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Ottawa South United
Full nameOttawa South United Soccer Association
Nickname(s)OSU Force, OSU Atlético
Founded2003 (club)
2017 (semi-professional team)
StadiumTAAG Park at Carleton University
LeagueLigue1 Québec
2024L1Q, 9th (men)
L1Q, 7th (women)
Websitehttps://www.osu.ca
Current season

Ottawa South United is a Canadian semi-professional soccer team based in Manotick, Ontario, a community in the rural south part of Ottawa that plays in Ligue1 Québec. The club previously competed in League1 Ontario. The club formed a partnership with Canadian Premier League club Atlético Ottawa and as part of the partnership, their PLSQ teams will be known as OSU Atlético.[1] The team is part of the larger Ottawa South United youth soccer club organization.

History

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Former club crest

The club was founded as a youth soccer club in 2003 through a merger between Osgoode – Rideau Soccer Association (founded in 1972) and South Nepean United (founded in 1980). The club offers recreational and competitive in the Greater Ottawa Region. The Force Academy program draws players from across Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec.[2] OSU was recognized by Ontario Soccer with the Gold Award for Club Excellence, was a founding member of the Ontario Player Development League (OPDL) and one of the first 39 clubs in Canada to be granted a National Youth Club License.[3]

In 2016, OSU partnered with American youth club Dallas Texans SC and Nike, which made it a part of the Dallas Texans' affiliation with Spanish La Liga club Atlético Madrid.[4] Soon after, Atlético, with OSU, hosted a soccer camp in the city, a precursor to the Spanish club ultimately forming Atlético Ottawa to play in the Canadian Premier League in 2020.[5] In 2016, they also partnered with Major League Soccer club Vancouver Whitecaps FC to launch a new Whitecaps FC Ottawa Academy Centre, in partnership with the Whitecaps FC Residency program where players could proceed in the next stage of their development.[6] In 2020, they partnered with Canadian Premier League club Atlético Ottawa becoming the first club to join Atlético's ‘Community Partnership Soccer Program.’ Through this, OSU will have access to coaching development, player development, Atlético player appearances, and open practices, while their male and female semi-pro teams will wear a “Powered by Atlético” crest on their sleeve.[7] As part of the partnership, the club announced that their PLSQ teams will be known as OSU Atlético and the teams wearing Atlético's red-and-white striped kits, which was formalized in 2023.[8][9]

Semi-professional team

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In 2017, the club joined League1 Ontario, a Division III league, fielding a team in the men's division,[10] using the club's nickname, OSU Force.[11] They defeated Aurora FC in their inaugural match on April 29, 2017 by a score of 3–1.[12] In 2019, they added a team in the League1 Ontario women's division.[13]

For the 2020 season, the club moved both its male and female teams to the Première Ligue de soccer du Québec, a league on the same pyramid level as L1O, but located in the province of Quebec, in a move sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association.[14] While previously, the Ontario-based Ottawa Fury Academy had played in the Quebec-based league, this move represented the first time League1 Ontario and PLSQ have transferred a club between organizations.[15] The move to play in a different province was approved to ease travel for both OSU and the other League1 Ontario clubs, as Ottawa was located closer to the Quebec clubs than any of the other Ontario teams.[16] Due to restrictions put in place by the Government of Ontario as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, OSU had to play home games in Quebec during the 2020 PLSQ season[17] and required an exemption from the Ontario Soccer Association to be eligible to participate making them the only Ontario-based club who was able to play competitive fixtures in 2020.[18] OSU was able to strengthen their roster for 2020 due to travel restrictions put in place as a result of the pandemic. Several players who were to play for teams in the United States instead joined Ottawa's team, resulting in only two players returning from the 2019 team that finished last in L1O.[19] Their first season in the PLSQ was interrupted by the pandemic and cancelled before its conclusion, with standings to be determined based on points per game earned in matches up to that date.[20] The male team ultimately finished in second place behind AS Blainville, following a 3–2 loss to Blainville, which was their only loss of the season, in the final match of the season before the cancellation, in which Blainville scored the winning goal in the final minute of the match.[21][22] Midway through the 2021 season, the men's team was forced to withdraw from the league due to government restrictions and cross-border difficulties (the women had already completed their season), with their played matches removed from the rankings (they had a record of 1-2-7 at the time, sitting in 9th place).[23] In recent years, the team has focused more on player development, with the club featuring the youngest average age in 2022 at 19 years old, several years younger than the rest of the teams in the league.[24]

Seasons

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Men

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Season League Teams Record Rank Playoffs League Cup Ref
2017 League1 Ontario 16 6–1–14 6th, East (12th) did not qualify Quarter-finals [25]
2018 17 3–4–9 14th did not qualify Round of 16 [25]
2019 16 0–1–14 16th did not qualify – [25]
2020[note 1] Première Ligue de soccer du Québec 6 4–2–1 2nd – – [26]
2021[note 2] 10 1–2–7[note 2] Withdrew – –
2022 12 1–2–19 12th – did not qualify
2023 Ligue1 Québec 12 5–4–13 11th – First Round
2024 11 6–5–9 9th – did not qualify
  1. ^ The 2020 season was cancelled before its conclusion, with the final standings determined on a points earned per game basis
  2. ^ a b OSU withdrew from the league mid-way through due to government restirctions, with their stats removed for the standings, making their official record 0–0–0

