Atletico set to welcome back fans for Aug. 14 home game

The formal announcement of finally being able to host a home game in front of spectators is “a dream” for Atletico Ottawa.

Before that Aug. 14 date at TD Place, however, there's plenty of work to be done.

That includes Thursday's 5 p.m. meeting against Winnipeg-based Valour FC, which has been the class of the Canadian Premier League so far. During the bubble opening of the season in Winnipeg, Valour has posted four wins — including a 2-0 victory over Atletico on July 3 — and only one loss.

Atletico, however, comes into the game fresh from a 2-0 win over Calgary's Cavalry FC last Sunday. Overall, Atletico has won twice and lost three.

“We are good, we are better,” Atletico coach Mista said in a Zoom conference call Wednesday. “The last result is the best news for everyone. We increase our character, we increase our confidence in ourselves. We are happy and we continue to improve and we need to continue to improve more.”

With eight games in four weeks, Mista says the nature of the bubble schedule has taken a physical toll on players, but the entire league is dealing with the same issues.

He also believes that Atletico learned from its earlier loss to Valour.

“They have been almost perfect this season,” he said. “But we played a great game against them. We know what mistakes we made in that game. We are conscious that we will have a very difficult game, but we are confident in ourselves.”

As for the strain of continuing to live the bubble life, there's relief in sight. Following Wednesday's game against Valour, Atletico will play two more in Winnipeg, followed by road games in front of crowds in Halifax and Hamilton.

The long-awaited franchise debut at home will arrive on Aug. 14 against Halifax.

“The players, they need some good news, and playing in front of their families and supporters is the best news,” Mista said. “It's not only for us, but also for everyone that supports Atletico Ottawa. On that first game we play at TD Place — we've been waiting for more than a year — the dream will become a reality. We are excited, but we don't want to lose our focus because we have a lot of games before that one.”