January 27, 2025...Noah Abatneh signs for Atletico Ottawa (from canpl.ca)
‘It’s a perfect team for me’: Noah Abatneh signs for Atlético Ottawa
2025-01-27
by Mitchell Tierney, Digital Content Producer (@mitchelltierney)
Just 20 years of age, Noah Abatneh has called many places home.
Born in Toronto, his mother’s job with the Immigrant, Refugees and Citizenship department of the Canadian government saw him
spend time growing up in the Philippines and Egypt.
However, it was in Ottawa, at age seven where his soccer career really took off as a member of Ottawa St. Anthony SC,
part of the Futuro Academy. At that club, he got a chance to play with a talented group that included now-Atlético Ottawa defender
Tyr Walker, former Atleti attacker Antoine Coupland, Pacific FC’s Eric Lajeunesse and Vancouver FC’s Elage Bah.
After a couple of years, he was on the move again, this time to Italy to join AS Roma’s academy, before eventually crossing
the city to play for Lazio U-18s.
Just under a decade later, Abatneh is back in the nation’s capital, signing with Canadian Premier League club Atlético Ottawa
on Monday. Having returned to Canada in 2023 to join York United FC, the central defender sees this cross-province move
as an important next step in his journey, and one that could open doors for his future.
“I think Ottawa has a really good plan in place for me,” Abatneh told CanPL.ca. “I think it was the best option for me in terms
of teams in the CPL…Ottawa has obviously an amazing ownership group, and they have a lot of connections, and I think it’s
a perfect team for me to go to.”
Abatneh made 36 appearances for the Nine Stripes over the past two campaigns, scoring once. Last year, in particular,
was a breakout season as he was nominated for the league’s Best Canadian U-21 Player award.
However, the final act of the 2024 season didn’t exactly go to plan. After going down injured in the 16th minute of a match
against Vancouver FC on Sept. 6, Abatneh played just 11 minutes the rest of the year, missing both of York’s playoff matches.
That setback not only cut his season short but also had an impact on his future plans as well.
“At the end of last season it was tough for me, because I was suffering with an injury and that kind of disrupted some
opportunities I had in Europe or anywhere else,” said Abatneh.
Joining a club like Atlético Ottawa, who have a global network of connections through Atlético Madrid, will help create some
of those opportunities. The platform that playing at TD Place provides him was a big factor in signing in the capital.
“It was very important, because obviously I’m still a young player, and my goal is to eventually be playing in Europe or the
top leagues in the world,” said Abatneh. “So with Atlético Ottawa having a very good ownership group and having all these
connections in place with bigger clubs and bigger organizations, it’s amazing.”
On the pitch, he is looking forward to playing under new head coach Diego Mejía. Having spoken to his new gaffer, Abatneh
loves the front-footed attacking style of game that Mejía envisions for Atleti this season and believes he is well-suited
to this sort of system.
“I think it fits my game perfectly as a defender; the way I like to play is defending on the front foot, being in possession,
having the ball as often as possible,” said Abatneh. “So with the new coach, I talked to him and I think it’s going to be
a good fit. I’m very excited.”
Atleti is also a perfect place for Abatneh to continue to learn his craft alongside one of the league’s most experienced
and dominant centre-backs, Amer Didic. This year will actually only be Abatneh’s third as a central defender. When he joined
York in 2023, he did so having primarily played as a right-back for his entire youth career, until then-York United head coach
Martin Nash saw him in training and was convinced playing in the middle of the backline better suited his attributes.
He has thrived ever since, seamlessly blending the abilities he cultivated as a full-back with those critical to success
as a central defender. Extremely comfortable with the ball at his feet, Abatneh has an outstanding ability to dribble out
of trouble when needed. He completed 90.06 per cent of his passes this season, which is among the best in the CPL.
Abatneh’s end-of-season injuries kept him out of the dramatic playoff clash between Atlético Ottawa and York United in October,
but he has still experienced the budding rivalry firsthand. He is now looking forward to trading the Nine Stripes for red
and white ones.
“Playing for York, it was always hard to play against Ottawa,” he said. “They’re very organized, they’re always a well-coached
team with a lot of good players, technical players. … I’m excited to be on the other side, to be honest.”
Entering his third season in the Canadian Premier League, after so much of his youth spent in Italy, it has been special
for Abatneh to get to begin his professional journey at home. To play professionally in the two Canadian cities he feels most
connected with has only made that more meaningful.
“The CPL has been a perfect pathway for young Canadians just like myself,” he said. “My time in Europe was really good,
but I felt like it was time for me to come back and get my first professional experience. And the CPL has just been amazing,
and providing us players with the platform to just showcase our abilities.”
Whatever happens next, Abatneh is focused on making the most of this part of his journey. After being nominated for the
league’s Best U-21 Canadian Player award last season, he would love to win it in 2025. But above all, his goal is to deliver
a championship for the city where his football journey began, and he believes Atlético Ottawa have all the pieces in place
to make that happen.
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