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Atlético Ottawa head coach Diego Mejía will be leaving the team at the end of the month to pursue a new, unspecified professional opportunity, the club announced Saturday.
After joining the team as its third head coach going into the 2025 season, Mejía led Atlético to its best season in club history, becoming the first Canadian Premier League team to finish a season without losing a match at home.
He then helped the team reach its second league championship match, where they lifted their first North Star Cup in a howling snowstorm.
“Our North Star Cup victory was the outcome of a process where we established Atlético as the best team in Canada, playing the best football the Canadian Premier League has ever seen,” Mejía said in a news release.
That win qualified Ottawa for the regional champions tournament, where they bowed out against Nashville SC of Major League Soccer. Earlier this month they beat Toronto FC in the Canadian Championship for their first win against a higher-level team.
Assistant coach to fill in
Before joining Atlético Ottawa, Mejía was a former player and coach in Mexico’s top soccer league.
The 42-year-old will coach his final game at TD Place on Sunday. His final match with the club will be against Pacific FC in B.C. on May 30.
“We see this as an amazing moment for Atlético Ottawa. When we brought Diego into the club, it was part of a wider plan to build a structure that empowers professionals to develop on and off the pitch,” said Atlético CEO Manuel Vega.
“Diego has earned the opportunity to take this next step in his career.”
Assistant coach Diego Campos will then become head coach while the organization finds a permanent replacement, promising to work to fill the role in a “timely manner.”