with nine, while Tabla worked magic in the final third and moonlight as Atléti penalty wizard. Together, they marked 48 goals and 21 assists across all competitions.

Their skills weren’t unnoticed either; each player earned Player of the Week honours. Further, along with teammate Manu Aparicio (one goal and six assists himself), they claimed four of the league’s seven Player of the Month awards and were each nominated for Player’s Player of the Year. ATO’s attacking prowess wasn’t just prolific, it was historic.

A Club United

I’ve outlined the brilliance of the individual player performances, but now it’s time to discuss the sum of the parts. Atlético Ottawa dominated the Team of the Week, with fourteen players recognized in 64 appearances (13 more than the runner-up and another league record) and four of the top five league-wide Team of the Week features belonging to ATO players.

On the pitch, history was made as Ottawa set a club record for most wins in a season and finished with a 15W-11D-2L record, securing their earliest playoff qualification on August 31^st. With a 12-game unbeaten streak across all competitions and becoming the first team in league history to go undefeated at home (later matched by Forge the next week), and adding a club-record 35 goals in front of the home fans was the cherry on top.

Atléti also clutched their first appearance in the Telus Canadian Championship Semi-finals, and they finally broke the dreaded winless-at-home-September-onwards curse that had plagued the team since 2021.

Off the pitch, the team has been just as remarkable. Fans showed up. With an average home attendance of 4,707, the biggest single-game crowd at 6,087, and 568 total fans attending watch parties across the season — including a record 59 at a single away game. But it’s not just numbers; it’s heart. In partnership with Maple Lodge Farms, the club donated 30,000 meals to the Cadwell Family Centre over the past two years, supporting the community in addressing food insecurities, and there’s nothing quite like hearing kids at TD Place point out a player on the field who attended their practice the week before, eyes wide in awe that an ATO player saw them score.

We Are Massive

As the 2025 season comes to an end, I can’t help but reflect back on the club’s incredible performance. Two-time Manager of the Month and Coach of the Year nominee Diego Mejía came into his role with a vision and philosophy that he has stayed true to. This has been the most exciting, attacking football the team has ever played, and the numbers don’t lie: at least twenty club and league records were broken this year. ATO has been on the front foot, and they’ve excelled. They may not have brought home hardware yet, but they have still achieved so much despite the odds.

I hope this was enough to convince you that this is the best Atlético Ottawa team we’ve seen, and arguably the best team in the league this season. But the story isn’t over yet – the final chapter is ours to write. On Sunday, November 9^th at 5PM, TD Place will host the CPL Final. Let’s turn the stands red and white in support of the boys, break our own CPL Final attendance record, and show the league what real passion, real fans, and real football looks like. One team. One city. One last chance to make history. It’s going to be MASSIVE.

About the author

C.D. Girard (she/her/elle) discovered Atlético Ottawa during their 2023 season and has been a loyal fan ever since. A long-time admirer of the sport, she first began playing football at the age of seven and most looks forward to international competitions, supporting both Canada and the Netherlands. 

Welcome to the Forward Press, which recaps the pre- and post-match press conferences every week! This edition follows the last regular season match of the year for ATO, in which they played and beat Halifax 1-0. Coach Diego Mejía and midfielder David Rodriguez joined the media this week, discussing the season that was, gameplans, and much more. Enjoy!

Mitchell Tierney of CanPL.ca was the first to ask questions of Mejía, and he started off the session simply by asking the coach’s feelings leading up to the do-or-die match in Halifax.

“It's good, I think we are enjoying this moment. We have the opportunity to win this match and wait for other results, but we are enjoying the season we (have) had so far. The team is happy, (they) have a lot of energy, and we are ready for the next match and for the (playoffs).” 

Kristen Jack of One Soccer was up next; First and foremost, he wanted to reminisce on the season that was and what Mejía was proud of in 2025:

“A lot of things. I think that for sure the players, I feel really proud about how they (managed) all the pressure that I put (on) them to try to develop them, and try to increase (their) level as a player and as a professional … The way that this team plays … no team has played in this way. For Atlético Ottawa right now, (we) changed the culture of the Canadian people … I think that this team, (we) not only play in a good way, but we improve the level of everyone in this league. I think that all the coaches (have) improved in this league in how they need to defend in a low block, how they need to be reactive, and it's good for everyone.” 

