Atlético Ottawa Champions CHEO and Alessio at Sunday's Home Opener
CPL Atletico Ottawa

Atlético Ottawa Champions CHEO and Alessio at Sunday's Home Opener

Published on April 23, 2026 under Canadian Premier League (CPL)
Atletico Ottawa News Release


OTTAWA, ON - Atlético Ottawa will champion the CHEO Foundation and support Youth Hero Alessio at Sunday's "Champions for CHEO" Home Opener.

This is Atletico's first match back at TD Place since the iconic 2025 Canadian Premier League (CPL) Final that went viral across the globe. David Rodríguez's 'Icicle Kick' was viewed over two billion times in the weeks after the match and is set to contend for the FIFA Puskas Award, given to the best goal scored in world football.

Atlético won its first match of the 2026 CPL season, having defeated FC Supra du Québec in the inaugural clash between Ottawa and Montréal. Sunday's Home Opener sees Atleti face Vancouver FC (KO 1pm ET, live on OneSoccer and TSN).

Atleti launches 'Community Captain' initiative; Alessio first recipient

Atlético Ottawa has launched the 'Community Captain' initiative. This initiative commemorates local community heroes who have demonstrated the core attributes of what it means to be a captain: resilience, inspiration and courage. A Community Captain will be honoured at every regular-season home match with a signed captain's armband, a symbol of leadership and respect.

Soccer fan and Atleti season-seat member Alessio will be the initiative's first recipient. Alessio, who has gone through cancer treatment, will be invited pitchside to watch Atleti warm up pre-match, after which he will be presented with a signed armband from club captain Manu Aparicio. Alessio, who has previously been a ball retriever on Atlético matchday through his youth club Ottawa South United (OSU), continues to inspire those around him through his passion and desire to seize life's maximum potential.

Atlético will honour 14 recipients in the 2026 CPL season, all of whom will be Champions for CHEO.

'Champions for CHEO Foundation' promises year-long fundraising efforts

As one of Atlético's select charities of choice for the 2026 CPL season, the CHEO Foundation will be the recipient of a year-long fundraising effort supporting the 'Kids These Days' campaign. CHEO Foundation will receive a portion of the match-day revenue for every match this season, with a primary focus on Sunday's Home Opener, where fans can purchase an exclusive ATOxCHEO t-shirt (see below) and support CHEO through the purchase of 50/50 tickets, courtesy of the OSEG Foundation.

Kids today face more mental health challenges, more complex medical needs, and longer waits for care than ever before. CHEO's Kids These Days campaign is designed to transform pediatric care today and for future generations. This is CHEO's largest fundraising campaign, supporting care, research, and infrastructure.

Kids These Days is a 10-year, $220 million campaign focused on reshaping pediatric healthcare. CHEO serves children and youth across Eastern Ontario, Western Quebec, Nunavut and beyond. Kids These Days helps ensure care keeps pace with growing needs.

Click here to read more about the incredible Kids These Days campaign and how you can support. More information about upcoming fundraising events will be shared in due course.

Season Seat Memberships for the 2026 Canadian Premier League season at TD Place are still on sale.

Check out the Atletico Ottawa Statistics

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Canadian Premier League Stories from April 23, 2026


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