It was an absolutely outstanding May for Rubén del Campo. On the first day of the month, the Atleti striker scored a pair of goals in a 7-0 victory over Valour FC in the Canadian Championship. He added one more against the Winnipeg side that weekend in league action, before scoring in a 1-1 draw with Vancouver FC, a 1-0 victory over Pacific FC and then late in a 3-0 win over Forge. Del Campo was a rather runaway choice for the league’s Player of the Month award. Add in the opening goal against Halifax on the road on April 27, and del Campo scored in five straight league matches, tying a CPL record. His run finally ended against that very same opponent on Sunday. But as Atlético kept another streak alive, a record eight unbeaten to start the campaign, del Campo’s goal-scoring prowess is proving to be a critical ingredient in the club’s success in 2024. The 24-year-old’s five goals (seven in all competitions) leads the Canadian Premier League through the first two months of the season. “It’s another year, another mindset,” del Campo told CanPL.ca. “And then with the good players that we have is a collective work, and I’m very happy to help the team with the goals.”
It is just under a year since del Campo first arrived in the nation’s capital, with Atlético Ottawa announcing his signing alongside veteran Spanish central midfielder Alberto Zapater on June 28, 2023. He said he didn’t know much about Canada, beyond what he’d seen in movies, but quickly felt at home in a country he considers quite similar to his native Switzerland. In Atlético Ottawa and the Canadian Premier League, he saw a real opportunity to grow as a player. Del Campo joined the club with a strong resumé, including time spent with the Atlético Madrid academy, a few games in the Portuguese top flight with Famalicão and upwards of 20 with various Swiss youth national teams. But his first year in the league was a difficult one. After lifting the CPL Shield as regular season winners in 2022, Atlético Ottawa missed the playoffs in 2023. Del Campo started just six of the 16 matches he appeared in, and was held scoreless. “It was a hard season, personally, of course, and we have to learn [from it],” said del Campo. “And then we have a long off-season [which is] not normal for me, and I think these months were critical for myself, for my mental health, and then to come into this year with another energy, another mindset, and then start off the season like [I have].” The majority of del Campo’s goals have been a result of getting into good positions in the box, allowing him to pounce on rebounds and second-phase opportunities. The Swiss striker has 15 total shot attempts inside the box this season (including blocks), second-most in the league, and 30 touches in the opposition box. He has scored a stunning 0.97 goals per 90 so far this season.
However, he has also shown an ability to score in different ways this season. His first goal of 2024 came from a long-range effort from outside the box against the Halifax Wanderers. He also scored a brilliant solo effort against Pacific, turning his man at the top of the box before unleashing a perfectly angled strike across goal, which went off the post and in. To simply boil del Campo’s game down to just goals, however, would be doing him a disservice. “I’m not only happy about the goals that he’s scoring, but what he gives to the team,” said Atlético Ottawa manager Carlos González earlier this season. “He’s capable to hold the ball in certain moments and giving us possession. He’s able to press high, to be aggressive and to give problems to the centre-backs of the other team. He’s capable to thread in behind the defensive line. So he’s doing many good things.” Up front, Del Campo never stops working, be that making smart runs behind, putting pressure on opposing defenders with 64 duels contested this season. He also does a solid job of linking up with teammates and bringing them into attacking sequences. “The goals are the result of [that] work,” said del Campo. “Without the work, you can’t create the chances. So I think all the parts of the game, defensive part, offensive part, pressure, all are important to then have the result.” As the calendar now turns to June, the challenge for del Campo will be to find consistency and make sure his record-tying run isn’t just a flash in the pan. But with what he is showing in all phases of the game so far this season, Atlético Ottawa have found their man up top, and del Campo will play a key role in their pursuit of silverware in 2024.
All highlights courtesy OneSoccer