Jack used his follow-up to probe the coach about his team's dip in form in the second half, but Mejía was quick to put the kibosh on that line of thinking, as he cited the team's long run of unbeaten matches (9), and the fact that the point totals from each half of the season are comparably equal. Some of us may have differing opinions on that, given the tendency to draw rather than win in recent games, but the team is technically still undefeated in that stretch. 

Matt Cullen of CBC was up next, wondered whether Mejía would change his preparations for the team, given the pressure-cooker nature of the upcoming match:

“I talked with the players, they need to (remove) the pressure in their mind, and they just need to play soccer in our way. Our goal is to play in our way, to play in our model against Halifax. ‘Don't think (about) the result’ … we know, we showed before that if we play in our model … we will have a lot of opportunities to win. Then, we’ll see if we have an opportunity to get the trophy. We need to forget, and not play thinking (about) the result, we need to play in our model.”

Finally, he was asked about what the team had learned from their last away trip to Nova Scotia, where ATO lost 2-0 in disappointing fashion:

“We learned a lot … that performance wasn't good, but I think that the team (forgot that result) really quickly, because after that match we (went) 10 games without losing another match. I think that the (response) from the team was incredible. I just put focus in the performance, and we’ll see.” 

Mejía was also asked about injury availability, citing Álvarez as the only short-term injury left in the squad. 

Following the match, in which ATO managed a late win but saw the title go to Forge after their own win vs. York, Tierney once again had the first question for Mejía, and used it to garner his thoughts on the late win:

“I am very happy (with) the performance today, I think that we played one of the best matches in the season – I didn’t see any teams play in this way on this pitch, so it's incredible the performance. This team has the personality to play the same way in every road game, so I am very happy.” 

Jon Hopkins of CCSG was up next, and he wanted to know the coach’s thoughts on the season-long stereotype that Ottawa only kicks into gear in the second half:

“We created a game plan to play in the same way (for) 90 minutes. I don't believe in the comments that we (play poorly in the first half and badly in the second). This team works all 90 minutes … we know that this game will be a physical game, so we move the ball all the time, it's really hard for the (opponent) running (behind) the ball for 90 minutes. In some moments we will find the gaps and we will have the opportunity to score.”

For all we think about press conferences and their rocky relationship with the truth, Mejía at least has been consistent in insisting that there have been no radical alterations after the first halves of games, and that uptick in performance during the second half is apparently a byproduct of the opposition being worn down. Let’s see if that carries forward into the playoffs. 

In the final question to Mejía, the coach clarified that the red card was to one of his assistants, and confirmation of that came afterwards in talks with Diego Campos, who mentioned it was he who got the red. Moving along, David Rodríguez was up next to face the media, and was given his first volley from Hopkins, who asked his thoughts on the result and the season:

“I’m just happy for the team, like you said we (had) a pretty good season. Unfortunately, we did not get to win first place, but were still very positive, and were looking forward to next weekend.” 

Hopkins followed up by asking what it would take to regain the “killer instinct” the team displayed during the first half of the season:

“It's really hard to play against teams four times in the year, because they know how you’re gonna play, what you want to do. At the end, it's just us trying to do our own thing in the first game, and what we did through the whole season. I think nothing is going to change much, and we're just happy to be in the position we are.” 

The rest of the questions were generic inquiries about Rodríguez’s thoughts on the win, and playing Forge in the playoffs (every possible in-person reporter was in Hamilton, busy lauding Forge for winning another trophy, so the pickings for talent were slim). Across the table however, Rodríguez has had some stellar media training, so his answers were as basic as the questions – yes he was happy for the win, yes Forge are a tough team, and of course they will play for the win in the semis. 

And that ends the session. ATO are next in play on Sunday, October 26, at 2PM in Hamilton, for a chance to host the Finals! The club is organizing a road trip (the access to which is through this link: https://shopatleticoottawa.com/products/atletico-ottawas-massive-semi-final-roadtrip), so come make the journey down and support our boys in person! Vamos!

