Matteo Camillo Paul de Brienne (born May 22, 2002) is a Canadian professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player who plays as a left-back for Atlético Ottawa in the Canadian Premier League.

Early life

De Brienne began playing youth soccer at age three with

Ottawa South United 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 the Première Ligue de soccer du Québec. The club previously competed in League1 Ontario. ...

. In 2013, he was invited by the Dallas Texans SC (an affiliate club of Ottawa South United) to attend trials with the Real Madrid Academy in Spain. He played with the Ontario provincial team at the U14 level. In March 2016, he had a week-long trial with English club Crewe Alexandra. In August 2016, he joined the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy.

University career

In September 2021, he began attending Carleton University, where he played for the men's soccer team. He scored six goals in ten appearances, helping the Ravens capture the silver medal at the national tournament. He was named the OUA West Rookie of the Year. De Brienne was also named to the 2021 U Sports All-Rookie Team, as well to the national tournament all-star team. He was also a nominee for the U Sports Lou Bilek Award (Rookie of the Year).

Club career

On July 31, 2020, de Brienne signed his first professional contract with Canadian Premier League side Atlético Ottawa. However, he did not make any appearances for the club that season. He began the 2021 season with his former youth club

in the third tier Première ligue de soccer du Québec in July. However, a couple of weeks later he signed with

FC Manitoba FC Manitoba is a Canadian soccer team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada that plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the United States soccer league system. The club was founded in 2010 as WSA Winnipeg. In 2020, the club was acquired by a ...

, who participated in the

2021 Summer Series The 2021 Summer Series was a series of friendly soccer matches played between six clubs from Alberta, British Columbia, and Manitoba. The eight matches were held to showcase a potential national second division within the Canadian soccer league ...

, after withdrawing from the USL League Two season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While with FC Manitoba, he was invited to train with CPL club Valour FC. In January 2022, he initially registered for the 2022 CPL-U Sports Draft, before withdrawing soon after on January 13. Instead, on January 18, 2022, he signed a contract with CPL club Valour FC. He scored his first professional goal on June 15 against Cavalry FC. At the end of the

2023 season 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

, he was nominated for the CPL Best Canadian U-21 Player of the Year award, and eventually won it. After the 2023 season, he chose to depart Valour, after declining an extension offer. Over his two seasons with Valour, he scored six goals in 44 matches, across all competitions. On December 21, 2023, Atlético Ottawa announced the signing of de Brienne for the 2024 campaign, as the player signed a one-year deal with an option for another season. On 13 April 2024, he made his debut in the season opener against York United FC.

International career

In 2016 and 2017, he attended camps with the Canada U14 and U15 teams respectively.

Personal life

De Brienne is the cousin of current NHL player

Matthew Peca Matthew Peca (born April 27, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Springfield Thunderbirds in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

Career statistics

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brienne, Matteo 2002 births Living people Men's association football defenders Canadian men's soccer players Soccer people from Ontario Soccer players from Ottawa Ligue1 Québec players Canadian Premier League players Carleton Ravens men's soccer players Ottawa South United players Vancouver Whitecaps FC players Atlético Ottawa players FC Manitoba players Valour FC players