Ben Fisk (FW)
Expected to be one of the most important players for Atlético Ottawa, the club was quick to snatch him up as their inaugural signing. It must have been difficult emotionally for Fisk (27) to leave the West Coast, a place he was born and raised, and played his youth career with the Vancouver Whitecaps. I know when I came back from Vancouver, leaving that geography was tough!
But more than that, Fisk was the face of Pacific FC, their captain and second highest scorer (6). His face was plastered on busses and billboards. It is obvious to me that he will be more of the same in Ottawa and in ways it is a shame we won’t be able to see that first-hand while they play in Charlottetown. He has been everywhere since he signed with the club. Like Pacific FC, it seems that Atlético sees him as the face of the franchise as well. And, fun fact: Fisk does have some Ottawa connections, as both of his parents are University of Ottawa alumni!
Part of this might be because of his ability to communicate in English and Spanish. Fisk spent time in the Tercera Division in Spain with Coruxo and Deportivo B between 2014 and 2016. Other than spending time with Derry City of the League of Ireland Premier League, he has spent most of his career playing in Canada or Spain. This has likely helped Mista with communicating tactics and playing philosophy.
Fisk is a fast, smart, tactical, and attack-minded player. He embraces the role of middleman, whether as a translator or the glue that brings people together. He has expressed that Atlético has made him feel like he will be a massive part of the organization and I think we will come to feel the same way about him.
Malcolm Shaw (ST)
Malcolm Shaw, the 24-year old from Pickering, Ontario, may be a blessing by accident for Atlético Ottawa. Initially, Shaw was going to stay in the Swedish Third Division before COVID nullified deals with clubs there. As a result, he was able to fall into Atlético’s lap.
After scoring 27 goals in 4 seasons for Roberts Wesleyan College in NCAA Division II, he played for Raslatts SK (2018) in Sweden’s Fourth Division, scoring 13 goals. He moved up to Sweden’s Third Division the following season, playing for Assyriska IK, amassing 5 goals and 4 assists.
According to Atlético Ottawa, we can expect a physical striker that will be able to slow down the play and play with both feet. He could be a good balance to the speed provided by players like Ben Fisk in attack.
Matteo De Brienne (FW, W)
Matteo De Brienne, as some on Twitter Call him Matteo De Bruyne. Privately, I will try to convince my future wife to let me name my son Matteo.
The OSU (represent!) product comes by way of the Vancouver Whitecaps and at only 18, will look to take the next step in his career as he grows into his potential.
In 2013, the OSU affiliated Dallas Texans invited him to attend trials with the Real Madrid Academy in Spain. Although he is a Barcelona fan and despite Messi being his favourite player, I am sure he wasn’t complaining about the invite. More recently, he was the Ontario Player Development League champion in 2015 with OSU, scoring 44 goals in 20 games.
De Brienne will play an attacking role, likely along the flanks for Ottawa. With his potential combined with his ability to score at lower levels, he may breakout as one of the bright young players for Ottawa by the end of the tournament in PEI.
Mohamad Kourouma (ST)
Kourouma is one of the older players on the team at 30 years old. The Guinean-Canadian dual citizen will be relied on for some needed veteran leadership on this young squad. This most recent year, Kourouma struggled to find the back of the net, only securing 1 goal in 26 appearances for the HFX Wanderers. So, he will be looking to bounce back this year in the CPL.
He started his career in Europe playing for Red Star FC, France’s oldest club. Fun fact, French legend Jules Rimet (whose name was used for the World Cup Trophy) founded the club in 1897. He then signed to Gent’s reserve squad, where current Canadian star and Ottawa native Jonathan David just left for Lille.
He followed his time in Europe by moving to Guinea to play for AS Kaloum, before returning to North America to play for Miami City, in the USL League Two. He scored 20 goals in 26 games during this stretch in Miami which earned him a spot in Halifax’s team last year. Although he struggled in much of the season, he did find success in the Canadian Championship, scoring in half his games played (3 goals).
Maksym Kowal (FW)
Maksym Kowal (29) comes to Ottawa with experience playing in Poland’s Third and Fourth Divisions, before moving to the New Zealand Football Championship, New Zealand’s topflight.
He has been a good scorer everywhere he goes, most notably with his most recent club, the Vaughan Azzuri (I am starting to think everyone has played for them). He finished the season with a goal per game pace (14) and the league’s top scorer. Let’s see if he can replicate some of that magic in Ottawa.
https://twitter.com/atletiOttawa/media – Original source photos for Matteo De Brienne and Malcolm Shaw.