Atlético Ottawa kicks off its 2025 season on Saturday, April 5 when they take on HFX Wanderers at 2pm at TD Place. That’s 154 days since the last time Los Rojiblancos took the pitch, when their 2024 campaign ended with a 1-0 loss to Forge FC in the CPL semi-finals. In those 154 days there have been a few changes, to say the least, both on and off the pitch. Let’s review!
Go, Diego, Go!
That semi-final loss to Forge marked Carlos González’s final match as Ottawa’s head coach, which meant the club was in the market for a new gaffer as well as a new CEO, after former CEO Fernando López resigned mid-season.
While the club is owned by Spanish giants Atletico de Madrid, Ottleti took on a more Mexican identity in the off-season. By the end of November, Manuel Vega had been announced as the team’s new CEO, coming from LigaMX side Puebla FC. Then, on January 15, Diego Mejía was announced as the third head coach in team history. Mejía had served as an assistant coach, and then head coach, of LigaMX side FC Juárez. Both Vega and Mejía have also played professionally in Mexico.
Diego Mejía. Photo CPL.ca
Mejía will be joined on the sidelines by assistant coaches Diego Campos, Alex Baró and Romuald Peiser. Longtime fans of pro soccer in Ottawa will fondly remember Peiser as Ottawa Fury FC’s goalkeeper from 2014-2016.
Say Goodbye, Olliewood
Ottawa said farewell to 13 players from the 2024 squad, but no loss will be felt more than that of Ollie Bassett. “Olliewood” spent three seasons in Ottawa, scoring 22 goals over that span, and was named the league’s Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year in 2022. Ottawa was never better than when Ollie was on his game controlling the midfield. Now playing in the USL with the Tampa Bay Rowdies, his presence in Ottawa will be difficult to replace.
We would be remiss not to also mention the departure of former Carleton Raven Matteo de Brienne, who was transferred to GAIS of Sweden’s top division for an undisclosed fee. The 22-year-old product of Ottawa South United was a fan favourite, and will continue his development in Europe as he tries to play his way into the Canadian men’s national team conversation.
Former Raven Matteo de Brienne joined Swedish side Gais. Photo Transfermarkt
Departures from the 2024 roster: Ollie Bassett, Matteo de Brienne, Rayane Yesli, Zachary Roy, Jesús del Amo, Luke Singh, Liberman Torres, Dani Morer, Maxim Tissot, Luca Piccioli, Kris Twardek, Ilias Iliadis, Rubén Del Campo
The Full Monty
One of the most exciting newcomers to the 2025 roster is New Zealand international Monty Patterson. Some standout players in the league have been signed from New Zealand in the last few years, including Moses Dyer, Myer Bevan, and even Ollie Bassett was playing in New Zealand before coming to Canada.
Patterson comes to Ottawa from Birkenhead United of New Zealand’s National League-North, where he scored 24 times in 30 matches last season. If Monty can replicate that success in Canada, it will go a long way towards Ottawa’s push for silverware this season.
Monty Patterson. Photo Shane Wenzlick Phototek
Another marquee signing in the off-season was that of Mexican midfielder Juan ‘Coque’ Castro. The 33-year-old native of Veracruz holds the all-time record for appearances for LigaMX side Atlético San Luis (sibling club to Atlético Ottawa), having played 289 games for the club.
‘Coque’ can play multiple positions but is most effective as a box-to-box midfielder. He believes he can make an important impact on the pitch and play a significant leadership role.
“Leadership is something I take very seriously” says Castro. “On the field, I always try to lead by example, whether it’s through my work ethic, communication, or helping younger players grow.”
“I think a good leader helps create a positive team environment, and I’m excited to bring that mentality to this club. This is not only a great opportunity for my football career but also for my life experience.
Roster additions for 2025: Monty Patterson, Juan ‘Coque’ Castro, Tristan Crampton, Noah Abetneh, Loïc Cloutier, Joaquim Coulanges, Brett Levis, Sergei Kozlovskiy, Iker Moreno, Kevin Ortega, David Rodriguez, Noah Verhoeven (returning from loan)
Ballou Tabla will be key to Ottawa’s fortunes in 2025. Photo CPL
Expectations
As pre-season wraps up and the club gets ready for its home opener, club General Manager JD Ulanowsky was interviewed on TSN1200, who said with a new coach this season, fans can expect a different style of play than in years past, with more of a focus on possession.
Call it the start of a new era. New coach, new CEO. I hope the fans notice that, the style of play, the new brand of Atlético Ottawa.
Ottawa has established itself as a club that fans should expect to be in, at least, the top half of the standings of the eight-team CPL. With key new additions at every position, not to mention coaching, there are a lot of questions that need to be answered by this team.
Last year’s CPL champions Cavalry FC and perennial favourites Forge FC are the league’s standard bearers. Any team looking to challenge for silverware will need get past those two teams, and this year should be no different. On paper, Ottawa has a roster that can challenge for the top of the table, but until it’s proven on the pitch, paper is all it is. Expect this to be an exciting season, and a close fight until the end. Even if Cavalry and Forge are expected to finish at the top, I don’t think any team is going to run away with it, and an upset by someone is certainly possible.
Apt613 Predictions
CPL standings:
1 – Cavalry FC
2 – Forge FC
3 – Atlético Ottawa
4 – HFX Wanderers FC
5 – Pacific FC
6 – Vancouver FC
7 – York United
8 – Valour FC
Top scorer: Monty Patterson (10 goals)
Who will score the goal of the year: David Rodriguez
MVP: Manny Aparicio
Goals for: 44
Goals against: 35
Clean sheets: 5
View this post on Instagram
Atlético Ottawa kicks off their season this Saturday, April 5 at 2pm, when they take on HFX Wanderers at TD Place. Tickets for Saturday’s match are pay-what-you-can, with proceeds supporting CHEO. Every game will be available to stream on paid streaming service OneSoccer, and a few matches so far have been announced to air on TSN. TSN1200 will also carry every game on the AM dial.
