Mr. Speaker, it is a good time to be a soccer fan in Ottawa. Ottawa Rapid, the women's soccer team, finished an outstanding first season, finishing second in the league and making it all the way to a heartbreaking penalty shootout in the semifinals against Vancouver.
The very next day, Atlético Ottawa, the men's soccer team, finished its own exceptional season, with the now-famous final of the Canadian Premier League played in the middle of a classic Canadian snowstorm, defeating Calgary 2-1. If members have not yet googled “icicle kick by David Rodriguez”, they will want to check it out. It has gone viral.
Both teams are making our city proud and are helping to put Canadian soccer on the map. Let us hear it for Ottawa Rapid and Atlético Ottawa. Go, Canada!