Expectations high for Valour FC Revamped lineup has club optimistic about post-season run By: Joshua Frey-Sam Posted: 7:00 PM CST Thursday, Mar. 9, 2023

Phillip Dos Santos’ expectations are simple: anything less than a playoff berth is a disappointment.

It’s a standard that stems from the final stretch of last year’s disappointing campaign that crippled Valour FC’s head coach and his club in more ways than one.

A lack of depth put the bench boss in the precarious position of fielding many players out of their natural positions while the lineup needed to find a fifth gear during a time in which Winnipeg’s Canadian Premier League side had already been fighting to keep its playoff hopes alive for the better part of a month.

“There was a spell of five games at the end where I think emotionally, and even physically, we collapsed,” Dos Santos said. “We were always playing (to) the limit. We were always playing in that survival line, and it takes a toll emotionally and physically on the guys.”

What crushed the club last season has turned to a strength entering 2023 after a remarkable off-season, however.

Valour FC is gearing up for its fifth campaign with a revamped squad that features 13 new faces.

They will be leaned upon to end the club’s post-season dry spell. The franchise is off the heels of consecutive fifth-place finishes, narrowly missing the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, and still searching for its first playoff berth.

The side’s 28-match schedule kicks off April 16 against Toronto’s York United and will welcome Atlético Ottawa to IG Field on April 22 for its home opener.

“I like the early indicators, 100 per cent,” Dos Santos said following Thursday’s practice at WSF South. “Across the board, I have more depth, more options, more flexibility. I have more maturity and I’m even going to say that I know that I have more individual quality.

“We had a clear idea of what we wanted to bring to the club and we worked very hard to make sure the criteria were met. It’s easy to pull the trigger fast, but we were patient. We stayed patient until we felt that we saw enough performance indicators that allow us to be comfortable.”

Dos Santos will head a club that will have his fingerprints all over it for the first time since he took over mid-way through the 2021 season.

Dos Santos explained his biggest challenge with a largely retooled roster that lacks continuity will be quickly getting to know each player and how to get the best out of them during a training process that flies by.

“Players that have been around since 2021 when I took over, they understand me and I understand them. So it’s making sure that all comes together fast,” he said.

Captain Andrew Jean-Baptiste is one who has played under Dos Santos since his arrival in 2021. The Haitian defender didn’t hold back his excitement when talking about the potential of the new squad.

“When you know the names, it’s like, ‘Ooh, nice.’ For example, (Anthony) Novak being recently announced, that’s amazing. If I had saw that prior to seeing him on the field with us, I probably would’ve been like, ‘Oh, word? Novak!?’ he said.

“And for the names that you couldn’t put a face to or not know their style, you see them step onto the field and then it’s just like, ‘Ok, yup. That’s exactly what we’ve been looking for.’ Just in these last several weeks, you see the potential that we have and what they bring to the table. And it’s something that we all look forward to when we step onto the field together.”

The club’s busy off-season began Dec. 5 when it signed left-back Jordan Haynes, a process that came together quickly after the Peterborough, Ont., product was sold on a move to the Manitoba capital following his first conversation with Dos Santos.

“My first contact with Winnipeg was Phil, and just from talking with him casually — before getting into the signing — I just fell in love with him, to be honest. Everything he was saying, I agreed with and I saw the vision. On initial impressions, we’ve been training for a few weeks, I’d say my initial feelings were correct,” said Haynes, whose fincée, Celeste Gallego, also found work with the Winnipeg Football Club as an account executive.

“On the field, off the field, it’s just been a great relationship so far. I’ve fallen in love with him mostly, and then it’s a good group of guys. It’s good to have the camaraderie once you get to a new place.”

The 27-year-old brings a championship pedigree to Winnipeg, winning the 2021 CPL Championship with fellow off-season acquisition Abdou Samake and Pacific FC.

Haynes’ first touch with Valour was also a chance to regain some confidence that was lost after his three-year tenure with Pacific FC came to a tumultuous end last season.

Haynes missed two weeks due to illness during the 2022 preseason then got COVID from a teammate three days after returning, knocking him out for a final series of critical training sessions.

Trying to settle into the regular season with three practices under his belt didn’t bode well for Haynes. One teammate was also playing well when given the opportunity, leaving Haynes to fall out of favour with the club.

“Initially when I came, I felt like I had a lot to prove because I came from my previous years of doing well, to winning the league in 2021 and then last year I was on a downturn,” he said.

“It was a big chance to do that. The motivation is actually quite easy because I hadn’t played with confidence in a long time — and I know it’s just training — but when I’m here, I feel like I’ve got a lot of confidence in myself to play well. And it’s actually helped me a lot in performing in training, so far.”

Dos Santos’ confidence in his players is evident. All that’s left is to meet the mark he’s set.

“Of course, we addressed (the depth) in the off-season,” he said. “We’re becoming more and more comfortable. I think we’ve put together a very good side.”

jfreysam@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jfreysam

Joshua Frey-Sam
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Joshua Frey-Sam happily welcomes a spirited sports debate any day of the week.

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