Atlético Ottawa continued to add to its 2022 roster on Tuesday, announcing the arrival of two players on loan from within the Atlético de Madrid family.
Diego Espejo, a 19-year-old defender from Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, joins on loan from the Atlético Madrid reserve system, of which he has been a member since 2016. He has represented the Rojiblancos at several youth levels as well, before signing with the B side last year.
The right-footed centre-back has also been on the radar of the Spanish national team setup, appearing for the U-17 side in two friendlies back in 2018.
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Vladimir Moragrega, meanwhile, is a 23-year-old striker from Ahome, Mexico. He signed recently with fellow Atleti-owned club Atlético de San Luis, after playing for several clubs in the second-tier Liga de Expansión MX.
Last year, Moragrega played in all but three matches for Atlante, delivering a particularly impactful Clausura campaign in 2021 — in which he scored six goals in 14 games, finishing fourth in the league. Prior to that, Moragrega played for Alebrijes de Oaxaca, appearing for them in several key Copa MX matches against top-flight clubs including Club León and Cruz Azul, scoring a goal in the round of 16 against Liga MX side Tijuana.
With these additions, Atlético Ottawa now have 19 players signed to their roster ahead of the 2022 CPL season, which they’ll kick off on Saturday, April 9 at home against Cavalry FC (3 pm ET, on OneSoccer). Espejo and Moragrega bring Ottawa’s total number of newcomers to the roster to 12 players, in a group that includes the likes of Ballou Tabla, Nathan Ingham, and Maxim Tissot, among others.