About Alexander:

When he isn't busy playing or watching sports (or going to school at uOttawa), Alexander is managing his Atlético Ottawa database, which he started in 2020, and tracks everything you can think of about the club and its players. He also runs a BlueSky account dedicated to analyzing and rating CPL and NSL players using statistics, CPL by the Numbers.

Welcome to this week’s Forward Press, where Diego Mejía and Brett Levis joined the media before and after that disappointing and flat 0-0 draw vs Vancouver, which saw Ottleti’s title hopes slip once more after being given a lifeline in the race for the Shield. 

Bearingin mind the frustration of last week's dropped points to Valour in the dying seconds, Mitchell Tierney of CanPL.ca opened up the pre-match media session with a question about how the club will rebound from it, but Mejía deflected:

“I think that we are in a very good (position). We are fighting for all the goals that we had at the beginning of the season. I think that it's a moment to enjoy as a team, to try to share this moment with all the people that are around us, our families, with all the staff, not only the sporting staff, even the front offices. I think that it's a good moment for the club, we are having our best year in the history of the club, so it's time to enjoy (it). But, with the clear objective that we had, that is (to) win the championship.”

Tierney used his follow-up to question whether Vancouver playing with nothing to lose factored into Mejía’s game plan for the match:

“As you said, when you have nothing to lose it's easy to play, it's a dangerous match for sure … They (have) improved a lot in the last month, they are playing the best football in all the season right now, I think that it's a more organized team - they defend better than (at) the beginning (of the season), but i think that we need to put focus (on) our behaviours to improve all the weaknesses that we have as a team to try to arrive to the playoffs in (our) best shape.” 

Following the match, in what was one of the flattest performances of the season, Gord Smith of TSN 1200 was first to ask Brett Levis’ thoughts on that disappointing result, the second in a row:

“(We are) slightly disappointed, we probably didn't play our best. It's also important to remember we're still in it. We have another game, and we already gotta clear our minds and focus on next weekend, and just control what's in our control. We prepare for that game, take bits of his game, what we can learn, what we can better at, and focus on the next game.” 

Smith had the follow-up as well, where he asked about the apparent lack of urgency:

“(There were a few) situations where we were able to see where we (could) exploit them a little more. Our model is a little unique in that we try to keep the ball, to possess it, and sometimes that makes us look slow, as though we aren't in any hurry, but there is a theme behind that. We just have to stick to our model and focus.” 

To address both of these responses at once, most fans would probably view these as underwhelming answers. To only be “slightly” disappointed? They “probably” didn't play their best? To follow that up by reminding the audience that they are still in it, even though winning the league would require Forge to lose (something they have only done twice all year) and for Ottawa to win (something they have done only once in their last five)? To come out in two successive matches, against two of the worst teams in the league, knowing a win is needed to match Forge and give them the best hope to win the title, and play like that? Twice? 

As for the comment about the model making them appear slow, as opposed to actually being lackadaisical, without urgency, and seemingly not caring, it comes across as deflection. Most, if not all, fans watching that game knew that Ottawa were not playing their best, and to not take responsibility for that is disappointing - two missed chances, about a dozen wayward passes to no one, and only three shots on target says it all. A little honesty and ownership would have been appreciated after what has been a dismal stretch of play for the last month, even if the club is undefeated in that span, and raises the dormant questions that have plagued Ottawa for three years now, the ones that concern mentality and desire to win.

Returning to the questions, Tierney had one about the pressure the team is under to perform:

“Hard to say, maybe slightly. We have a young group, but I don't think being young means you don't have experience. This group has been through a lot this year, I guess maybe Vancouver are playing for contracts, you don't have anything to lose, you might be able to play with a little more freedom, but at the end of day that’s out of our control, and as long as we approach every game with the same mentality I think we’ll be alright.”

A slightly more acceptable answer, it has to be said. That concluded Levis’ session, and Gord Smith had the only relevant questions to Diego Mejía - the first concerning the coach’s thoughts on the match:

“I think that we played a good match, we had some opportunities … I feel really proud of the team, they pushed hard all the time, and this kind of match, the last match of the season, even more with that kind of opponent, that they have nothing to lose, so I think that the performance was good, (but) we need to be (cleaner) in the final third to score…” 

Finally, the follow-up pertained to the last match of the season:

“… we need to put focus (on) the next match, to try and play our best performance possible, to try to play really well in our last match. We will see, when the referee whistles at the end, we will see. I have a lot of confidence in the team and I think that this season is good so far for us.” 

