An all-Ontario battle will produce the first semi-finalist of the 2025 TELUS Canadian Championship on Tuesday night, as York United host Atlético Ottawa in the second leg of their quarter-final tie.
Ottawa arrive in Toronto with a slight aggregate lead after the first leg in the nation's capital back on June 11. In that game, York's Julian Altobelli scored just five minutes in to put them in front, but Atleti answered with back-to-back goals in the 16th and 18th minutes courtesy of Ballou Tabla and David Rodríguez.
Both sides have had over a week to prepare for Tuesday night's game, having last played the weekend of June 28-29.
York come into the match after an impressive away showing against Forge, although they were a little disappointed to squander a lead and end up with a 2-2 draw. Still, they played well against a tough Forge side. Right now, York sit fifth in the Canadian Premier League with 15 points, and they're unbeaten in three.
Meanwhile, Ottawa tightened their grip on first place in the CPL in their last match, with a convincing 2-0 win over Cavalry FC at ATCO Field. Atleti only have a one-point cushion in top spot at the moment, but second-place Forge made up their game in hand this past Saturday.
Ottawa are in sparkling form at the moment, and haven't lost since May 24 in Halifax. They went 4-1-0 in all competitions in June, including that first leg of this quarter-final, and they'll be hoping to begin July with similar success.
Historically, clashes between York and Ottawa have been fiery affairs, particularly in the last couple of years. They played an instant classic CPL quarter-final last year that Atleti took on penalties, and earlier this season Ottawa won a 3-2 thriller thanks to a late winner by former York defender Noah Abatneh.
In CanChamp action, these sides met in the 2022 first round, and York claimed that tie on penalties to begin their run all the way to the semi-finals of that year's tournament.
Of course, the last meeting between York and Ottawa wasn't quite as spectacular as others; it was a 0-0 draw in scorching heat at York Lions Stadium on June 22. However, conditions in that one didn't quite make for the high-tempo football we've come to expect in this matchup.
Both these sides are now just 90 minutes away from the semi-finals, which for Ottawa would be their best-ever finish in this competition. With the bracket redrawn before the semis, there's a real chance that whoever wins this gets paired up with another CPL team. Either way, both clubs are heavily prioritizing this opportunity to take a run at some midseason silverware, and be the first CPL side to lift the Voyageurs' Cup.
Canadian Championship History
Last meeting: June 11, 2025 -- Atlético Ottawa 2-1 York United (Quarter-final first leg)
York United:
All-time record: 7W-2D-7L
Best finish: Semi-finals (2022) - Lost to Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1
Atlético Ottawa:
All-time record: 4-1-4
Best finish: Quarter-finals (2023 & 2024)
Key Quotes
“We're not hiding it, it's pretty obvious that we've got to go for it. The team has to be on the front foot from minute one, and realistically, we're in our home ground, the players are motivated. We know Ottawa quite well, it's the team we've played the most this season. I think it's going to be details, so it was good to have a full week to run into this game. ... We have to be the ones that go after the game, they're going to potentially come here and right off the bat slow down the tempo and take their time, but we can't fall into that.” – York United head coach Mauro Eustáquio
“With the roster we have this year, we have the opportunity to fight for everything. I know our history, and I know if we win tomorrow we'll play in the semi-final for the first time. So it's a very, very important match for us, the most important match in the year until now. All the players know that; if we want to grow as a team we have to start to win these kinds of matches.” – Atlético Ottawa head coach Diego Mejía
