Atlético Loans Mexican Duo Villal, Garcia from Atlético San Luis
CPL Atletico Ottawa

Atlético Loans Mexican Duo Villal, Garcia from Atlético San Luis

Published on February 4, 2026 under Canadian Premier League (CPL)
Atletico Ottawa News Release


OTTAWA, ON - Atlético Ottawa have today announced the signings of Jonantán Villal and Emiliano Garcia from Mexican side Atlético San Luis, on loan for the 2026 Canadian Premier League season.

Villal, 20, an attacking midfielder and former Mexican U20 international, spent two seasons in the academy of Major League Soccer (MLS) side Atlanta United before moving to Atlético San Luis in 2024. Villal featured 16 times for Atlético San Luis's first team in Liga MX (Mexico's first tier) while also scoring 12 goals over 49 appearances for the club's U21 side.

Garcia, 22, is a versatile attacking player from Mexico City and a product of Mexican side Puebla FC's academy. He has also spent time on loan in Spain with Villarreal CF U19. Garcia has made 25 appearances for Atlético San Luis's under-21 team, scoring four goals in the Liga MX U21 Clausura 2024/25 campaign.

"We were eager to continue strengthening our relationship with San Luis this coming season," said JD Ulanowski, General Manager, Atlético Ottawa. "Both clubs share a common vision for player development and are continuously looking to provide young players with opportunities to shine on the biggest possible stage. We've already seen players like David [Rodríguez] and Kevin [Ortega] come from San Luis and make significant contributions here in Ottawa. We hope to continue to position Ottawa as an ideal landing spot for top-level international talent."

Last season, Atlético San Luis loanee David Rodríguez featured 34 times across all competitions, scoring 11 goals and providing a league-leading nine assists. Rodríguez was regarded as one of the best players in the league, having received nominations for Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year at the 2025 CPL Awards. His double in the CPL Final earned him the Most Valuable Player accolade and led Atlético Ottawa to its first North Star Cup with the 'Icicle Kick' viewed over a billion times worldwide.

Atlético Ottawa's 2026 roster currently has 20 players officially announced.

Atlético Ottawa Roster as of February 4, 2026:

Goalkeepers: Tristan Crampton (CAN), Garissone Innocent (HTI), Roberto Paguaga-Frankovich (CAN)

Defenders: Loïc Cloutier (CAN), Joaquim Coulanges (CAN), Sergei Kozlovskiy (CAN), Noah Abatneh (CAN), Tyr Duhaney-Walker (CAN), Roni Mbomio (EQG)

Midfielders: Gabriel Antinoro (CAN), Jean-Aniel Assi (CAN), Juan 'Coque' Castro (MEX), Marko Stojadinovic (CAN), Manuel Aparicio (CAN), Tim Arnaud (CAN)

Forwards: Ralph Khoury (CAN), Richie Ennin (CAN), Ballou Tabla (CAN), Emiliano García (MEX), Jonantan Villal (MEX)

Additionally, Atlético Ottawa have picked Carleton University's Joseph Daher and Brock University's Gabriel Tardiff in the 2026 CPL-U SPORTS Draft, presented by Degree. Both players will join Atlético's pre-season, looking to earn a U SPORTS contract for the 2026 CPL season.

Season Seat Memberships for the 2026 Canadian Premier League season at TD Place are on sale now. Click here for more information.

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