Despite the optimism, there was at least some responsibility taken by Mejía with his answers. There were also a few questions about the fact ATO have gone undefeated at home this season, which while a historic feat, was seemingly being used as a distraction from poor performances. In addition to that, in the pre-match, there was a question regarding Sam Salter’s recently announced pre-contract agreement with GAIS, wherein Mejía expressed his happiness for Salter, and also revealed that he had had two other offers, both from Mexican teams, but Mejía thinks Salter chose well. 

ATO have one more match this season at the weekend, on Saturday, October 18th at 4 PM. CCSG will be hosting a Watch Party at the GCP as always, so head on down to watch the boys one more time in the regular season! Vamos!

About Alexander:

When he isn't busy playing or watching sports (or going to school at uOttawa), Alexander is managing his Atlético Ottawa database, which he started in 2020, and tracks everything you can think of about the club and its players. He also runs a BlueSky account dedicated to analyzing and rating CPL and NSL players using statistics, CPL by the Numbers.

Every year, the Capital City Supporters Group enjoys a wealth of talented people who contribute in meaningful ways to growing the game in Ottawa. It would take far more than a single article to elucidate all the many people who make this group so special, but we would like to take a moment and shed a few words on some phenomenal people who have been vital to the group this year. Here are this year's nominations for the 2025 CCSG Supporter of the Year

Johnny McArthur

Johnny has been a constant presence in our community from the early days of ATO. He has consistently worked hard at editing and producing our weekly podcast, ATO: After the Whistle, lending his talents in sound design to grace our ears with analysis, hot takes, and giving a voice to members through the mailbag segment. While he has moved to Montreal years ago now, his heart has always stayed here with this group and this club, and he still graces us with his presence in the Dub multiple times per year. 

Kevin Caswell

Kevin is one of the many people who has done a lot of work to ensure that things run smoothly behind the scenes. Having joined the social media team this year, he has been vital, creating the event graphics, such as for the watch parties, preparing posts, and making sure that things always run smoothly and consistently. Kevin has often had to watch games in his work gear, as he can also be found helping support guests as an employee at TD Place, but he is always rooting for our lads wherever he can. 

Genevieve Latour

Gen has always been a vibrant member of our community, quick to contribute in any way she can. One of her biggest contributions this year has been stepping up to help as a Capo at the Pub, on marches, and even in the Dub when needed. She is also a regular contributor to our audio offerings, including the Pulse and the ATW Mailbag. You may also recognize her from the big screen, as she has travelled to support the team in both Hamilton and Winnipeg this year!

Isaac Keiwan 

Isaac has been another unseen hero this year for CCSG. Key to the social media team's success, Isaac has been a valuable contributor to the team for graphics, notably for gameday and full-time graphics, making sure posts get shared, and ensuring engagement with fans over socials. A new face to some of the group, Isaac has already made great contributions to ensuring our work remains sustainable and consistent year over year. 

Shayne Wilkinson

On the Capo team, Shayne has been quick to volunteer and step up to make sure that there is always leadership at the front of the dub. Shayne has shown a commitment to constant improvement and ensuring that the dub is always rocking. Every time he has the megaphone, he makes sure to put everything he has into it, and energizes everyone around him to give their all for the Red and White.

We sincerely appreciate all of the great contributions of the people above, and all the unsung heroes who make this group so special. Thank you to each and every volunteer and person who has made 2025 such a great year to be an ATO fan and member of CCSG! Vamos!

Patience is a virtue that is all too lacking in the wider world, but it’s hard to think of another industry that lacks it quite so openly than professional sports: a manager can win a championship, be feted, and then follow it up with a losing season and be on the job market in the blink of an eye. For those plying their trade on the pitch, nobody is judged quite so matter-of-factly with black and white stats as strikers. 

