UPDATE
After this article appeared, Atlético Ottawa and Head Coach Carlos González agreed to part ways, following three seasons in the Canadian Premier League (CPL), the team announced on Nov. 21.
Who is he?
Carlos González is the head coach of the Canadian Premier League soccer club Atlético Ottawa. González has just completed his third season with the club and has a record of 38 wins, 29 draws, and 28 losses in 95 matches.
What’s his background?
González was born in Granada, Spain and began his coaching career in 2012 with the Málaga CF youth club. Starting in 2015, he worked his way through the ranks with Atlético Ottawa’s partner club Atlético Madrid coaching its youth, U18 and U19 teams. González also coached in Kuwait for a year-and-a-half. In February 2022, González was named head coach of Atlético Ottawa, signing a two-year deal.
What’s he known for in Ottawa?
Since his arrival, González has changed the trajectory of the club. In the years prior to his arrival, 2020 and 2021, the club finished at the bottom of the CPL. In his first season in 2022, the club finished at the top, winning its first Regular Season Championship and appearing in the CPL Finals, where it lost to Force FC. After a down 2023 season, 2024 was a bounce-back year with González’s squad finishing third in the regular season. Atlético Ottawa made it to the semi-final round in the playoffs before being eliminated.
What do people say about him
“Since his arrival, it’s been completely different and we now have a winning club,” says Alek Desjardins, a member of the Capital City supporters group. González is also known as a great person off the field. “He’s one of the nicest and kindest people I know,” Desjardins added.
What’s something people don’t know about him?
In an interview when González was first hired, he said he began his coaching career because he was not a skilled enough player. He also talked about how studying at the Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio and the Universidad de Granada in the sports science program helped him as a coach and helped him understand sports performance management.
UPDATE
After this article appeared, Atlético Ottawa and Head Coach Carlos González agreed to part ways, following three seasons in the Canadian Premier League (CPL), the team announced on Nov. 21.
González, 38, led Atlético to its first major trophy, the Canadian Premier League Shield, in 2022, when his side won the CPL Regular Season. He was also named Coach of the Year that season, after taking the team from “worst to first” in his inaugural year in charge.
