The Canadian Premier League's One Year Out celebrations conclude in the capital on Sunday, when Atlético Ottawa host Valour FC at TD Place.
Atleti return to the pitch at home just a few days removed from their Canadian Championship battle with York United on Wednesday (a 2-1 first-leg win), looking to continue cementing their place atop the CPL table. With 10 matches played so far, Ottawa are 6-3-1 and have 21 points, which meant they began the weekend with a four-point gap above the three teams behind them.
Last weekend, they picked up a gritty 1-0 win away from home, as a Ballou Tabla penalty was enough to see off Pacific FC. It wasn't necessarily the high-flying goal-filled victory that's been Ottawa's trademark this season, but it was a solid all-around performance, especially at the back, to bring three important points back to Ontario.
The league leaders are in for a tough fight against Valour, though. The Winnipeg club enter this game rested and hungry, having not played since their school day match on Wednesday, June 4. A 3-1 comeback win over Vancouver FC in that game helped add to Valour's confidence, and picked them up off the bottom of the table.
Now, Valour sit seventh after nine games, but just two points back of York United for the fifth and final playoff spot.
Adding to Valour's motivation on Sunday is the memory of their last visit to Ottawa. In early May, they travelled to TD Place and took an early lead, only for everything to fall apart as Atleti went on an attacking rampage — headlined by Sam Salter's four-goal performance — to win 5-2.
Ottawa have actually had a significant upper hand in this fixture's recent history, winning six of the last nine meetings. Valour haven't beaten Atlético since September 2023, even though their early track record against them was strong (they won five of the first six games between these clubs).
So, there's plenty on the line for these sides on Sunday afternoon. Fortunately, both teams will be able to count on most of their key stars. Ottawa should be boosted by the return of Sergei Kozlovskiy, who is back from his trip to Canada U-17 camp. Meanwhile, Valour's biggest absence will be Gianfranco Facchineri, who serves the first game of his three-match suspension for a red card in Valour's last game.
3 THINGS TO WATCH
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International flair on display to mark One Year Out celebration: As the CPL marks a year to go until the 2026 World Cup comes to Canada, it's fitting that these two sides feature a wealth of international talent making a name for themselves here in the CPL. Ottawa attacker David Rodríguez has been arguably the best player in the league so far this year, and he has five goals and four assists to show for it (plus one more goal in the CanChamp game on Wednesday). Rodríguez's Mexican compatriot Juan 'Coque' Castro has also been a revelation for Atleti in midfield this year, with his vast experience and quality of passing helping Ottawa dominate the middle of the park. Valour, meanwhile, have quite the Portuguese flair in their midfield, with the trio of Bruno Figueiredo, Diogo Ressurreição and Xavier Venâncio. All three players offer different abilities but have significant quality, and can provide some special moments for this Valour side.
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Atleti look to keep threatening from out wide: Part of what's driving Ottawa's attacking success this season has been their dynamism in the wide areas of the pitch. Gabriel Antinoro and Kevin Dos Santos are typically playing as hybrid wingbacks in the 3-4-2-1 structure, and they often switch sides during a game, which allows them to alternate between stretching the pitch by staying wide and cutting inward to play creative passes along the ground. Both players had an assist in Wednesday's Canadian Championship game, each of them to the winger in front. Ottawa's wing setup is particularly effective in creating numerical overlaps on the edge of the penalty area, which helps Rodríguez and Tabla get into more dangerous spaces.
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Valour must build on confidence, belief from Vancouver win: It feels like a while ago now, but Valour's win over Vancouver FC a week and a half ago was an excellent performance from the Winnipeg club, who must now find a way to capitalize on that momentum. Valour only won back-to-back games once last season; to do so here, particularly against the top team in the league, would be a huge moment for the club as they fight for a first-ever playoff appearance. With a chance now to respond to the lopsided defeat they suffered last time they visited Ottawa, this week could be a crucial turning point for Valour if they do go on a strong run of form through the summer.
PROJECTED STARTING XIs
Atlético Ottawa: Ingham; Kozlovskiy, Abatneh, Cloutier; Dos Santos, Castro, Aparicio, Antinoro; Tabla, Salter, Rodríguez
Valour FC: Himaras; Fernandez, Romeo, Egwu, Antonoglou; Ohin, Figueiredo; Twardek, Ressurreição, Faria; Hundal
ALL-TIME SERIES
Atlético Ottawa wins: 8 || Valour FC wins: 6 || Draws: 5
Last meeting:
May 10, 2025 — Atlético Ottawa 5-2 Valour FC
KEY QUOTES
"The behavious of the team is really good right now. We improved a lot in defence, and we are still a good team in offence. We create new patterns, and I think that's important because the other teams work too, and they defend completely different than the first matches they played against us." - Atlético Ottawa head coach Diego Mejía
"It's a game where you need to see and understand where your strengths are and how you're gonna maximize them; be able to hurt the opposition and minimize mistakes as well. Just those two elements will allow you to stay in games. We know how small the margins are, in the CPL it feels like every game becomes a six point game with how important matches are." - Valour FC head coach Phillip Dos Santos
