Focused on Valour

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This article was published 18/05/2021 (1930 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The night before Valour FC played their first match at The Island Games last summer in Charlottetown, P.E.I., defender Amir Soto delivered a speech to the team.

Unfortunately, Soto had to do it over Zoom. The native of Panama was unable to join his new team in person as he was stuck back home. Despite signing with the club in February 2020, COVID-19 travel restrictions and visa issues forbid Soto from making his Canadian Premier League debut.

To his credit, Soto didn’t distance himself from the team. As devastated as he was, Soto remained engaged and didn’t miss a single virtual meeting. He also connected with his new teammates and coaches through group chats.

“We try and spend a lot of time in finding those character players by talking to them and getting to know them as people… What was great about Amir is he felt like a good fit,” said Valour head coach and general manager Rob Gale.

“He felt comfortable chatting to the lads and talking, and obviously, his command of English is pretty good, some would say even better than mine,” Gale said with a laugh. “We just had a good feel for him. Sometimes in difficult times, character reveals itself. Others could shy away or separate themselves, but he stayed connected.”

Now Soto can connect in person. His visa has been sorted out and he officially landed in Winnipeg on April 28. After 15 months of waiting, and a two-week quarantine, Soto finally got the chance to step onto the turf at IG Field as Valour FC kicked off its training camp Monday. The CPL hasn’t officially released a schedule, but the current plan is to start a 28-game regular season in mid-June or early July with all eight teams starting the campaign in one city. If the COVID-19 numbers improve and fans can sit in the stands, clubs will return to their home markets.

“I was really emotional when I got to the airport in Panama to come here,” said the 23-year-old Soto.

“I’ve been waiting for a long time. My family and friends never gave up on me. It feels really nice and now it’s time to get to work. I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time and now I just focus every day on getting better.”

Prior to inking a deal with Winnipeg’s professional soccer club, Soto played college soccer in Orlando, Fla., which is where he learned English, played a season professionally in Denmark for Ringköbing IF, then suited up for CD Universitario in Panama’s first division. Since Soto, who stands at 6-4, was under contract with Valour, he wasn’t able to play for a team in Panama last fall.

“It was difficult. Soccer players live for this, we like to play. As a professional, it was very hard for me,” said Soto.

“But you know, I kept a positive mindset… Of course, I watched all of (Valour’s) games. I still felt like I was a part of the team even though I was in Panama. I wanted to be there, but I supported the team from Panama. I watched the games because I wanted to see the level. It was tough not being at The Island Games, but I tried to keep a positive mind.”

He did what he could from home to stay fit, but being thrown into Valour camp after a year layoff hasn’t been easy.

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“I got to give him some slack, really, because he’s been out of the game for 15 months since we originally signed him. It was really difficult conditions at times over the last year in Panama with curfews and government and military enforcing stay-at-home orders. It’s going to take him a while, but we’re seeing glimpses of his ability right now,” Gale said.

“He’s a big boy but he’s even bigger in person. He makes Andrew Jean-Baptiste look small in his size. But what he’s shown is he’s a CONCACAF defender for me.”

Soto doesn’t have any connections to Canada, but a former teammate of his in Panama named Alex Gonzalez raved about the league to him. Gonzalez, a midfielder, spent some time playing for Pacific FC. Soto sees the CPL as a great way to develop and hopefully, an opportunity that will lead to him cracking Panama’s national team. But before he can think about playing for his country, Soto needs to catch his breath and get adjusted to his new surroundings in Winnipeg.

“Right now my focus is on Valour,” he said. “I want to get better and get myself to 100 per cent. After that, I’ll think of the national team, but right now, I’m only thinking about Valour.”

taylor.allen@freepresss.mb.caTwitter: @TaylorAllen31

Taylor Allen
Reporter

Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor.

Every piece of reporting Taylor produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.