Head Coach Diego Mejía addressed the media from TD Place on Friday, April 10, ahead of his team's trip to Calgary in matchweek 2 of the 2026 Canadian Premier League season.
Here's everything Diego had to say ahead of the clash with Cavalry FC on TSN...
On how Atleti needs to improve:
It was a normal game for the first round of the season. It was a tough match for both teams. A lot of the media talk about how this team didn't shoot on goal, but if you analyze the game, Forge didn't shoot as well. They created chances in set-pieces. They had one shot in the whole match [not on a set-piece].
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 as we adapt the new profiles [of our players] to our [game] model. 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.
On Atleti's positive record on grass in Calagry:
We had a really hard pre-season. We trained for three months in a bubble because TD Place [is being renovated]. It's really hard for us, so every time we have the opportunity to play outside, it's something we enjoy a lot.
We are very happy to go to Cavalry's stadium. I like to play there because we play on grass, and the environment is really good. It gives me a sensation that you're playing in England, in a small stadium. I like that environment a lot.
On the forecasted snowy conditions in Calgary:
We are going to try to recreate the same result, with the same conditions. We are capable of playing in any condition. This team plays a specific way, so it doesn't matter the conditions. It can be grass, turf, snow, with rain, sun - this team always tries to play in the same way.
We need to control the things that we can control. Those are our principles, the way we play, and I have no trouble with these conditions.
On the injury update:
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.
On Tristan Crampton:
Tristan has been with us for one year. He's a very good goalkeeper who has grown a lot. Right now, he is our first goalkeeper.
On Garrisone Innocent:
He has already come back to the training, and he will travel with the team. For now, he will be on the bench.
On facing Didić and Ingham:
I only have good words to say about these guys. They are very good guys. They played for me at an amazing level. Nate [Ingham] is one of the best captains I've ever had. I'm really happy they have found a place to enjoy their game.
The past season has been tough for Amer with his injury. I'm happy that they've made that decision to allow them to be close to their home. I'm really happy for them.
On Football Video Support (FVS):
It's hard. I don't want to use the cards, because you lose a lot of time. The experience I had in the first match, I do not doubt the goals. If the call is clear, you just need to say, " Yes, it's clear, and that's it. We just want to play.
We need to understand something: all the people who are around the players are just guys trying to help them have a good performance. But the protagonist must be the players.
The 22 guys who play inside the pitch, they are the protagonists. For sure, I like to have a good performance from my players, and sure, I have to try and fight for some things outside because I think that some things aren't in our favour. But the protagonists are the players; we must give them time to play, and I think we need to fix that. Finally, we are here to play football, not to stop the game and wait for decisions.
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