Nacho Zabal (G)
Today I learned, Nacho is a nickname for Ignacio. Here I thought it was random! This particular Nacho, Ignacio Zabal (33), is one of the international players joining Atlético Ottawa.
He has spent his entire career in Spain, where he started in the Osasuna youth system. Though he never played for the La Liga club, he made 74 appearances for their B team between 2006-2011. Often sent out on loan to Segunda clubs Numencia and Huesca, he appeared in 6 Copa Del Rey matches. The highlight during this time was his shootout victory for Numencia against Cartegena, where his saved penalty helped secure the win.
He spent the rest of his career playing for Segunda B clubs Alcoyana, Toledo, Arandina, and Calahorra. With Alcoyano he made the biggest starts of his career, where his team made it to the knockout phase of the Copa Del Rey for the first time, losing on aggregate 2-1 to La Liga giants Athletic Bilbao.
Nacho Zabal brings a wealth of experience amassing 55 clean sheets in 181 appearances, including 2 clean sheets in the Copa del Rey. He will be expected to be a leader on Atlético Ottawa and will likely be in the starting lineup. I am craving nachos now.
Ricky Gomes
Canadian native, Ricky Gomes (26), was one of the first signings by the club. He has spent 12 years in Europe, with spells at Deportivo B in Spain (fourth division), and Porto’s youth squad. More recently, he has applied his craft with Arbroath FC in Scotland’s second division, and União Madeira in Portugal’s Second B Division. Growing up in Canada, Gomes never thought it would be possible to play in the country, though he has represented Canada at U20 and U23 for CONCACAF and the Pan American Games. This is a great opportunity for Gomes to play in the Atlético system and play in his home country. Though he may have to battle for the starting position, it will be exciting to see if he can pry the starting role away from Nacho Zabal by the end of the tournament.
Horace Patient Sabza Zemo
Finding Zemo… there isn’t much published on Zemo, so what do we know? He will likely be the third string goalie. He is 6’1”, from Cameroon. He grew up in the area, playing for FC Gatineau. He won a championship with them, securing the Ballon d’Or in the process. He only started playing organized soccer at 16 and apparently didn’t even know how to clear the ball. Zemo played for Université Laval after that and most recently suited up for OSU Force in 2019, allowing 15 goals in 10 games played.