PREVIEW: FC Supra du Québec vs. Atlético Ottawa | April 19, 2026

Pour lire un aperçu du match en français, cliquez ici.

For the very first time, a Canadian Premier League match will be played in Montréal this Sunday.

FC Supra du Québec, the league's newest club, will take on reigning CPL champions Atlético Ottawa in their inaugural home opener at CEPSUM, looking to build some momentum early in their first season.

Supra's first taste of CPL action was last week at Pacific FC. Loïc Kwemi gave them an early lead with the club's first ever goal, but Pacific responded, then again when Sean Rea put them back in front. However, seven minutes into stoppage time, with Pacific down to 10 men, Alexandre Marcoux smashed in a last-gasp winner to give Supra three astonishing points.

Now, the Quebecois club have alleviated some of those early nerves, and will be aiming to put on a good show for Montrealers watching their first CPL game.

"We're satisfied with what we showed in our first match, but we have steps to take," said Supra captain David Choinière.

"We showed promise, but we're capable of more. This first home game is going to be special. Everyone will have family and friends there. We expect an electrifying atmosphere and we want to connect with all the fans, because this team is made for them."

Atlético Ottawa will aim to spoil the party, and they're extra motivated to do so after a slow start to their season. They haven't had an easy schedule, taking on 2025 CPL Shield winners Forge FC and last year's CPL Final opponents Cavalry FC, but they lost both matches and struggled to create attacking chances.

Head coach Diego Mejía hasn't been overly worried with the first two matches, explaining repeatedly that his team needs to get comfortable in the system he wants to play before the results start coming in.

He did mention on Friday, however, that it might take a little longer than he thought, with massive roster turnover in his side.

"I committed a hard decision at the beginning, trying to improve the things we did before," Mejía said. "But I forget that I have 12 new players. The space between the concept that they bring to us this season and the concept that we were before is a big space. I think we need to come back a little bit to basics, we need to put the model one or two levels down, and try to have all the players in the same basket and start to understand better the model."

Regardless of what happens on the pitch, Sunday will be a tremendous moment for FC Supra, and for the Quebecois soccer community. With a large crowd expected at CEPSUM, the CPL newcomers will aim to leave their fledgling fanbase with a cherished memory.

NEWS & NOTES

• FC Supra made one minor transaction this week, signing goalkeeper Mario Gerges to a Short-Term Replacement Contract. He is expected to replace Makhoudia Diop in the squad.

• Atlético Ottawa coach Diego Mejía revealed that forward Richie Ennin remains unavailable via injury, but defender Loïc Cloutier and goalkeeper Garissone Innocent have both recovered and are "100 per cent" fit to play this week.

• Ottawa also announced this week they've acquired winger Santiago López on loan from Mexican side Pumas UNAM, but he is unlikely to debut this week.

PROJECTED STARTING XIs

FC Supra: Milli; Auguste, Yeo, Chrétien, Abzi; Sissoko, Biello; Bayiha, Rea, Choinière; Kwemi

Atlético Ottawa: Innocent; Kozlovskiy, Abatneh, Cloutier; Assi, Castro, Aparicio, Timoteo; Antinoro, Myklebust, Tabla

KEY QUOTES

"We're playing the defending champions. We haven't proven anything yet, and there will be ups and downs this season. Regardless of our opponents' results, we need to focus on our own game, especially since Ottawa also played the two best teams historically in the league in the first two games." — FC Supra head coach Nick Razzaghi

"Last season we finished in an amazing level. This season, I wanted to start in that level, and I think that was a mistake at the beginning. So I need to wait a little bit more for the new guys. It's not easy to play in this way. I believe in the team, I don't believe in the individual performance. The team is a way to win matches, is a way to play well. For that reason, I think that I need to be a little bit slower and start with the basics again." — Atlético Ottawa head coach Diego Mejía