Coach Carlos Gonzalez leaves Atletico Ottawa after three seasons with CPL club

OTTAWA — Carlos González, a former Canadian Premier League coach of the year, is leaving Atletico Ottawa.

The club said his departure, after three seasons at the Atletico helm, is by mutual agreement.

The 38-year-old Spaniard won coach of the year honours in 2022 after Atletico won the CPL Shield, topping the regular-season standings at 13-5-10 in his inaugural season in charge. That represented a 23-point improvement over the year before when Ottawa finished bottom of the league at 6-14-8.

Ottawa finished third in the standings this season at 11-6-11, defeating York United via a penalty shootout in the playoff quarterfinal before falling 1-0 to Forge FC in the semifinal.

"I leave feeling happy and satisfied with the work done in terms of club structure, player development and of course results," Gonzalez, whose contract ran through the end of the year, said in a statement Thursday. "Being able to help the growth of the club and football in the city has been a privilege."

Under Gonzalez, Atletico Ottawa won its first CPL playoff match in 2022, its first Canadian Championship game in 2023, and set a single-season record for goals scored, both in the CPL and in all competitions, in 2024.

The Ottawa club, owned by Spain's Atletico Madrid, has started the search for a new coach.

Gonzalez is the second CPL coach to step down since Cavalry FC won the title Nov. 9. Benjamin Mora, a finalist for coach of the year this season, left York the day after the final.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2024

The Canadian Press