Atlético Ottawa pulled off a victory unlike any other in the Canadian Premier League final: a snow globe spectacle amid a storm that saw Mexican midfielder David Rodriguez dubbed an “icicle kick” by online media.
Host Ottawa beat the Cavalry 2-1 in extra time in Sunday's decider in temperatures of minus 8 degrees Celsius and snow so heavy that play was stopped every 15 minutes to clear the lines and goalies cleared their penalty areas with shovels.
There was a 60-minute delay after regulation time ended to plow the field.
Calvary struck first when Fraser Aird, playing in short sleeves, converted a penalty in the 33rd minute, celebrating with a snowy knee slide.
Rodriguez equalized seven minutes later with a stunning bicycle kick that thundered off the underside of the crossbar and into the net.
Rodriguez wasn't done there, as he beat Calvary goalkeeper Marco Carducci in the 107th minute to cement his place in Canadian soccer history.
“I came into the locker room and I was excited. I saw it was snowing and I thought, 'This is going to be a good day,'” Rodriguez told reporters.
Cavalry veteran Sergio Camargo said the snowstorm created conditions unlike anything he had ever experienced.
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“I had experience playing in the snow when I was in college,” Camargo told reporters. “But nothing like that when the snow was so thick it was difficult to dribble and manipulate the ball. It was a deciding factor for both teams, not an excuse. Just another addition to a very memorable final.”
Atlético Ottawa is a CPL club of the Spanish club Atlético Madrid, founded in 2020.
