Atlético Ottawa is back in Canadian Premier League (CPL) action on Friday night, travelling to Inter Toronto FC (previously known as York United FC).
Head Coach Diego Mejía and his counterpart, Mauro Eustaquio, played out six tight and competitive encounters in 2025. Their rivalry resumes with Atleti defender Noah Abatneh and Inter midfielder Ollie Bassett, two high-profile players to have swapped sides in recent seasons.
A short turnaround sees Atlético travel back to Toronto on Tuesday for the TELUS Canadian Championship vs. Toronto FC of Major League Soccer (MLS).
Read everything Diego had to say in his pre-match press conference below...
On Atleti's improvement:
I'm pretty happy with the behaviour the team has at the moment. We're growing. We need to switch some things because of the profiles of the players that we have, but I'm pretty happy with the team
On Inter Toronto:
They tried to do similar things as we did last season. They tried to copy a little bit of the model. They have good players, and last season they were one of the teams that played better against us. I expect that they will have the same behaviours, they will try to press high, play long balls, and attack the defensive line. I think it will be a good match to watch,
On Tuesday's match against Toronto FC:
It's more than exciting. It's a great opportunity for our team and our young players. I need to be honest with you, my mind is just on Inter Toronto, and then we'll think about the other match. But it's a beautiful opportunity for my players to see another level.
On finding space in the final third:
We are progressing. If you analyze everything, we are in a very good position. The league has progressed a lot since last season. Now, the teams around the league accept that we are better than they are. That we will have the ball more of the time, and they will rest in defence all the time. Now it's hard because we need to develop new patterns to break down the low blocks.
Last season, at the start, teams tried to press high against us. We found the spaces. In the second part of the season, they defended in a midblock, and we found the spaces. In the last part of the season, we found the spaces. They have accepted that they need to close some channels, and we must start to find solutions. It's a good opportunity for me as a coach, and for our players.
On Lopez's injury:
He's good, but we must have patience with him. I'm sure he will be ready, but if not, I won't take any risks.
On attacking options:
Richie's [Ennin] injury, and Erling [Myklebust] is injured too. We are creating something good; the goals that we score are team goals and not individuals, so we are good. I expect to have all our players available, but it's just the beginning of the season, so we need to focus on the team rather than individual aspects.
On playing two matches in four days:
I don't know if I'm going to wake up tomorrow. My mind is on Inter Toronto, and then we'll see.
