Atlético Ottawa 2020 Season

[Unnamed Trialist]

21 minutes ago, Ansem said:

 

This is in line with what I have posted earlier.

Their B squad is playing for promotion into Spanish 2nd division, so any of their core will not be loaned. If they promote to 2nd division, it'll make that an even higher level team but also more inaccessible for the younger players.

A few u-21s who are not getting minutes with the B could be loaned to At Ottawa. Although the level is high, above CPL level.

Then, in this case, he's a u-19 striker, now aged 18, playing for their A u-19 team (Juvenil A). Their season ends a bit earlier, just after Easter (then there are various u-19 championship rounds). The team is tied for first in their u-19 division but it doesn't matter, they'll qualify for the next rounds anyways.

If you look at how their players move, 11 or 12 of the Juvenil A players went up to the B team this season. One went on loan to Famalicao in top flight Portugal. 

If they do get 4 of these u-19s, they'll be hot, but that does not mean they'll handle the country change, the travel, customs. They are all used to playing on artificial surfaces.

 

[youllneverwalkalone]

Transfermarkt often has stats for U19 Spain. I couldn't find anything on Diego Lorenzo other than he's a centre forward. I assume these loans won't be for actual prospects for their first team, but more like prospects for the B team?

Clanahan mentioned that they were intrigued by the U-Sport deal. I wonder if this is a part of a recruiting tool in talking to parents of 12 year-olds? Even if you don't make the B club, we can send you to Canada to attend a lovely little university called Carleton and continue your professional career in the CPL. Could be a good pitch, actually.

[ted]

On 2/11/2020 at 2:50 PM, Colliedor said:

I'm a graphic designer.... I literally make logos.

You're overthinking this WAY too much....

Club crests are way more complicated that "logos". They are a form of heraldry that traces back to civic coats of arms created hundreds of years ago, long before "graphic" and "designers" were even words in the English Language.

If you believe we are "overthinking" crests, jerseys, colours, and the like, then you do not understand supporter culture or the football community. The depth of history is part of the DNA of the oldest professional sport being played today.

You don't have to appreciate it, but please don't dismiss it. You can be superficial if you want, but denying the depth of meaning is simply insulting. 

[Stouffvillain]

On 2/11/2020 at 11:51 PM, m-g-williams said:

-With respect to the logo, it's simple, clean and easily identifiable. My only gripes are that the top part of the shield seems a bit too empty with so much white space, and the maple leaf looks like it was added as an afterthought. I'd prefer something a bit more front and centre, and I'd go with black rather than blue as an homage to Ottawa typical sporting colours. By no means am I a graphic designer or an out-of-the-box thinker, but this would be my stab at an upgrade.

 

 

 

Couldn't agree more on the white space, I would prefer this one over the actual badge.  I'm never going to be wearing it though.

[m-g-williams]

15 minutes ago, Stouffvillain said:

Couldn't agree more on the white space, I would prefer this one over the actual badge.  I'm never going to be wearing it though.

I get that they wanted to emphasize white to represent snow in Ottawa, but it just makes the crest seem a bit empty. 

I'm also a fan of the revised crest (and concept kit) that Xavier Oulette did. The subdued strips are a nice touch. 

 

Edited February 13, 2020 by m-g-williams

[ted]

Just now, m-g-williams said:

I get that they wanted to emphasize white to represent snow in Ottawa, but it just makea the crest seem a bit empty. 

I'm also a fan of the revised crest (and concept kit) that Xavier Oulette did. The subdued strips are a nice touch. 

 

I think grey and white are much more representative of Ottawa. That snow never stays white for long and the sky is grey for months.

[Unnamed Trialist]

More on the blue, red and white. They feature prominently on the city emblem.

More on all that negative white space: see how well it works against the black on the scarf seen at the presentation.  And the "roofline" in line with the banding of white. 

[Unnamed Trialist]

A couple things from the interviews with Gil Marín and then Fernando López, who will manage the club in Ottawa and is from their international expansion programme. 

First, it was pointed out to me by someone else, though I cannot find the source myself, that Gil Marín said directly that the salary cap was 750,000. The person who heard this was surprised because it was the most transparent anyone had ever been.

He also has confirmed that the rule of the CPL is that an external club (owner?) can only loan a maximum of 2 players, the rest have to be signed outright from what I understood.

