Maturing Valour within striking distance of first playoff berth

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This article was published 10/09/2024 (717 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

This isn’t the same Valour FC — the pro soccer club that for years has flashed glimpses of hope, only to be spoiled by stretches of poor — and often downright ugly — play.

This version of Winnipeg’s side is a respected foe in the Canadian Premier League that has demanded the best from the most elite clubs over the second half of the season and left Valour with a legitimate shot at reaching the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

“The boys are starting to believe now that we’re a very good side,” said captain Raphael Ohin, the club’s longest-serving player.

Point in case, Valour earned one point against Atlético Ottawa — a side with championship qualities that outscored them 11-0 in the first three meetings of the season — in a 1-1 draw at Princess Auto Stadium on Monday. Though the single point was critical to Valour’s bid in the playoff race, the team certainly felt like the win and two additional points were stolen from it.

After jumping out to an early lead on a goal from Shaun Hundal in the 10th minute, Valour hunkered down defensively, holding one of the best offences in the league to one shot on target.

That lone shot came on a penalty kick in the 77th minute from Rubén del Campo, who tied the contest after referee Ben Hoskins called a handball on centre back Dante Campbell in Valour’s box. Observers called Hoskins’ judgment, ‘incredibly controversial,’ given Campbell had his hands behind his back and the ball appeared to deflect off his forearm.

Ultimately, it was a clean performance stained by a perplexing call.

Head coach Phillip Dos Santos voiced his frustration following the match.

“I saw what everyone saw. Unfortunately, it’s this: I’ve been in this league since 2021 and I’ve seen the players growing… and that has allowed the league to grow, (but) unfortunately, there’s too many calls that have a direct impact on the result across the league. Today, we didn’t lose the game, but we lost two points because we weren’t allowed to have those two points,” said Dos Santos.

Controversy aside, players and coaches continue to be encouraged by this stretch of strong play.

Riding a 3-3-2 run dating back to July 21, Valour (6-4-12) trails Vancouver FC by four points for the fifth and final playoff spot with six matches remaining on the fading schedule.

The 28-game campaign has truly been a tale of two halves for Valour. Playing its first seven matches on the road, the side went winless in its first six and held a 3-1-10 record through the first 14 contests while being outscored 26-13 and suffering six multi-goal defeats.

Since that time, Valour has outscored its opposition 13-10 and has accumulated the third most points in the league (Forge FC and Calvary FC).

“It’s good that we’re learning to suffer as a team when we don’t have the ball and teams are coming in waves against us,” Hundal said after Monday’s match. “We’re just staying in our block and defending and being able to take that pressure and then turn it around. Earlier in the year when we would get those waves of pressure on us, we’d concede a goal or two or even three against a team like Ottawa. But now we can see that we’ve grown and we can sustain that pressure and just stay close as a team.”

“I think we’ve just gotten used to each other. I think we know each other a lot better, and not just the players, I think the coaches understand the players a lot more now as well and I think it translates on the field.”

In a league with loads of player turnover, Dos Santos acquired 16 new players last offseason in hopes they would finally make up the recipe to end the franchise’s playoff drought.

It wasn’t easy learning so many new personalities and how to get the best out of each player. In fact, the bench boss admitted he thought his club would find its groove sooner, but the feeling out process was certainly hindered by being on the road for the first six weeks of the year.

The team suffered greatly early on, but appears to be better for it.

“There’s a sense of togetherness and a mentality that has been fantastic, but that takes a little bit of time to build and I think that right now we’re in a good place,” Dos Santos said.

“We haven’t reached — and will never reach — perfection, but we need to be positive and happy with the progress and with the fact that this team plays every game in a way where we feel we could win against any team. And we’ve proven that.”

There is no room to be comfortable, however, as the club is still in chase mode and is actually closer to last place than it is a playoff spot. Valour holds a two-point advantage over the Halifax Wanderers, who have played one fewer match. Winnipeg’s side is also jockeying with Pacific FC, which is one point ahead and has one game in hand.

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Valour has two road contests remaining, beginning Friday against York United (7 p.m.). The club will also play its penultimate game of the year at Vancouver on Oct. 13, which could determine its playoff fate.

Valour’s final home matches come against Halifax, Pacific, Forge and Cavalry.

“We start this last quarter with one point, and we’ll have more,” Dos Santos said. “We’re going to have more becuase the guys work for that and they are a good team.”

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca

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Joshua Frey-Sam
Reporter

Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh.

Every piece of reporting Josh 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.