Atletico Ottawa clinches berth in CPL final

Atletico Ottawa clinched a spot in the Canadian Premier League final for the first time after earning a home draw on Sunday against Pacific FC.

Sunday’s 1-1 draw at TD Place was enough for Atletico to win the home-and-away series against last year’s CPL champions by an aggregate score of 3-1.

The club shut out Pacific FC 2-0 last weekend on the road in British Columbia.

Pacific FC however shed their first blood on Sunday when Thomas Meilleur-Giguère beat Atletico goalkeeper Nathan Ingham in the 28th minute.

They would hold the lead until the end of the second half, when Atletico striker Malcolm Shaw tied the game with less than 10 minutes remaining.

Atletico Ottawa finished first in the LPC standings in 2022, a stark contrast to last year when the club came last in the eight-team league.

Their solid run is under new manager Carlos Gonzalez, who took over as head coach in February.

Ottawa will now face either Forge FC or Cavalry FC in the next CPL final, depending on how the second leg of that series unfolds tonight in Hamilton.

The two teams battled to a 1-1 draw in Calgary last weekend.