Sports in brief: Valour FC announces schedule, new players

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This article was published 04/03/2019 (2402 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Valour FC announces schedule, new players

The ball is rolling for Valour FC, with the club announcing its schedule and adding a number of players ahead of pre-season.

Winnipeg’s newest professional men’s soccer team will play its first game at Westhills Stadium in Victoria B.C. against Pacific FC on Wed., May 1.

The 28-match season is split between spring and fall halves, with the first half running April 27 to July 1. All clubs in the Canadian Premier League will play 10 games in spring competition.

The fall season runs from July 6 to Oct. 19 and all clubs will play 18 matches following a table reset on July 2.

The team’s home opener happens Sat., May 4 at 5 p.m. against FC Edmonton at Investors Group Field.
“We are very excited to welcome soccer fans to Investors Group Field for what will be an exciting first year in the Canadian Premier League,” Valour FC president Wade Miller said. “We are only a few short months away and we hope the community is as excited as we are to welcome Valour FC to the pitch.”

The schedule includes a Canada Day game at Investors Group Field against York 9 FC and a Labour Day home match against Cavalry FC. Valour will close out its season at Westhills Stadium on Oct. 19.

During the month of June, the team will also play its first Canadian Championship match. Valour FC will start in the second qualifying round and meet the winner of a match between Vaughn Azzurri (League 1 Ontario) and Halifax Wanderers (CPL).

The first leg of the home and away series will be played Wed., June 5 with the second leg at Investors Group Field on Wed., June 12.

Slated to be a part of those upcoming matches are new additions Nicolás Galvis (Canada), Néstor Navia (Colombia), Martin Arguiñarena (Uruguay), and Winnipegger Ali Musse.

Musse, a midfielder, comes to Valour after playing for three years with Calgary Foothills FC in the Premier Development League.

In his first season with Calgary, Musse scored five game-winning goals and helped the team advance to the PDL championship final.

In 2018, he led Calgary to victory in the PDL championship final over Reading United, scoring two goals in extra time.

Musse, 23, was born in Winnipeg and played on the Manitoba provincial U14 (2009) and U16 (2011) teams. In 2010, he joined WSA Winnipeg in the USL Premier Development League.

“We are excited to bring Ali back to Manitoba, he is a lad I have worked with since the age of 10 and followed his career as it has progressed through the WSA, the Whitecaps, and last season where he was the standout player in the PDL playoffs for Calgary,” Valour head coach  Rob Gale said.

Galvis, a 21-year-old midfielder, was born in Bogotá and immigrated to Canada at seven years old. In 2016, he joined Uruguayan second division team Canadian SC before joining Deportivo Pereira in 2017. That same year, Galvis earned his first call-up to Canada’s senior team prior to its friendly against Curaçao.

Navia, a 21-year-old midfielder, began as a youth player with Deportivo Pasto, moving through the ranks before being named to their U20 squad. In 2017, he joined the club’s first team.

Arguiñarena, a 27-year-old defender, joins Valour from Boston River of the Uruguayan Primera Division, where he spent the last season.

Valour FC opened its 2019 training camp on March 5 at Subway Soccer South Complex and the Winnipeg Soccer Federation North.

Manitoba wins bronze at Winter Games

Ringette players representing Manitoba at the Canada Winter Games have returned home with some hardware. Team Manitoba defeated Team British Columbia 6-4 in the bronze medal game in Red Deer, Alta. on Feb. 22.

The roster for the games included: Jayme Dorsett, Kelsey Gillan, Alexsi Kavvadas, Belle Groen, Taylor Hildebrand, Jenna Bazin, Josée Roy, Brett Van Nieuw Amerongen, Kaylee Spearing, Caro Girardin, Jordyn Campbell, Celeste McElroy, Milanne Rondeau, Belle Paisley, Alana Lesperance, Nicole Girardin, Milica Oravec, and Olivia McCowan.