Atlético Ottawa Acquires Goalkeeper Rayane Yesli, Loans Verhoeven to Valour FC
February 9, 2024 - Canadian Premier League (CPL)
Atletico Ottawa News Release
OTTAWA, ON - Atlético Ottawa is excited to announce that the cub has completed the signing of 2023 Canadian Premier League (CPL) Goalkeeper of the Year nominee, Rayanae Yesli, in a transfer from Winnpeg-based Valour FC. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Yesli, 24, joins Atlético on a one-year contract with a club option to extend the deal to the end of the 2025 season following two years in Winnipeg.
In 2022, Yesli competed for minutes with the now-starting keeper for CF Montréal Jonathan Sirois, before becoming the number-one goalkeeper the following campaign. He featured in all but two matches (27 appearances total) and kept seven (7) clean sheets for a struggling Valour side, earning a nomination for Goalkeeper of the Year alongside CPL finalists Triston Henry (Forge FC) and Marco Carducci (Cavalry FC).
"This addition makes us very proud, we will have two great goalkeepers," said Carlos González, Head Coach, Atlético Ottawa. "At the end of the day, it gives us the target we were looking for in the design of the club which is: having two very reliable players in each position so there is healthy competitiveness and the team can be the beneficiary of this situation.
"Yesli, he has shown in the last few seasons the kind of goalkeeper and person he is. He is a person with a great personality, a player who can bounce back on mistakes and remain focused during games, and someone who can be stable. He has shown he is a reliable player in the goal, he saves a lot and has given great performances for Valour. Yesli is a player that, although he is in the present, he also has a brilliant future. Because of his age, and of the physical and technical qualities he has, Borja Montero (Goalkeeping Coach) and I feel like he has big room for improvement and can make those steps from Ottawa."
Rayane Yesli at TD Place after signing for Atlético Ottawa (Photo credit: Chris Hue / Atlético Ottawa)
With 81 saves in 2023, Yesli made a name for himself as a stand-out shot-stopper and helped Valour FC, who finished in last place, to a better defensive record than play-off side York United. The 24-year-old becomes the second goalkeeper on Atlético's roster for the 2024 season, after Nathan Ingham (who signed a new deal in December) and following the departure of Sean Melvin (who recently signed for Vancouver Island's Pacific FC).
"I am very happy to have made this move," said Yesli. "From a sporting perspective, the club made me a very good offer and showed me a good project. It's important to me to come to an organization where I feel like I'll be growing as a player and what Fernando and the coaching staff presented to me aligned with my goals. I'm excited to get started.
"To perform best on the field, you need competition. If you rest on your laurels you'll never reach the heights of your performance. I want to be in a place where there is a lot of competition, where your place isn't guaranteed to push me to be better. For others, it might make them question stepping into that kind of environment, but it motivates me and I know that competition with Natha [Ingham] will make me rise to new levels."
Atlético has also confirmed that midfielder Noah Verhoeven, who extended his contract until the end of the 2025 season, will spend the 2024 campaign on loan with Valour FC.
González said: "We are delighted to keep Noah at our club for future seasons. A player who has proven to have great talent, and thanks to his youth, we consider him to have a promising future. We hope that with this loan he can consolidate it and thus return to Ottawa being closer to the best version of him as a player."
More information on Rayane Yelsi's early career
Born in Algeria, Yesli and his family moved to Montréal when he was two years old and began his pathway to professional soccer playing for youth teams CS Dollard, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce SA, and Panellinios St Michel FC before joining Major League Soccer's (MLS) CF Montréal (formerly-known as Impact Montréal) academy. This led to a European adventure in Italy in 2018 with Vibonese in Serie D (fourth division) where Yesli featured once as they gained promotion to Serie C (third division).
Yesli would return to Canada and compete for the semi-professional side CS Fabrose ahead of studying at the Université de Montréal, where he excelled in the U SPORTS system with the Montréal Carabins. Valour FC would draft the keeper in 2021, although the 24-year-old would have to wait another year before he made his bow in the CPL, with a stint training with CF Montréal and playing for AS Blainville in between. Yelsi made his debut for Valour FC in the Canadian Championship against the Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS), and his CPL debut a month later in a defeat to Atlético Ottawa. Impressive performance during his breakout season earned Yelsi a training trial with French side Ajaccio in Ligue 1 (first division) before returning to Winnipeg for the 2023 CPL season.
As Atlético Ottawa continues to chart further success in the capital, fans who are eager to secure their part can join the Atleti Family by purchasing their Season Seat Membership now. Full details on benefits and perks are available at atleticoottawa.club.
Atlético Ottawa 2024 Roster as of February 9th, 2024
Goalkeepers: Nathan Ingham (CAN), Rayane Yesli (CAN)
Defenders: Karl Ouimette (CAN), Tyr Walker (CAN), Matteo de Brienne (CAN), Maxim Tissot (CAN), Aboubakary Sacko (FRA), Liberman Torres (ECU)
Midfielders: Alberto Zapater (ESP), Ollie Bassett (GBR), Gabriel Antinoro (CAN), Kris Twardek (CAN), Abou Sissoko (CAN)
Forwards: Samuel Salter (CAN), Rubén del Campo (ESP), Ballou Tabla (CAN)
*U Sports: Luca Piccioli (CAN), Samuel Laplante (CAN)
**Ongoing contract discussions: Malcolm Shaw (CAN), Zach Verhoven (CAN), Zachary Roy (CAN)
***Out on-loan: Noah Verhoeven (CAN / Valour FC)
Canadian Premier League Stories from February 9, 2024
- Cavalry FC Sign Goalkeeper Jack Barrett on Loan from Everton - Cavalry FC
- Valour Acquires Viscosi, Verhoeven, Transfers Yesli to Atlético Ottawa - Valour FC
- Atlético Ottawa Acquires Goalkeeper Rayane Yesli, Loans Verhoeven to Valour FC - Atletico Ottawa
- Atlético Ottawa Extends Midfielder Noah Verhoeven's Contract into 2025 - Atletico Ottawa
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