Valour FC a big kick for Bustos

By: Mike Sawatzky Posted: 9:05 PM CDT Friday, May. 10, 2019 Last Modified: 11:15 AM CDT Saturday, May. 11, 2019 | Updates

Advertise with us

It’s been eight years since Marco Bustos left home to chase his dream of a career as a soccer professional.

Read this article for free:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

It’s been eight years since Marco Bustos left home to chase his dream of a career as a soccer professional.

Read unlimited articles for free today:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/05/2019 (2640 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s been eight years since Marco Bustos left home to chase his dream of a career as a soccer professional.

On Friday afternoon, the 23-year-old Winnipegger came full circle when he trained for the first time with his new Valour FC teammates. Bustos could cap a hectic week today if he plays for the local squad, which is off to a 1-2-0 start in its inaugural season in the Canadian Premier League.

Valour faces HFX Wanderers, the CPL’s Halifax franchise, at 2:30 p.m.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Valour newcomer Marco Bustos has fun warming up for team practice at Investor's Group Field in Winnipeg on Friday. — MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Valour newcomer Marco Bustos has fun warming up for team practice at Investor's Group Field in Winnipeg on Friday.

Bustos, who emerged from the Maples to become Winnipeg’s most highly touted soccer prospect as a teenager, was under contract with the Oklahoma City Energy of the USL Championship this spring. His playing situation at OKC wasn’t ideal and he had a nagging feeling he was missing something in his hometown.

Valour head coach and general manager Rob Gale, who had coached him in the local youth ranks and on the Canadian under-20 national squad, made it clear he was interested.

“We’d kept in touch throughout the last couple of years and obviously I knew a CPL team was coming here to Winnipeg,” said Bustos. “It came to a decision where I needed to enjoy my football. I needed to come to a place where I could express myself, even just smiling, being home, being around familiar faces. I’ve worked with Rob before, many times. It was a decision to get the best out of me was to come here and be around these guys and be around Rob again. And just get the joy out of it.”

After a few weeks OKC acquiesced to his wishes: an outright release.

“Everything happened so quick,” said Bustos. “It was back and forth messages. My representative and Rob and Oklahoma. It was a quick turnaround. Within 15 hours I was packed out of my house and drove down here, a 20-hour drive. That was pretty much the last week. But I’m excited and happy to be here in Winnipeg.”

While the pull of his hometown was strong, the man who played four years with Major League Soccer’s Vancouver Whitecaps organization needed to be sure. Then he watched Valour’s season debut, a 2-1 away victory over Pacific FC, and came away convinced.

“I always had the back of my head that I want to play for Valour,” said Bustos. “But I need to see what that first game would be like. Not even the first game, but I’ve watched every single game that’s been on One Soccer since the first game. It’s really impressed me a lot. From broadcasting to the guys on the field, it’s been really good.”

Gale was thrilled to add an attacking midfielder of Bustos’ calibre, the man who scored the game-winning goal for Canada’s under-20 team in a friendly against England in 2016. But what will his role be in Winnipeg?

“His best role, the same way we talked about Michael Petrasso, Dylan Carreiro, Dylan Sacramento; we’ve got Ali Musse,” said Gale, who coached that Canadian under-20 squad. “Great attacking talent and I want to bring the best out of Marco. He’s worked for me before, he’s done very well for me before. People will remember him scoring the winning goal against England for us.

“He’s a fantastic footballer, a great attacking threat and we want to get him into the right areas along side the already glut of attacking talent we have and find those combinations. And get him smiling and enjoying his football again.”

Gale almost couldn’t believe his good fortune.

“(The OKC coach) said he’s our best attacking player so I don’t know how it came about, but thank you Oklahoma,” he said. “I might go back for a visit with the coach and buy him a pint at the end of the season.”

Gale’s excitement over his new addition is matched by the enthusiasm of Bustos’ parents, Alex and Rosa, who will be in attendance at IG Stadium (formerly Investors Group Field) today with 30 or more members of their extended family, although Marco’s brother and sister are out of town and unable to attend.

Marco moved away from home as a 15-year-old to play for the Whitecaps youth academy and he has not played a game as a professional or a national team member in his hometown since then.

“I think he will make an impact but it’s still very uncertain because (the league) is very new,” said Alex Bustos. “I think we’re both excited to have him here, since we haven’t had a chance to have him here for so long. Now, never mind being here, but playing here. It’s totally new to us. We’re both very, very excited.”

With injuries to Valour midfielders Petrasso and Josip Golubar, he may be thrust into the lineup immediately.

“We got him cleared for his medical today, his paperwork’s in order, so he will train (Friday) afternoon and we’ll assess it after that,” said Gale.

Bustos doesn’t view Winnipeg as a final stop in his journey. The lure of the MLS remains strong.

“Just like everyone else, you want to get to the highest-possible standard you can get to,” said Bustos.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14

Fourth game in 11 days

Valour FC has been the Canadian Premier League’s busiest team. The Winnipeggers will play their fourth game in 11 days today but head coach Rob Gale will admit no anxiety over a 1-2 start.

But a home date against the visiting HFX Wanderers at IGF, in the midst of the CPL’s abbreviated 10-game spring season, looks like a must-win match.

“I don’t know if there’s any increased urgency per se because you’re still building your identity and everything else,” said Gale Friday afternoon. “We’re in the tough slog because we had five games (in 16 days). Edmonton’s had a game and then another week off and then another home game, minimal travel. But there will be a stage in the season where everyone else has that as well. You look at the schedule — some at the end of June leading into July.

“When it gets down to the business end, potentially, in the spring season, they’ll have their tough schedules and how will they deal with getting up before four times before 8 o’clock in the morning and travelling across a country our size and going in and having minimal recovery time and training. We’ll see. If they deal with it better than us, congratulations, they’ll be ahead of us in the table. But it isn’t easy.”

For veteran Valour centre back Adam Mitter, a 26-year-old Englishman who has played professionally in eight countries, there is no reason to panic.

“I don’t think anyone’s anxious,” said Mitter. “I think if you’ve seen all three games, we should’ve had points from all three games. We should’ve won the Edmonton game and we should’ve got a point (in Calgary). Nobody’s worried. We understand the quality that’s in that change room.

“Things just haven’t been falling our way, which I’m sure is about to change if we keep creating the chances… For all three games we’ve defended excellently. Nobody’s broke us down.”

The combination of Mitter and defenders Jordan Murrell and Skylar Thomas looks formidable.

“It was great to get in,” said Mitter, who recovered from an early season injury to appear in two of Valour’s three matches thus far. “It’s great to be able to play with Jordan and Skylar (Thomas) next to me. They’re two top quality players (and) two top quality defenders as well, so it helps my game a little bit.”