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CPL Atletico Ottawa

Atlético Ottawa Secures Signing of Coveted Canadian Defender Noah Abatneh

January 27, 2025 - Canadian Premier League (CPL)
Atletico Ottawa News Release


OTTAWA, ON- Atlético Ottawa has today confirmed the signing of Canadian defender Noah Abatneh, on a one-year contract with a club option to extend in 2026, ahead of the new Canadian Premier League (CPL) season.

Abatneh, 20, is one of Canada's most exciting young prospects and was nominated for the CPL's Best Canadian U-21 Player Award after a standout season with York United FC last season. He has also represented Canada's U-20 national team side on three occasions.

"Noah is a complete package central defender, aggressive and front-footed in his defending while also excelling on the ball," said JD Ulanowski, Atlético Ottawa, Assistant General Manager. "He has improved a lot in the past couple of years. This is a great opportunity to continue his development."

Abatneh (right) takes on Atlético striker Sam Salter in 2024 (credit: York United)

Born in Toronto, Abatneh lived in Ottawa for three years and played for Atlético Ottawa's Powered By Club St. Anthony Futuro at the youth level alongside current Atlético defender Tyr Walker. He moved to Rome, Italy, in 2016 and represented AS Roma and S.S. Lazio at the youth level before returning to Canada in 2023 when he signed for York United in the CPL.

"I'm delighted to join Atlético Ottawa and the global Atlético organization," said Abatneh. "The Canadian Premier League provides a fantastic platform, especially for young Canadian athletes, to gain professional experience and I'm grateful to continue honing my skills. When the decision was made to stay in Canada, there was no other team I wanted to sign for. Returning to Ottawa, and reuniting with familiar faces, is an exciting life opportunity and I'm ready to fight for three points every weekend and to be in contention for trophies come the end of the season."

Abatneh is a right-footed central defender, who can play across the back-line, and has already featured 36 times (2,398 minutes) in the CPL for York where he scored one goal. As a youth prospect, he played as an attacking midfielder and transitioned into a more defensive role while developing in Italy.

Atlético's Ballou Tabla (left) lifts Noah Abatneh off the turf at TD Place in 2024 (credit: Freestyle Photography)

Ulanowski added: "He typifies our recruitment and development strategy, to provide a platform for young players to flourish. Having lived here for a few years growing up, Noah has that local connection to the city of Ottawa, and knows a few players on the team already which will help him fit in. Most of all, Noah's drive to earn minutes at the professional level and test himself against experienced players continues to lay a strong foundation for what could be a very bright future ahead."

Atlético Ottawa's 2025 CPL Preseason Camp, Presented by WestJet, starts in early February as Abatneh and the rest of the squad will meet in Ottawa before travelling to Mexico to continue their preparations ahead of the new campaign.

Current 2025 Atlético Ottawa Roster as of January 27:

Goalkeepers: Nathan Ingham (CAN)

Defenders: Tyr Walker (CAN), Jonathan Grant (CAN), Amer Didić (CAN), Noah Abatneh (CAN)

Midfielders: Manny Aparicio (CAN), Aboubacar Sissoko (CAN), Noah Verhoeven (CAN), Gabriel Antinoro (CAN), Alberto Zapater (ESP), Juan 'Coque' Castro (MEX)

Forwards: Ballou Tabla (CAN), Kevin Santos (POR), Sam Salter (CAN)

Additionally, Atlético Ottawa picked Cape Breton University's Jason Hartill and Carleton University's Adam N'Goran in the 2025 CPL-U SPORTS Draft, presented by Degree. Both players will join Atlético's pre-season looking to earn a U SPORTS contract for the 2025 CPL season.

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