| Atlético Ottawa vs. Vancouver FC April 19 at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT TD Place in Ottawa, Ont. Watch Live: OneSoccer, TSN Tickets available here |
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It will look remarkably different than the last time Atlético Ottawa were at home.
Sunday's forecast is calling for a lovely sunny afternoon in the nation's capital, a far departure from the snowy scenes that set the stage for the club's last home match: the 2025 CPL Final.
Their victory that day made global headlines, with the 'icicle kick' scored by the since-departed David Rodríguez going viral.
But it hasn't been easy sledding for the champs to begin 2026, as they lost their first two matches of the campaign. This past weekend, they finally picked up three points on Tyr Duhaney-Walker's stoppage-time winner.
So some home cooking will serve them well as they host Vancouver FC on Sunday, especially after going all of 2025 without a home loss. Their last home loss at TD Place came back on August 3, 2024 -- a streak of 23 matches in all competitions.
On Sunday, in their 2026 home opener, however, they face the team that has given them the most grief at TD Place during that stretch. The Eagles have still never won in seven trips to the nation's capital.
But their 1-0 loss on September 18 in the second leg of the TELUS Canadian Championship semi-final was enough to see them eliminate Atleti and advance to the final on aggregate.
A month later, Vancouver returned to the nation's capital for their penultimate match of the CPL season, and kept a 0-0 draw that cost Atleti crucial points in their CPL shield chase.
The two clubs sit seventh and eighth in one important category through three matchweeks: goals scored. After setting a single-season CPL record last year, Atleti have scored just twice in 2026. Vancouver, meanwhile, have lost three straight matches 1-0. The numbers through three games tell two fairly different tales, however.
Vancouver FC lead the league in open play expected goals, with 4.42 and are second in the league in shots on target, with 17 and lead the league in touches in the opposition box.
Atleti, meanwhile, are bottom of the league in xG, with just 1.27, and have just six shots on target through three games. They also have just 37 touches in the box, the fewest on a per-game basis.
It is, of course, still incredibly early in the season, but both will want to start finding the back of the net with more regularity sooner rather than later.
For one of the two clubs, that could lead to a big three points on Sunday -- points that could be vital to kick-starting their seasons.
NEWS & NOTES
- Central defender Roni Mbombio is back for Atlético Ottawa and is available for selection on Sunday.
- Striker Lys Mousset and attacker Vitor Lucas are close to getting into action for Vancouver FC as they continue to integrate them into the group.
PROJECTED STARTING XIs
Atlético Ottawa: Innocent; Kozlovskiy, Abatneh, Cloutier; Antinoro, Castro, Aparicio, Coulanges; López, Myklebust, Tabla
Vancouver FC: Irving; Doner, Campagna, Field, Gee; Pecile, Fotsing, Polisi; Traore, Amissi, Bah
KEY QUOTES
"I am a guy who always trusts in the process. So I have all my confidence in my players, and I know that we want to fight for everything this year again." — Atlético Ottawa head coach Diego Mejía
"I'd like to hope [we starting scoring soon] but I don't want to bank on that. So we've been working a lot in the final third and finishing movements in the box, runs. When you're getting the most touches in the box in the league, you've got to create more chances than we have. So we're looking at what we're doing and what we can do better to create better opportunities." — Vancouver FC head coach Martin Nash
"There's definitely tension in the group this past week. I think you felt it. But I think I would be more worried if there wasn't any tension, if guys were just walking in every day, happy-go-lucky. We're 0-3 to start the year without scoring. So there's definitely tension within the group, tension a little bit in training, even around the building, you can feel it. But there's also a focus and a want for this to get better and a belief that it will. Because the tension comes with frustration, and what we feel has been three solid performances in this league with no points picked up. So I'd say this group is as motivated as ever." Vancouver FC captain Callum Irving