Further, he commented on how they wanted to do collaboration in the women's game, and suggested At Madrid would sign Canadian players. Also that he wanted to arrange a women's friendly Spain-Canada, I imagine for the Wanda Metropolitano.

Then, López in the OneSoccer interview, he commented that they have 5 players in the India Super League (I thought they had pulled out entirely, but perhaps not), at ATK, and that the seasons did not overlap, it would work to have players play one place, then the other (Hume actually did the same when he was in the ISL). He said they were thinking of bringing over a striker who had played for Atlético, but I can't figure out who that might be.

He felt that the MX was a different level, not comparable. 

For the preseason training in Madrid, he actually says they could play a friendly vs the first team, not a B or youth team. I found that odd, perhaps it is so.

Then, he says they were sending scouts to Canada to prepare for the draft. From what he was saying, it sounded like an expansion draft. They were going to scout other teams preseason training, he did not say this, but what else would it be. Are CPL teams going to be asked to prepare a protected list and allow At Ottawa take their pick of those unprotected in an expansion draft?

Edited February 14, 2020 by Unnamed Trialist

[Viruk42]

4 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Then, López in the OneSoccer interview, he commented that they have 5 players in the India Super League (I thought they had pulled out entirely, but perhaps not), at ATK, and that the seasons did not overlap, it would work to have players play one place, then the other (Hume actually did the same when he was in the ISL). He said they were thinking of bringing over a striker who had played for Atlético, but I can't figure out who that might be.

The one I've seen suggested elsewhere is Sergio Castel, currently on loan with Jamshedpur FC

[DrummingInMySleep]

5 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Then, he says they were sending scouts to Canada to prepare for the draft. From what he was saying, it sounded like an expansion draft. They were going to scout other teams preseason training, he did not say this, but what else would it be. Are CPL teams going to be asked to prepare a protected list and allow At Ottawa take their pick of those unprotected in an expansion draft?

No no no. He must have been referring to the unsigned U-sports players that DC confirmed are available to be signed by AtleticO

[Unnamed Trialist]

1 hour ago, DrummingInMySleep said:

No no no. He must have been referring to the unsigned U-sports players that DC confirmed are available to be signed by AtleticO

How can you scout them?

[Unnamed Trialist]

20 hours ago, youllneverwalkalone said:

Transfermarkt often has stats for U19 Spain. I couldn't find anything on Diego Lorenzo other than he's a centre forward. I assume these loans won't be for actual prospects for their first team, but more like prospects for the B team?

Clanahan mentioned that they were intrigued by the U-Sport deal. I wonder if this is a part of a recruiting tool in talking to parents of 12 year-olds? Even if you don't make the B club, we can send you to Canada to attend a lovely little university called Carleton and continue your professional career in the CPL. Could be a good pitch, actually.

Here's the official At Madrid Juvenil A roster, from the Madrid Region Football Federation site. Diego Lorenzo on the list of 21.

https://www.rffm.es/pnfg/NPcd/NFG_VisEquipos?cod_primaria=1000119&Codigo_Equipo=20

I looked at the RFEF site for the last few weeks and he regularly subs on for the last 15 minutes. He started their last game vs Union Adarve and subbed out m. 68.

https://www.rfef.es/actas?pid=2768037

They just beat Rangers in Youth League, he subbed on m. 86. They play Ajax in round of 16 in early March, single knock-out.

I am not sure how you entice a player to Ottawa and the CPL. I can honestly say that most would not even want to go to Mexico. Those developing want to be as close to the home club as possible and in the Spanish system, in the loop. 

Edited February 14, 2020 by Unnamed Trialist

[Unnamed Trialist]

8 hours ago, Viruk42 said:

The one I've seen suggested elsewhere is Sergio Castel, currently on loan with Jamshedpur FC

Just a comment on level. Iain Hume was a leading scorer in the ISL. Two off seasons (January window to end of season) he went to play in Spain. At Pontferradina, in 2nd division, he struggled as did the team, who relegated.

At Extremadura, in 2B, third tier, he did much better, scored and showed well, the team was built to promote and it did. 

A good ISL player should be able to make a difference in CPL, which I consider to be like a mid to low Spanish third tier or high 4th.

