Valour FC searching for answers

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This article was published 13/06/2022 (1546 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two wins in nine matches.

It’s not good enough and Valour FC knows it.

Winnipeg’s professional soccer club sits in sixth place with a 2-4-3 record in the eight-team Canadian Premier League heading into Wednesday night’s date with Cavalry FC (5-2-2) at IG Field.

Valour hasn’t claimed three points since May 15 and is coming off of an embarrassing performance at home on June 5 in a 1-1 draw against winless FC Edmonton. It was the second time Valour tied lowly Edmonton this season.

“For sure, we have to beat Edmonton. No disrespect to Edmonton,” said Valour midfielder Daryl Fordyce after Monday’s training session at the University of Manitoba turf field.

“… As soon as they got the goal, they sat back and protected their lead and had every single player behind the ball and made it difficult for us. But again, it’s on us. We have to find more solutions, be more creative in the final third, and score more goals.”

After exploding for six goals over Atletico Ottawa on April 24, Valour has gone on to score five times in their past seven matches. Valour also hasn’t responded well to home cooking as they’re 1-2-1 on Chancellor Matheson Road with only two goals in front of their fans.

“I guess when you score six against any team, other teams are going to look at you and respect you a little more and be a little more cautious. And teams are coming to IG Field and they’re sitting back a little because we have so many scoring threats,” Fordyce said.

“But again, we just have to find solutions. We have to find a way to create more chances.”

Valour head coach and general manager Phillip Dos Santos believes Valour’s better than what the table says.

“You look at the league, we’ve lost three games all by one goal. I think the draws at home, or if you look at the two draws against Edmonton, you (could) have four more points and you’re in the middle of that upper pack,” said Dos Santos.

“I don’t think (our record) is indicative of what we’ve done as a team. Especially looking at the fact that we were still missing for a good first third of this season players that when we built this team, we thought they’d be very important to us. I think our team has fought and been in every single game. It’s just about the little details that will convert some of these draws into wins.”

Valour will be without star defender Andrew Jean-Baptiste on Wednesday. Jean-Baptiste, who has only played once for Valour this season owing to injury, has been called up to the Haitian senior national team for Concacaf Nations League action. Jean-Baptiste played a full 90 minutes on the weekend in Haiti’s 6-2 win over Guyana and will return to town after the Cavalry game. Midfielder Matthew Catavolo has also left Valour to play for his country as he’s in Honduras for the Concacaf Men’s Under-20 Championship with Team Canada as they try to qualify for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia.

Valour is hoping they’ll receive a boost from 29-year-old Colombian midfielder Kevin Rendón. Their latest signing recently played in Colombia’s top-flight professional league for Deportivo Pasto (Liga BetPlay Dimayor) where he totalled four goals, one assist, 1,358 minutes played and 23 appearances.

“He’s a player that was a under-2o international for Colombia and they’re a powerhouse if you look at the latest players they’ve produced,” said Dos Santos.

“He’s a player that has experience, he’s not a kid anymore. You look at his body type, his ability on the ball, ability to get out of one-on-one situations, his delivery on set plays, the way he strikes the ball, his skill, I don’t think there’s a lot of players in the league that have the pedigree and experience that he has.”

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Unfortunately for Dos Santos, Rendón is ineligible to play until July 10 at home against HFX Wanderers FC.

“He’s serving a three game suspension (from FIFA). There was a brawl in one of his last games in Colombia,” said Dos Santos.

“Both teams had a large amount of players involved and suspended.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @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.