Women

[edit]
Season League Teams Record Rank Playoffs League Cup Ref
2019 League1 Ontario 14 6–2–5 5th Quarter-finals – [27]
2020 Première Ligue de soccer du Québec 4 0–0–3 4th 4th – [28]
2021 10 3–2–4 7th – did not qualify [28]
2022 12 4–1–6 8th – did not qualify [28]
2023 Ligue1 Québec[a] 12 5–1–5 5th – First Round [29]
2024 12 7–3–6 4th, Group A (7th overall) did not qualify –
  1. ^ Ligue1 Québec was known as the Première Ligue de soccer du Québec until 2022

Notable former players

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The following players have either played at the professional or international level, either before or after playing for the semi-professional team:

Men

Women

References

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  1. ^ "Atlético Ottawa Announces Community Partnership with Ottawa South United". Ottawa South United. August 7, 2020.
  2. ^ "The History and Foundation of our Club". Ottawa South United.
  3. ^ "OSU awarded one of Canada Soccer's first National Youth Club Licences". Ottawa Sportspages. August 26, 2019.
  4. ^ "OSU Partners with Atletico de Madrid, Dallas Texans and NIKE". Manotick News. January 14, 2016. p. 17.
  5. ^ Tim Baines (January 15, 2020). "Pro soccer back in Ottawa? Group hoping to field team in 2020 CPL season". Ottawa Sun.
  6. ^ "Whitecaps FC launch new Academy Centre in partnership with Ottawa South United". Vancouver Whitecaps FC. November 21, 2016.
  7. ^ Don Brennan (August 7, 2020). "Atletico Ottawa lands major partnership before heading to 'The Island Games'". Ottawa Sun.
  8. ^ "Atlético Ottawa announces partnership to launch semi-professional soccer team "OSU Atlético"". Atlético Ottawa. March 24, 2023.
  9. ^ Mahmoudi, Nelson (March 25, 2023). "Introducing OSU Atletico: PLSQ's 'Newest' Team For 2023". Northern Tribune.
  10. ^ Martin Cleary (February 7, 2017). "Ottawa soccer gets a big boost". Ottawa Sun.
  11. ^ "New League1 Ontario Club Profile: OSU Force". League1 Ontario. March 21, 2017.
  12. ^ Chris Dubsky (May 1, 2017). "Ottawa South United Force @ Aurora FC". Northern Starting XI.
  13. ^ "Ottawa Soccer Clubs Seek to Maintain Gains". Ottawa Sportspage. April 18, 2019.
  14. ^ "Ottawa South United Se Joint à La PLSQ" [Ottawa South United Joins the PLSQ]. Première Ligue de soccer du Québec. January 30, 2020.
  15. ^ "Ottawa South United announces historic move to PLSQ". League1 Ontario. January 30, 2020.
  16. ^ "OSU Force Academy Zone: Ottawa South United announces historic move to PLSQ". Ottawa Sportspage. February 27, 2020.
  17. ^ Marc Tougas (August 12, 2020). "Une Bonne Entrée en Matière pour Ottawa South United" [A Good Start for Ottawa South United]. PLSQ (in French).
  18. ^ Elia, Elio (October 24, 2020). "Pandemic challenges test OSU in its otherwise successful PLSQ debut". Ottawa Sportspage.
  19. ^ Tougas, Marc (October 6, 2020). "L'AS Blainville Champion D'un Cour Championnat...Encore Plus Court que Prévu" [AS Blainville Champion of a Short Championship... Even Shorter than Expected]. PLSQ (in French).
  20. ^ "COVID-19 : Mise à Jour Du 29 Septembre 2020" [COVID-19: Update September 29, 2020]. Quebec Soccer Federation (in French). September 29, 2020.
  21. ^ Chenoix, Eric (September 23, 2020). "Blainville se donne de la marge" [Blainville gives itself the margin]. Viau Park (in French).
  22. ^ "Ottawa South United : " Notre première saison en PLSQ est une réussite "" [Ottawa South United: "Our first season in PLSQ is a success"]. Just eSoccer (in French). February 15, 2021.
  23. ^ "La PLSQ Accueille Deux Nouvelles Équipes" [The PLSQ Welcomes Two New Teams]. Première Ligue de soccer du Québec (in French). September 16, 2021.
  24. ^ Mahmoudi, Nelson (March 12, 2023). "Strategic Development: The Bright Side To OSU's Devastating 2022 Season". Northern Tribune.
  25. ^ a b c "League1 Ontario Historical Standings Men's Division". Canadian Soccer History Archives.
  26. ^ "Première Ligue de soccer du Québec". Canadian Soccer History Archives.
  27. ^ "2019 Women's Standings". League1 Ontario.
  28. ^ a b c "Première Ligue de Soccer du Québec Feminin". Canadian Soccer History Archives.
  29. ^ "Ligue1 Quebec Women". Canadian Soccer History Archives.
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