Despite the onset of the analytics age where we’ll debate all manner of impacts made by defenders and midfielders per 90 that don’t appear on the score sheet, many often still fall into the habit of “Did the striker score? No? Well, poor performance then.” The pressure on those that lead the line is immense as is, but in a league like the CPL that largely focuses on free agents and loans for roster building, adding a transfer fee on top is an extra weight. So, in February 2023 when it was announced that Sam Salter was joining Atleti from HFX for the first-ever intra-league transfer, and that Ottawa had paid a fee, the expectations were high. 

In his first two seasons, those sky-high expectations were not reached, though he showed flashes of the player he is today, finding the net 12 times, but he hadn’t yet fulfilled the promise of the player that moved former CEO Fernando Lopez to pay the fee to lure his services away from the Maritimes. In spite of this, Salter still displayed his worth in a number of ways; his strong hold-up play, an ability to maintain possession and strong distribution allowed him to find a place in the squad, as well as being a solid option off the bench. He even had a brief but successful spell as a winger. Anything to help the team.

With the departure of Ruben Del Campo, who had managed to become just the second striker in club history to reach double digits in the goals column while setting the club record for goals in a season with 12, it was fair to wonder who would replace that contribution up front, or would the club’s talented midfield score by committee as has often been the Atleti formula? Or, if someone did step up, could this be Sam Salter’s time? That was his question to answer, and it’s safe to say he wrote his reply in big bold underlined lettering.

Emboldened by the more free-flowing attacking style of new Manager Diego Mejia, and with fruitful chemistry betwixt him and newcomer David Rodriguez and the rest of the ATO midfield, Salter has put together all of the pieces of the puzzle that he had long possessed. Sometimes in sports, it just hits, and well, he has hit. It became clear early on, in particular having slotted home four times in an early-season May afternoon against Valour, that the limit for Sam Salter in 2025 might not be measured against the achievements of those in red and white, but against all those who have come before who have worn the CPL patch on their sleeves. 

At the time of writing, Sam has scored an absolutely astonishing 19 league goals this season (23 in all competitions), obliterating the single-season goals record of 14 that had been held by his former teammate Joao Morelli. Unlike Morelli however, not a single one of Salter’s goals have come from the penalty spot - he has worked for every single one of them. He has used his tall frame to score in just about every way imaginable, often finding the target at full stretch while making something out of absolutely nothing. Who can forget his goal against Halifax that saw him clinically strike the ball into the back of the net while practically facing in the opposite direction. 

Another aspect of his game that has taken a giant leap and really stands out this year has been his keen ability to sense the flow of the game and place himself in high-danger positions, and this awareness has allowed him to be at the right place at the right time to put the ball in the net. To illustrate this, just have a look back at his goal that started the comeback against Cavalry back in August. It’s late in the match, approaching the final 20 minutes, and Atleti find themselves trailing the Cavs by 2 goals to nil at home. Manny Aparicio holds up the ball from about 35 yards out, he makes a small stutter step and, despite being alone in front of a tight Cavalry back four, Salter immediately recognizes where this ball is going, and, before the multitude of defenders can react, is already at full sprint towards the goal having left them behind. When the ball cannons off the post he is unmarked and ready for the rebound - when the ball instead takes a freak deflection off of the prone goalkeeper, he immediately closes the distance and simply outwills Carducci with a slide to bundle the ball home that would make Ty Cobb proud.  

In the Canadian Premier League this season, he is averaging close to a goal per game, and is in the 89th percentile in possession won in the final third and recoveries. A combination of skills he illustrated so perfectly against Cavalry (once again) by chasing down a long ball that (insert name of Cavs defender) struggled to control, using his strength and speed Salter dispossessed the lone defender, nicked the ball at full sprint before rounding the keeper and firing his side into an early lead that they would never relinquish as his side romped to victory.

 This combination of size, speed, determination, teamwork, offensive awareness, and clinical finishing, as well as the freedom that comes from the support of a coach that isn’t afraid of a player making a mistake if they are given licence to play their game, has made Sam Salter the most feared striker in the league and an indispensable key piece of Ottawa’s dual title charge. It has allowed him to seize history.

