Atlético Ottawa’s 2025 Canadian Premier League Championship game back in November, a 2-1 extra time victory over Calgary’s Cavalry FC, will go down as one of the most memorable games in Ottawa sports history.
By their very nature, all championships are hard to forget because they’re so special and don’t come around very often. But what made this national soccer title extra memorable was the way Ottawa persevered during a relentless blizzard that dumped heavy snow onto the TD Place pitch that night.
And right in the middle of it all was Atlético Ottawa goalkeeper Nathan Ingham, who says he’ll never forget the emotions when the whistle finally blew to end the match, the season, and a night of the craziest weather he’s ever played in.
“It was all just an overwhelming sense of relief and joy,” Ingham said. “You start celebrating and immediately you see your teammates who you’ve been through so much with and you celebrate even harder. And that just keeps happening over and over. It’s such an incredible feeling.”
One of the enduring images from that fateful night was seeing Ingham suddenly pick up a shovel and lend a hand during a snow clearance stoppage.
But it wasn’t a totally selfless act.
“There are certain reference points a goalkeeper needs to see in order to know where they are in the net, since they can’t look backwards, obviously. So the penalty spot, the corners of the boxes, the “D”, etc. It was a lot easier to just grab a shovel quickly and clear those spots than to try to explain it to the poor volunteers who were freezing and just trying to quickly get the lines clear.”
If the championship and the snowstorm weren’t enough to make the evening memorable, David Rodriguez, a 23-year-old Mexican midfielder scored both Atlético goals, one of them on an incredible bicycle kick that will forever be known as the Icicle Kick.
“I remember laughing,” Ingham said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever laughed at a goal in my life, but that was my reaction. It was hard to believe. Given the circumstances and the magnitude, it might be the best goal I’ve ever seen live.”
The laughs continued well into the night as the club had booked Local at Lansdowne so that the players could celebrate with friends and family, win or lose.
“After our locker room celebrations, we joined up with everyone there. I had my parents and my girlfriend in town and I really just tried to take it all in. It was amazing to see so many happy people in one place. I didn’t want to leave.”
Unfortunately for local soccer fans, Ingham’s time in Ottawa has come to an end. Faces sat down with the goalkeeper to talk career milestones, a night that won’t soon be forgotten, and his plans for next season.
After the win, was there someone you wanted to call or text right away?
I’ll be honest, I didn’t look at my phone until the next morning. I didn’t want to miss a minute of the night. All I had to do was get from the stadium to Local and Local to home. The only call I took was from an Uber driver trying to find us at the end of the night.
That said, I have never had that many missed calls or texts in my life. In the morning, I answered them all from bed.
You’ve been playing since you were 10. Why do you love goalkeeping?
It’s a love-hate relationship. I could be wrong, but I think if you ask most goalkeepers at this level you’ll get a similar answer. I will say, there is nothing like it, and it has undoubtedly made me a better person, which I will always be grateful for.
You’ve been a core player for Atlético Ottawa. What makes the connection between the club and the supporters special?
I think like any relationship, it’s just something that has been built over time together. Emotionally, there have been ups and downs in our short history, but when both sides see each other showing up every game, giving everything we have, and still fighting for the same things, you build this respect for each other and that leads to a special connection.
What was it like playing for Diego Mejia?
I don’t have enough good things to say about Diego. He is a special coach. I learned more in this year than I have in any other year of my career. And that’s not easy to do as a 30-something year old. We are very lucky to have him.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Most of my free time revolves around the restaurant scene here. Whether it’s at Mati or checking out different places to enjoy a meal or find some inspiration, I struggle to sit at home.
I’ll be announcing a new project I’ve been working on soon which I’m really excited about as well. It’s a docuseries that will highlight hospitality and sport, and the professionals within them, around North America.
Do soccer fans ever recognize you while you’re working at the restaurant? Has it ever resulted in a funny or memorable moment?
Haha! Yes, this slowly became more normal to me. A lot more when I had the long hair. I’d get a lot of ‘good games’ and ‘good lucks’ on the way out. Nothing crazy. Up until we won the final last month, I would usually joke that there was a better chance people recognized me during a game as the bartender of Mati than the other way around.”
And that brings us to your career news. You just signed a three-year deal with Cavalry FC in Calgary, the very team you just helped steal a trophy from in November. It sounds like it’s a great opportunity, even beyond soccer, to be working for Spruce Meadows (Cavalry FC’s owners).
Spruce Meadows is kind of the Augusta or Wimbledon of the equestrian world. They took a chance to buy a soccer team and try and build that the same way they did the equestrian. And now I get to be a part of that.
The whole package in Calgary is kind of what’s taking me there. I’m excited about the soccer opportunity, of course, but also the hospitality side of things that’s really going to push my career forward.
I’m going to be joining a new restaurant that’s just opened a few weeks ago called the Foxtrot. They have hopes to be a top 20 restaurant in Canada in the next three years. It’s on Spruce Meadows campus. And I’m also going to be joining and learning from the head of strategic advancement of the Spruce Meadows Corporation in event planning.
Sounds like a perfect situation for you, although I’m guessing it still wasn’t an easy decision.
No, there were definitely some sleepless nights and melancholy days in the past month. When I look back on it in 10 or 15 years, and I just look at the facts, I’ll probably realize it was kind of a no brainer decision.
But over the last month, it has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do because of the relationships and the familiarity of Ottawa and the club and the fans and the people. That’s what made this far more complicated.
So along with a championship, what will you take away from your time in Ottawa?
The relationship I’ve had with Ottawa has been super special. My time here over the last four years has truly made it feel like home.
While he may return to TD Place next season in enemy colours, local soccer fans will always have a soft spot for Nathan Ingham and lifelong memories of a national championship in the snow.