Atlético Ottawa’s Pre-Season in Mexico presented by Westjet: Week One Recap
Atlético Ottawa has kicked off their 2025 Canadian Premier League pre-season with a two-week training camp in Mexico presented by Westjet. This marks the club’s second consecutive pre-season in the country, but this time under new Mexican head coach Diego Mejía, accompanied by several new Mexican players and coaches.
Day 1 – March 16th
The team arrived in Querétaro, Mexico, at 3 a.m. after a lengthy journey. The players were given time to rest, sleeping in before waking for breakfast at 10 a.m., followed by lunch at 1:30 p.m. After an afternoon of recovery, the team boarded a shuttle for a short five-minute ride to the state-of-the-art La Loma Centro Deportivo. There, they participated in a light activation and recovery session designed to help them shake off the fatigue of travel. The day concluded with dinner back at the hotel and rest in preparation for the training to come.
Day 2 – March 17th
With the players feeling recharged, the team held a morning training session focused on passing and finishing after breakfast. Following lunch and a period of rest, they returned to La Loma for a gym session and some evening work on the pitch. The day ended on a relaxed note, as players and staff enjoyed the pool, sauna, and hot tubs at the facility.
During dinner, entertainment was provided by the rookies, Joaquim Coulanges and trialist Ralph Khoury, who delighted their teammates with spirited renditions of Adele’s classic hits. The lively evening ended with plenty of laughs before the players turned in for the night.
Day 3 – March 18th
The third day of training featured only a morning session, where the team focused on foundational tactical concepts. After returning to the hotel for lunch, players were given the rest of the day off to unwind and recharge.
Dinner provided yet another round of entertainment, this time courtesy of the club’s new Mexican contingent. Coque, David Rodriguez, Iker Moreno, and Kevin Ortega took center stage. Coque stole the show with his energetic and charismatic performance, while Iker Moreno’s act received noticeably less applause, much to the amusement of his teammates.
Day 4 – March 19th
Once again, the day featured only one training session in the morning as the coaching staff wanted to keep things light and have the players rested to prepare for the training competition against Querétaro FC the next day. In the evening, the players took part in a team-building exercise at the hotel, where no cameras were allowed.
Day 5 – March 20th
Rise & shine, it’s training match day! The team got up early, hopped on a bus, and headed to the historic Corregidora Stadium to test themselves against Querétaro FC. The massive building was one of the hosting venues for the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
The Atléti squad came out to a hot start against the LIGA MX side that featured 8 of their regular starters and rotation players. A free kick by Kevin Dos Santos was blocked, but eventually found its way to Ballou Tabla who blasted it from outside of the box to the back of the net. Eventually, Querétaro found an equalizer and the match ended in a 1-1 draw. Both sides rotated all their players, and everyone had a chance to play. The Querétaro FC team was led by a familiar name to CPL fans, former York United FC coach Benjamin Mora. After the training match, Mora had a chance to chat with Diego Mejía and former York defender Noah Abatneh. The training match was also the first time we got to see our ‘Homage To El Doblete Kit’, and finally seeing the jerseys in action makes them look extra sharp.
The team spent the afternoon recovering and resting, and after dinner, the hotel staff put on the CONCACAF Nations League Semi-Final Match on the projector for the team to watch. With the strong contingent of Mexican players on the squad, the banter between them and the Canadian guys was quite amusing. Unfortunately for the Canadian guys, the Canadian National Team would ultimately lose in the end.
Day 6 – March 21
To break up the grueling grind of training camp, the team organized a morning at a local arcade and bowling alley, where different groups competed against each other. Being the professional athletes they are, things got competitive. After lunch, the team was given the rest of the day off, as most of the guys spent time hanging out on the rooftop pool area.
Looking Ahead
The week ahead promises more excitement as Atlético Ottawa prepares for two key training friendlies before returning home. They will face Atlético San Luis’ U23 squad on March 24, followed by a training match against Tapatío FC on March 27. The team will then head back to Ottawa on March 28, ready to put their hard work in Mexico into action for the upcoming CPL season.
