New signing Owen Antoniuk revealed his desire to not only help push Atlético Ottawa towards play-offs but to win some silverware too.
The Vancouver Whitecaps academy graduate arrived in the nation’s capital on loan until the end of the season and, with 10 games remaining, insisted he was eager to fight his way into Carlos González’s plans.
Having made his Atlético Ottawa debut against Edmonton on Sunday, Antoniuk will surely continue to play a big part in helping Atlético Ottawa reach the threshold of u21 minutes that the Canadian Premier League requires, but the 19-year-old knows that a place in a team is never given.
“It’s earned, I have to work for that,” said Antoniuk back in his first interview with the club. “My goals are to get some good minutes and put in good performances for myself and to help this team.
“Back in the day [before the CPL] none of these options were there. It slimed the chances for players to make it in this country but now it’s a platform for those across the world to see you. Even the league itself, it’s a great league. The move happened quickly but I’m thrilled to get this chance and I can’t wait to see what it’s like.”
Born in Calgary, Antoniuk’s passion for soccer started as a four-year-old boy watching his Dad play before discovering he had an affinity for the sport himself. Having gained exposure whilst playing provincially in Alberta the Canadian midfielder was snapped up by Vancouver’s academy when he was 16 years old.
Moving away from home was a test of character and although he “struggled for the first six months” a step up to the Whitecap’s u19s provided a spark before the pandemic hit and soccer was stopped.
“It was frustrating but you understood safety was a top priority,” Antoniuk explained. “I was training alone, doing runs to stay fit – we went months and months without playing a game. That break affected how used to the speed of the game we were, and it wasn’t until we got back into playing in MLS Next Pro [this year] that we felt like we got going again.”
Antoniuk gets his 3️⃣rd goal of the season!#WFC2 | #STLvWFC2 pic.twitter.com/loTnMZexJt
— Whitecaps FC 2 (@wfc2) May 8, 2022
That’s behind him though, and with eyes firmly fixed on the future the 19-year-old will be sure to push players like Zakaria Bahous and even Ollie Bassett for minutes on the field – unless González has different ideas hidden up his sleeve.
“I’m a box-to-box [midfielder], I’ve got defensive quality having played deeper in the past,” revealed Antoniuk. “In terms of strengths, it’s about getting goals, getting assists. I like being creative and building-up attacks, getting stuck in, but having that little bit of flair in terms of finishing or creating chances.
“Favourite [position] would be left-sided #8 or #10, cutting in as my right foot is dominant. And then if I was to go anywhere else it would be a single #6, I have a good passing range in my locker as well but I like scoring goals and I miss that when I’m playing a little further back.” With three goals in 13 games for Vancouver Whitecaps II, Atlético Ottawa have signed a young, two-footed creative midfielder with an eye for goal who will surely help with the push towards the club’s first playoff qualification.
