The Gustavo Leal era is underway in the nation’s capital.
Atlético Ottawa have named the Brazilian their new head coach through the 2027 Canadian Premier League season with an option for 2028, effective immediately. He is the fourth head coach in club history, and the first Brazilian head coach in league history.
Leal will be on the touchline on Friday night when Ottawa host Inter Toronto for a cross-Ontario clash.
Leal was most recently head coach of Tlaxcala FC in the Mexican second tier, and previously coached in the top flight with Ottawa’s affiliate club Atlético San Luis, both as an assistant and later the head coach. In between those stints he was head coach of Chilean club Everton de Viña del Mar. He has also been a head coach at Slovakian club Šamorín, as well as Imperial, Mesquita and Quissamã in his native Brazil, in addition to multiple youth teams in the Fluminense system.
His crowning achievement so far, though, was winning Olympic gold with Brazil at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the same summer the Canadian women won gold. Working with a squad that included Dani Alves, Gabriel Martinelli, Bruno Guimarães, Richarlison, Douglas Luiz, Matheus Cunha and Antony among others, Brazil beat 2024 champions Spain in the final, winning their second gold medal in a row after also winning at home in Rio de Janeiro five years earlier.
“To me, football is more than a game. It’s about passion, it’s about life, it’s about dreams, Leal said in a press release. “I want the supporters, all match, to feel the same feelings as we do. The good vibes, good feelings that football can give you; that’s my goal.
“We need to be a team that will play in the offensive part of the pitch, always searching to score more and trying to create offensive actions that get people out of their seats. We need to win matches, but more than this, we must win by playing a beautiful style of football.”
Courtesy: Atlético Ottawa
Leal brings his talents to Canada with the reigning North Star Cup champions after Mejia’s midseason departure to move up the food chain to San Luis.
“Gustavo brings an impressive resume, having worked with some extremely talented players, but more importantly, he embodies the characteristics, mindset, and philosophy that Atlético Ottawa seeks to implement every day,” said Ottawa CEO Manuel Vega. “We are excited to provide this opportunity for Gustavo to continue his development as a coach and for the fans to witness his passion for the game as we enter a new chapter in the club’s history.”
New Pacific FC head coach Terry Dunfield was also supposed to take charge of his first match this week after replacing James Merriman, but the Tridents’ game away to Forge FC was cancelled because of wildfire smoke.
Atlético Ottawa is currently sitting third in the CPL table with 16 matches remaining in the regular season, but already 14 points back of Forge and nine back of Cavalry FC.