There are a lot of very deserving players that have shown more than enough to warrant consideration for the Golden Scarf, but the formula is simple: when Sam Salter gets on the scoresheet, Atlético Ottawa walks off the pitch at full-time with points. Ottleti’s record in league play this season when number 9 has a goal involvement reads as follows; 10 wins, 6 draws, 0 losses for 36 points. When he is held off the scoresheet; four wins, four draws, two losses for 16 points. Sam has scored the goal that clinched three points in six of his club’s 14 wins. He also scored the equalizer in three matches. To put that in perspective, a Sam Salter goal has been the deciding factor in securing 21 of Ottawa’s 52 points so far. 

As the 2025 season comes to a climax, we now know that after three years building to this, we will not get to see Sam in red and white next year. Rather, he will be linking up with hometown hero Matteo de Brienne at GAIS in Sweden, fighting for European football. The end of his time with us is still to be written, but here’s what we know right now. He is in the midst of the most prolific season in the history of our club (and it’s not particularly close), and he stands alone at the summit of the history of the Canadian Premier League, the all-time single-season goalscoring King, the most prolific scorer of all-time in league history, one of our own. I think I speak for everyone when I say that I hope there are still more goals to come for our number 9, and more than one celebration to be had. What better way to send him off to Sweden in January than with a nice warm golden scarf, and a trophy in each hand. Money well spent? Oh yes!

North American sports have their fair share of oddities and traditions, and when that mixes with soccer, it can create some mixed opinions. Off-season draft? I love it and want to see it expanded. Playoffs? I get why we have them. Theme days? I've come around. But my favourite of these traditions is the retired jersey number. There's something special about having a legacy summed up entirely by the number you wore on your shirt. Atlético Ottawa is still a young club, and we’re some time away from even thinking about putting a number in our upper North Stands. But when we do, I hope to see Nathan Ingham’s number 29 be the first. 

Nate holds a special place in the hearts and minds of Ottawa fans. He came to us in 2022 from our Ontario rivals, York United – with whom he appeared in the Canadian Premier League’s inaugural match – and made an impact right away. He featured a total of 29 times for CarGo’s league-winning side, and was pivotal to the club lifting its first piece of silverware. His individual contributions were recognized when Ingham was named the winner of the All-State Good Hands Award that season. This, along with his innumerable All State Save of the Match titles have led to his nickname All-State Nate. 

Over the next few seasons, he continued to be an anchored piece of assurance for fans to cling to over as the club faced changes, from the leadership on the pitch, to the leadership of the club. In fact, when it comes to cornerstones of the League itself, Nate has outlasted even some of its highest-level executives. Like a steady light in the storm, Ingham has risen from the guy tasked with replacing Dylan Powley to the backfield general leading the team from the locker room to the pitch. 

This season, Nate has stepped up to make some astonishing clutch saves. After years of being a club known for its reputation of steady, defensive football, 2025 introduced a new, revamped ATO that – as of writing has just set the league record for goals scored in a season. As is often the case, a new type of tactics means a new type of squad. Nate’s defenders, once the star-studded veteran backbone of our team, now features nothing but young talent. That's not to say that's a negative since they have been key to our push for first place, but it is certainly something new for the keeper. Despite the whiplash change, Ingham has remained as steady as ever. He's won three Goalkeeper of the Month awards, including twice in a row in August and September, and has made the Team of the Week an astonishing 11 times. 

While it would be easy for a keeper to be caught in some slack and deflect their frustrations onto their defenders, Nate has taken everything in stride. Time and again, he has made saves that shock and stun not just the fans, but players and on at least one occasion, the score keepers at SofaScore. His reflexes and decision-making are in their prime, and his bravery and boldness in the box are second to none.

Outside of his talent as a keeper and captain, Nate is always, always, the first player to come over to the Dub after a match, regardless of the result. His honesty and openness with us in the Pit is quite refreshing. In fact, Nate's after-match debriefs have quickly become one of my favourite parts of the ATO experience. Plus, he's always good for a quick joke. On a personal note, no matter how quick, or dumb, the question or comment I have is, Nate has a quicker, smarter response. Ingham has also fully embraced Ottawa as a home city. He regularly shows new players around the city and helps them to learn the landmarks and directions, and he attends events and other sports in the city that would be easy for a professional athlete to skip. 

Nate has been a part of the CPL since the very beginning, and a part of Ottawa’s biggest moments. It's time to honour the man with the biggest, shiniest award we as a group can give him: the 2025 CCSG Golden Scarf.