Sean Melvin Signs With Atletico Ottawa

Canadian goalkeeper Sean Melvin has signed with Atletico Ottawa, where he’ll contest with Nathan Ingham for gametime.

The BC-born goalkeeper has been a likely suspect to arrive to the Canadian Premier League since he left the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2019, though he spent two seasons in the USL before making the move.

Born in Victoria, Melvin developed with both the Calgary Foothills and the Vancouver Whitecaps U-23 squad before collecting USL experience with the Whitecaps FC 2 and Fresno FC.

The six-foot-four goalkeeper signed a homegrown contract with Vancouver in 2018, riding the bench ten times without getting the chance to make his debut for the MLS side.

He was picked by the Colorado Springs Switchbacks following his release in 2019, where he briefly reunited with Alan Koch and collected 25 appearances through two seasons as a starter.

While Atletico Ottawa had held discussions with Matthew Nogueira, his election to train with CF Montreal evidently pushed the club towards signing Melvin instead.

The 27-year-old will face tough competition to earn minutes over Nathan Ingham this season, who was the regular number one for York United through the club’s first three campaigns ahead of his move to Atletico Ottawa.

Sean is an athletic goalkeeper who can cover a lot of the net. He’s demonstrated his ability to take command of the play and keep his backline organized. We’re excited to see how Sean and Nathan can push each other and help this team be the best it can be this season.

Fernando Lopez

Melvin becomes the seventh goalkeeper to join the Ottawa-based club in its first three seasons, so it’ll be interesting to see how the 27-year-old fares in his return to Canadian action.

Atletico Ottawa has confirmed that his contract with the club includes an option for 2023.