Valour FC signs pair of Canadians

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This article was published 09/01/2019 (2777 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A pair of Canadian soccer players are hoping for a happy homecoming after signing on to play this season with Valour FC.

Defender Jordan Murrell, 25, and midfielder Glenn Muenkat, 20, inked multi-year deals Tuesday, officially becoming the fifth and sixth members of the Winnipeg-based club set to debut in March in the inaugural season of the Canadian Premier League.

“I’m super excited about having a professional league again in Canada. Playing with the full men’s national team has been a dream of mine and a goal I still have to this day,” Murrell said in a conference call from Toronto.

Murrell, who was born in England but has Canadian citizenship, comes from Reno 1868 FC of the United Soccer League (USL). He knows Valour FC coach and general manager Rob Gale well as part of the U23 Olympic camp and 2016 Caribbean tour, where Gale was part of the technical staff.

“Working with Rob was great. He taught me so many new things in just that short span that I was able to work on my game and improve. Having that trust is crucial,” Murrell said.

Murrell is also close with Valour FC’s first signed player, Skylar Thomas, as they spent four years together as college teammates.

“We’ve grown apart, played at different places. Now, to be reunited with one of my close friends is great. The chemistry will be there, and we’re looking to improve our talent and tenacity on the field,” Murrell said.

The idea of helping to launch a new franchise in a new league in a new city was also enticing.

“I know Winnipeg is all about their sports teams. Having an amazing fan base is definitely incentive for players to go there and perform at their best,” Murrell said.

Muenkat, born in Toronto, is coming from Bundesliga side Kaiserslautern in Germany, where he played for the youth (U21) team during the 2017-18 season. He also has a previous history with Gale through the national U18 team.

“Valour is a great opportunity for young players like myself to improve,” Muenkat said. “I thought this would be a great opportunity to learn new things, a new culture. It’s always easy to talk to him (Gale) as a coach. When he talks to you, he understands where you’re coming from as a player. That was good for me. He’s always put a lot of confidence in me as a player, so I thought working with him again would be the best option for me. So, that’s why I signed with Winnipeg.”

Gale is excited about the latest two additions to his club.

“(Jordan) is another exceptional character added to our organization, and we will be looking to his experiences and leadership to help build the right level of professionalism from Day 1,” Gale said Tuesday in a statement.

“Glenn is an exciting young talent and is a player I have known for quite a few years after working with him at the U18 level. The fact that an established European side took Glenn from Toronto FC shows the potential quality we are signing.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @mikemcintyrewpg

Mike McIntyre
Reporter

Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.

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