Valour FC begins first season with gruelling trial-by-fire schedule

By: Mike Sawatzky Posted: 3:55 PM CDT Friday, Mar. 22, 2019

Members of Valour FC will get an intense introduction to life in the Canadian Premier League.

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Members of Valour FC will get an intense introduction to life in the Canadian Premier League.

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This article was published 22/03/2019 (2706 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Members of Valour FC will get an intense introduction to life in the Canadian Premier League.

Beginning with its season-opening road game on May 1, Winnipeg’s new pro soccer squad will play five games over a span of 15 days, which is a punishing pace, no matter how fit you are.

“I think it is going to be hard on the legs,” said Valour’s Nicolas Galvis, a Colombian-born midfielder who also holds Canadian citizenship.

"I think it (the schedule) is going to be hard on the legs," Nicolas Galvis said. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Free Press files)

“I’m sure the lineup is going to switch, maybe every game (or) every second game. We’ll see. We’re getting prepared for that. I think it’s going to be tough and it’s something different and it’s something a lot of the lads haven’t experienced.”

The CPL is placing a heavy emphasis on Canadian content, with a required six homegrown starters for every game and the seven-team league is also employing a first- and second-half format for its inaugural season.

The winner of a 10-game first half will face the winner of an 18-game second half in a season-ending championship game.

Winnipegger Dylan Sacramento, a 23-year-old midfielder, disputes the notion a first-half winning team would be tempted to coast.

“People who are familiar with (soccer) and the South American style, those leagues are established and they’ve been around for 100 years, but we’re new and people don’t really get it,” said Sacramento. “We’re playing for the same kind of things.

“You want to win the first half and yeah, you go to the final after the second half, but like a lot of the guys in this league we’re coming in with a chip on our shoulders. Guys who haven’t got a chance in a pro environment before, so every single game is going to be important for every guy to impress.”

Added Galvis: “Some teams, I guess, could coast but for us it’s not going to be an option. We have to be at our best every game.”

Valour GM and head coach Rob Gale admitted the split is due in part to having only seven teams instead of eight after the Ottawa Fury opted to remain in the United Soccer League and a desire to avoid a more traditional North American-style playoff system.

The CPL also needs to declare a representative for the CONCACAF Champions League, which begins in July. That berth will be given to the top-rated team in a mini-league consisting of Valour, Forge FC and FC Edmonton prior to the restart on July 2.

A split season also provides an opportunity for a team to rebound after a bad start.

“It keeps the fans excited, it keeps everyone excited and something to play for,” said Gale.

“At least now, teams can regroup and say here is where we went wrong and still have that positivity going into the second side where you can regroup and see what works,” added Sacramento, who joined his teammates in the first extended 11-on-11 intrasquad game of training camp at the Subway Soccer South indoor facility Friday morning.

The scrimmage, coming on the final day of indoor workouts before the team heads outdoors to Investors Group Field Monday, was encouraging to Valour technical consultant John Peacock.

“It’s nice to see a culmination of some the work that we’ve been doing this week coming to fruition,” said Peacock. “All in all, very enjoyable game.”

Peacock, a 62-year-old Englishman with decades of coaching experience in his homeland, was asked to evaluate the quality of the Canadian players he has seen.

“Good. And what’s encouraging is there’s a lot of young players in there,” said Peacock. “I think if the league is trying to progress and develop Canadian talent it’s nice we have some young players that have got a chance to show their potential.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14