[Zem]

36 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Just a comment on level. Iain Hume was a leading scorer in the ISL. Two off seasons (January window to end of season) he went to play in Spain. At Pontferradina, in 2nd division, he struggled as did the team, who relegated.

At Extremadura, in 2B, third tier, he did much better, scored and showed well, the team was built to promote and it did. 

A good ISL player should be able to make a difference in CPL, which I consider to be like a mid to low Spanish third tier or high 4th.

Yeah, Hume's an Atlético Kolkata legend and he has voiced his interest in playing in the CPL, so he would make a lot of sense as a signing. Even if he isn't a key player, he'd be a fantastic veteran presence to have on a team that is probably going to be quite young.

[Unnamed Trialist]

10 minutes ago, Zem said:

Yeah, Hume's an Atlético Kolkata legend and he has voiced his interest in playing in the CPL, so he would make a lot of sense as a signing. Even if he isn't a key player, he'd be a fantastic veteran presence to have on a team that is probably going to be quite young.

It never occured to me until now that he was on their team in India, that is perhaps why his agent found him these contracts in Spain. That is actually a good little connection, maybe even Atlético Ottawa could pick him up.

[Ams1984]

22 hours ago, youllneverwalkalone said:

Transfermarkt often has stats for U19 Spain. I couldn't find anything on Diego Lorenzo other than he's a centre forward. I assume these loans won't be for actual prospects for their first team, but more like prospects for the B team?

Clanahan mentioned that they were intrigued by the U-Sport deal. I wonder if this is a part of a recruiting tool in talking to parents of 12 year-olds? Even if you don't make the B club, we can send you to Canada to attend a lovely little university called Carleton and continue your professional career in the CPL. Could be a good pitch, actually.

First team depth players from Atlético (Spain) would be beyond amazing. I think it’s far more realistic, and totally appropriate for this level, to have an Atleti B player on loan in Ottawa. He’d probably dominate. 

[BuzzAndSting]

I’m embarrassed for Ottawa fans on Twitter right now, that’s why I love it here.

[Initial B]

51 minutes ago, BuzzAndSting said:

I’m embarrassed for Ottawa fans on Twitter right now, that’s why I love it here.

Um I just did a quick twitter search. What's the issue to be embarrassed about?

[BuzzAndSting]

8 hours ago, Initial B said:

Um I just did a quick twitter search. What's the issue to be embarrassed about?

Check FuryFanatic’s new Twitter feed, @ottleti (?), there’s one or more people who’ve created multiple troll accounts mimicking him and SMR and accusing them of bullying when it looks like the troll account who is the bully. Everything is hashtaged CanPL so if you go back to last evening you’ll see. Also that guy “from above” has jumped in and gone after everyone, he’s using @AtleticoOttawa, which isn’t a good look for the new club.

[m-g-williams]

Have any Atlético fans been contacted yet about purchasing season tickets, or is this only happening once the league schedule is out? I put down my desposit a few weeks ago and am starting to get jittery. 😛

[Unnamed Trialist]

An article in As about the Spanish players in CPL and the arrival of Atlético. I can translate later. The players make interesting comments about rules about foreigners in CPL, and about player development and the problem of private academies.

https://as.com/futbol/2020/02/14/migrantes_del_balon/1581694099_721421.html

I just had a long conversation with the writer, who follows Spaniards in the world, tries to keep an exhaustive list--sounds like our kind of guy. Martín told me he watched a few CPL matches last year, I was impressed, he is really on top of his stuff. He says he knows Ramon Soria personally, and was asking about Gil Marín and the press conference.

[Initial B]

The may thing I noticed was the guy from the condo and the Stoney Monday Riot going at each other. The "Ours was the Fury" handle is kind of cringe worthy. I figure things will get sorted out before the start of the season so we'll know what is actually official or not.

[BuzzAndSting]

3 hours ago, m-g-williams said:

Have any Atlético fans been contacted yet about purchasing season tickets, or is this only happening once the league schedule is out? I put down my desposit a few weeks ago and am starting to get jittery. 😛

I too put a deposit down but haven’t heard anything yet.

[toontownman]

Pretty sure I saw JDG in a new car and threads heading to the airport with bags of cash.

[Blackdude]

2 minutes ago, toontownman said:

Pretty sure I saw JDG in a new car and threads heading to the airport with bags of cash.

Nice to know that he got a major endorsement from Crestfield Waxpapers.