‘It felt like a piece of me was ripped away’

Driving past the former home of Valour FC on the weekend was enough to bring Raphael Ohin to tears.

The 30-year-old defensive midfielder — the only player to suit up in all seven of the club’s seasons, a captain since 2024, and a fan favourite for his energy and effort on the pitch — suddenly has no reason to pull into that parking lot anymore.

The Winnipeg Football Club announced Friday that Valour is folding.

“When I saw the stadium, it broke my heart,” said an emotional Ohin in a phone interview with the Free Press on Tuesday.

“That place was my second home.”

It’s a sight Ohin will have to get used to as he coaches youth soccer out of the Winnipeg Soccer Federation South complex, which sits next to Princess Auto Stadium. Those up-and-coming players he works with can no longer dream of being the next Ohin, Marco Bustos or Dylan Carreiro — just a few of the Winnipeggers who played professionally in their own backyard.

“Someone asked me, ‘Raph, why are you crying so much? Why does this hurt so much?’ And honestly, it’s not only for me. I feel like it hurts more for the next generation,” said Ohin, who grew up in Ghana before settling in Winnipeg in 2016.

“I know some of these boys are gonna ask me, ‘Hey, coach Raph, what is next for you?’ I can answer that. I still want to play, whatever the next chapter is. But if they ask me, ‘What is next for me?’ That’s a question that I would not be able to answer. And it’s hard.”

Ohin heard rumours towards the end of the season that Valour’s future was in jeopardy. He advised his teammates to ignore the outside noise and instead focus on finishing strong despite missing the playoffs once again.

Ohin said the chatter about Valour’s potential demise then began to quiet down which led him to believe they would return in 2026.

Then came a video call on Friday with WFC president and CEO Wade Miller and the Canadian Premier League.

“To be honest, I didn’t see it coming at all,” said Ohin.

“It felt like a piece of me was ripped away.”

As for why Valour ultimately failed, Ohin doesn’t want to speculate or point fingers.

“I would rather focus on the positive memories and the people who made every moment that I lived the past seven years with this club special,” said Ohin.

Goalie coach Patrick Di Stefani didn’t want to get into the weeds either. He and Ohin were the only two to represent Valour from their launch in 2019 to its final day in 2025.

“It’s like when there’s a divorce. I always laugh when people say, ‘Oh, it was a good divorce.’ A divorce is a divorce, it’s never good. But personally, I like to look at it as a blessing in my life,” said Di Stefani.

“I met a lot of people, lots of fans. I had great interactions with them. And I would tell them to just cherish the memories that you had. You were part of something unbelievable. I can’t tell somebody not to be angry, not to be disappointed, not to be this or that. The only thing I can say is stay positive and move on.”

The Winnipegger had 30 years of professional and international coaching experience, including a stint in Belgium, before signing on to Valour’s initial staff. He played a key role in developing both James Pantemis (2020) and Jonathan Sirois (2021) into legitimate starters in the MLS when they were loaned to Valour by CF Montreal.

“This is the reality of our industry. Sometimes you can see it coming, sometimes you can feel it, sometimes not. At the end of the day, that’s the way it is, we’re in that type of industry. When you sign your contract, it doesn’t matter if it’s for three years. You know that in two or three months, you could be fired,” said Di Stefani.

“I just hope and wish the best for Winnipeggers and the soccer community. I think all the parties who were involved, closely or from afar, everybody needs to sit down, reflect and say, ‘Did I do my job? Did I do what was required from me?’”

Di Stefani is hopeful this is goodbye to pro soccer for now — not forever.

“The Jets came back, and hopefully in the future, again there will be pro soccer in Winnipeg,” said Di Stefani.

“That’s my hope and that’s my wish for the generation to come.”

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