Late flurry for Atleti falls short, MLS side Nashville SC take two goal lead into next week's second leg
CPL Atletico Ottawa

Late flurry for Atleti falls short, MLS side Nashville SC take two goal lead into next week's second leg

Published on February 18, 2026 under Canadian Premier League (CPL)
Atletico Ottawa News Release


OTTAWA, ON - Despite a flurry of goal-scoring opportunities in towards the end of the match, Atlético Ottawa were defeated in a hard-fought leg one matchup in Hamilton against Nashville SC in round one of the Concacaf Champions Cup. This was Ottawa's first-ever game against a Major League Soccer (MLS) opponent (USA's first division of professional soccer).

Atlético plays its second leg against Nashville SC on Tuesday, February 24th (8PM ET, Live on OneSoccer). The match will take place at GEODIS Park, in Nashville, Tennessee, where the winner on aggregate (combined score) over the two legs will advance to take on Lionel Messi's Inter Miami CF in the second round of the Concacaf Champions Cup.

KEY MOMENTS

Atlético Ottawa were unable to find a breakthrough as Nashville SC claimed a victory in leg one with two second-half goals.

Score: 0-1. Woobens Pacius opened the scoring for Nashville, receiving the ball inside the 18-yard box on the swivel before wrong-footing Garissone Innocent in goal (66').

Score: 0-2. Sam Surridge wrapped up the match at the death, slotting into a near-empty net on the Nashville counter-attack (95'+).

Atlético Ottawa marked their first appearance in the Concacaf Champions Cup as well as their first-ever game against an MLS opponent.

This first leg was played at Hamilton Stadium due to ongoing renovations at TD Place as part of the Lansdowne 2.0 renovations

Despite maintaining 54% of the game's possession, Ottawa were unable to find a breakthrough, generating six total shots with one target.

Making his Atlético debut off the bench, Kamron Habibullah came closest to levelling the score, but the midfielder's effort was blocked in the line in the 90th minute.

New striker Erling Myklebust also came close to levelling the score in the final moments of the match, before a ruthless Nashville counter sealed the victory.

Atletico saw four other players make their debuts for the club after the offseason transfer window saw ten new players arrive in the nation's capital.

Goalkeeper Garissone Innocent started in goal, making six big saves in his debut.

Atlético San Luis loanee Jonantan Villal made his first start and first appearance as a professional, while Emiliano García put in an impressive display off the bench.

Daniel Aguilar was also brought on as a second half substitute.

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Canadian Premier League Stories from February 18, 2026


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