Atlético Ottawa announced Thursday the signing of local midfielder Luca Piccioli on a U SPORTS contract for the 2024 Canadian Premier League season. Piccioli, who excelled with the Carleton University Ravens in 2023, becomes the fifth local player to join Atlético's roster for this campaign and the first ever Carleton Raven to sign a U SPORTS contract with Atleti. Piccioli was Ottawa's first selection, third overall, in the 2024 CPL-U SPORTS Draft, after helping lead Carleton to an Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championship in 2023. "We are so glad to be able to welcome Luca to the Atleti Family today," said Fernando López, CEO, Atlético Ottawa. "Luca is 'one of our own' as the fans say, and joins Maxim Tissot, Tyr Walker, Matteo de Brienne and Kris Twardek as local players on our 2024 roster. He joins not because he's a local player though, but because throughout pre-season Luca has demonstrated the qualities we need in a player, both on the pitch and in the locker room. We have a great relationship with Carleton University and I hope that this is just the start of talented Ravens finding their path to professional soccer in Ottawa."
"This means the world to me," said Piccioli. "Not having a professional team here when I was growing up, to seeing the Canadian Premier League and Atlético Ottawa founded in my hometown, it's incredible and I can't express how proud I am to be part of this journey. Having this pathway to professionalism will continue to attract people to play the sport, and it'll increase the love of the game as well. All players dream big, dream of a move abroad, but getting this chance to play here, in my city, with my friends and family beside me is incredible and an opportunity for the career I've always wanted." Piccioli was born in Ottawa and grew up in Barrhaven. At 13, he moved to Montréal and joined the CF Montréal academy, spending five years there developing as a player and learning French. Upon returning to Ottawa in 2018, with limited pathways to professionalism due to the absence of the Canadian Premier League, Piccioli was recruited by former Carleton Ravens head coach Kwesi Loney. He then played in the U SPORTS program alongside Atlético defender Matteo de Brienne before being drafted by Atlético in 2023. "I'm really happy for Luca, it's a true acknowledgment of the work he's put in at Carleton University over the last few years," said Kwesi Loney, Assistant Manager, Atlético Ottawa. "It's also a great indication of how active the club has been in the community. Atlético Ottawa has been putting down roots and planting seeds. This relationship with Carleton is just one of the many connections we are starting to see established locally. For Luca to be drafted, and now being signed, I couldn't be prouder of him. I speak on behalf of the University to say that we are all rooting for him, and wish him all the best and the club success this year as well."

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