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CPL Atletico Ottawa

Atlético Ottawa Selects Piccioli, Laplante in 2024 CPL-U SPORTS Draft

December 14, 2023 - Canadian Premier League (CPL)
Atletico Ottawa News Release


Samuel Laplante with Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
Samuel Laplante with Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
(Atletico Ottawa)

OTTAWA, ON - Atlético Ottawa selected local midfielder and Carleton Ravens talent Luca Piccioli (first round) and former-Valour FC defender Samuel Laplante of Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (second round) in Thursday's 2024 CPL-U SPORTS Draft.

Hailing from Ottawa, 24-year-old central midfielder Luca Piccioli, a product of Atlético's 'Powered By' club the Gloucester Hornets (Gloucester Celtic), and an alumnus of St. Joseph's High School, has been a standout U-SPORTS player in 2023. Captaining Carleton University's Ravens to victory in the Ontario University Athletes (OAU) title, Piccioli's eye-catching performances included a brace in the final against York Lions, leading the Ravens to a 3-1 triumph in Ottawa. Having trained with Atlético's first-team squad through the former Atlético de Madrid Identification Program, Piccioli, recognized for his set-piece prowess and technical skills, has greatly benefited from the guidance of former Carleton Raven's Head Coach Kewsi Loney.

"Today is an exciting day for Atlético and Luca, as well as for the wider soccer community in Ottawa," said Loney, Assistant Coach, Atlético Ottawa. "With a rich local talent pool at our fingertips in the region, our club aims to strengthen connections and offer more opportunities for local players. Luca, known for his set-piece prowess and strong technical skills, particularly in breaking defensive lines and tight spaces, is also a formidable leader. I look forward to witnessing his development in Atlético's top-tier professional environment during the upcoming pre-season."

In the second round of picks (eleventh overall), Atleti selected defender Samuel Laplante from the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières. Laplante is a product of the provincial team system in Québec and is known for his ability to provide an attacking threat from the full-back position. In his fourth year of eligibility, the 1999-born left-sided player was drafted by Valour FC in the CPL last year but has yet to make his professional debut.

"We are happy with the two choices we have made, both are players from an age group that has been somewhat neglected in the past, but very valuable thanks to the new CPL regulations," said Carlos González, Head Coach, Atlético Ottawa. "We believe in this profile of young players with great room for improvement but at the same time with previous experience at this level. In the case of Luca, we have seen him over the past two seasons participating sporadically with us in training and he has shown great development this season, knocking on the door to become a member of this squad. In the case of Samuel, building on his previous experience with Valour, we have identified him as a left-sided player with certain characteristics that are hard to find today in the Canadian scene. We see that with some further development, he has the potential to be an interesting player."

The two draft picks will be invited to Atlético Ottawa's pre-season training with the hopes of securing a 2024 U SPORTS Development Contract for the upcoming season. As student-athletes with one to four years of U SPORTS eligibility remaining, they are allowed to sign with a CPL club while preserving their eligibility to return to U SPORTS competitions after that.

Since 2018, the Canadian Premier League has held a draft for eligible U SPORTS men's soccer players who have registered and declared themselves available to be selected through the League's annual draft.

As Atlético Ottawa continues to forge 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.

Check out the Atletico Ottawa Statistics




Images from this story

Luca Piccioli with Carleton University
Luca Piccioli with Carleton University
 Samuel Laplante with Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
Samuel Laplante with Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
  



Canadian Premier League Stories from December 14, 2023


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