Atletico Ottawa Will Stick To The Plan Against Toronto FC

The reigning Canadian Premier League champions have had a tough open to the club’s title defense, finishing the weekend with a league-worst goal difference just one spot above the bottom of the table. The red-and-white succumbed to a heavy 4-1 defeat against Inter Toronto on Friday, but are now back in the city to face Major League Soccer’s Toronto FC on Tuesday night.

Despite opening the ’26 campaign with a slump in form – and having lost both legs against Nashville SC in the Champions Cup – Atletico Ottawa will be staying true to its identity against Toronto FC. That identity often sees the side suffer through some pressure before striking back with some committed counters, playing out from the back and remaining comfortable both in and out of possession. Undeniably, it’s a high-stakes maneuver against a team with a salary cap multitudes higher than ones own.

That’s a calculated risk even in the best of times, but for Atletico Ottawa, 2026 has not been some of that.

While it seems harsh to say Atletico Ottawa has struggled in front of net – they have scored in four of their five league games, after all – the club is a far cry from where it was last season when they finished with a +26 goal differential. They currently sit at -6, with all four goals scored from the opening five games coming after the 80th minute, and all in separate games.

Atletico Ottawa head coach Diego Mejia had turned heads when he called his side the best club in the league when they were still in sixth, though he admitted that with the performance they put in against Inter Toronto on Friday, they were finding it tough to compete with teams in the CPL, much less the MLS.

That doesn’t mean Atletico Ottawa’s style of play will change just because the club is facing its first Canadian Championship bout against Major League Soccer opposition, however. Mejia made it clear: his team will never stray from the identity it has inherited from parent club Atletico Madrid, no matter the stature of its opponent.

“We’re going to play the same game against Real Madrid, against Chelsea, against Toronto, against everyone. If we need to lose a match 10-0 we’re going to lose a match 10-0, but we’re never going to change our identity,” said Mejia following Friday’s league loss. “We will come back in a few days, and we’re going to try to build the game and we’re going to try to create chances with the ball, and then we will see.”

Atletico Ottawa is often comfortable in possession, capable of recycling balls and controlling play as a dynamic line of attackers seeks to probe holes in the opposition’s defense. Last season Atletico San Luis loanee David Rodriguez express himself well, while Samuel Salter proved a clinical finisher up top. Both players are now gone, however, and the jury is still out on how this year’s signings will fill those boots.

Atletico Ottawa defender Noah Abatneh suffered a rare slip-up in Friday’s match that ultimately handed an easy goal to ITO striker Tomasz Skublak. Abatneh, 21, remains a highly-touted defender in Canada’s top flight, and even took part in a Canadian national team camp in January that saw him play alongside the likes of Richie Laryea, Jonathan Osorio, and Luka Gavran.

Now set to suit up against the players he was learning from just months ago, Abatneh – like his coach – remains steadfast in sticking to the club’s game plan.

“We’re just going to be thinking about playing the game that we always play. We always have the same style, the same identity, the same structure, so I don’t think that has to change just because it’s TFC,” says Abatneh.

One to watch during the game will be Haiti international Garrisone Innocent, the goalkeeper brought in to replace outbound Atletico Ottawa captain Nathan Ingham. Innocent came in with high pedigree as a Paris Saint-Germain academy product who also built experience in Belgium, and while he’s had a good showing or two, he’s also had some particularly rough performances. Which version of Innocent shows up at BMO Field will go a long way in determine how long of a night it is for Ottawa supporters.

While Atletico Ottawa is undoubtedly the underdog in Tuesday’s Canadian Championship clash, Diego Mejia made it clear that capital city club has marched into Toronto with an unapologetically firm game plan. With his marching orders in, now we shall see how Atletico Ottawa fairs against Toronto FC as the two meet for the first time in club history.

Fans interested in watching the game can tune in OneSoccer tonight at 7:30PM EST.