Valour pair offered national call-ups

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This article was published 02/06/2021 (1588 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s every footballer’s dream to represent their country’s national team.

For a pair of Valour FC players, attacker William Akio and defender Tony Mikhael, they’ve been offered opportunities to live out that dream.

Akio, a 22-year-old first-year pro out of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), was asked by South Sudan’s men’s team to join them at the FIFA Arab Cup in Dubai.

Mikhael, a 21-year-old Carleton University product who was drafted in the second round of the Canadian Premier League U Sports Draft, had an invite to play a couple of friendlies for Lebanon’s under-23 squad next week in preparation for the Asian Cup qualifiers.

Unfortunately, both have had to decline due to — you guessed it — COVID-19 travel restrictions and quarantine rules.

“It’s kind of sad, obviously. I really want to represent my country and do it for my family and everything, but it’s just the way life is,” Akio said.

“Obviously, I’m going to continue to work as hard as I can and I know another callup will come.”

Akio was born at a refugee camp in Kenya after his parents fled a war-torn South Sudan. When he was three, the family moved to Calgary. They fully embraced their newfound Canadian roots as Akio, the second oldest of five brothers, and his siblings laced up skates before they ever stepped on a pitch.

“We weren’t really into soccer. We all used to play hockey when we first came to Canada,” Akio said.

“From the age of five to eight, we were big hockey fans, the whole family. It’s the national sport here in Canada, obviously, so it was really fun. But one day, I was looking at this flyer for a soccer camp when I was coming home from the store one day with my dad and I told him I wanted to try a different sport.”

The rest was history for Akio, as well as his brothers. One of his younger brothers, Victor Loturi, was chosen by Cavalry FC in the first round of the U Sports Draft.

Akio doesn’t have any connections to Winnipeg, but Valour’s current training camp isn’t the first time he’s met Rob Gale or been at IG Field. Back in 2018, Gale was giving Ali Musse, an attacker from Winnipeg who was coming off of three seasons with the Calgary Foothills FC, a tour of the team’s facilities. Musse happened to bring his friend, Akio, along for the tour.

Musse played the inaugural season with Valour but now plays professionally in Germany.

Akio made a good first impression with Gale. It also didn’t hurt that Akio went on to score the second-most points in UTRGV history. Akio graduated last month and joined his Valour teammates for the first time on the weekend after a two-week quarantine. He happened to make another strong first impression as he scored in the team’s intra-squad game on Saturday.

“I just told Rob that hopefully one day I can come here and play for you guys. Three years later down the road, he had a contract for me when I was done,” Akio said.

“It felt good to come here because he was really the first one that showed interest in me and it was a no-brainer for me to come here because I know he’s going to help me get better.”

Akio will have to wait to make his national team debut, but at least in Mikhael’s case, he’s already had a chance to play for his home country. In March, he made the trip to Bahrain to play two friendlies for the under-23 side. Mikhael’s parents were born in Lebanon and he has dual citizenship.

“Playing wise, it went well. Just from the feedback I got after the games, the coaches were really happy and thought I added value to the team,” said Mikhael, an Ottawa native.

“But in terms of the call ups themselves, it’s a huge honour. From where my parents came from, it’s representing my roots and there’s no better feeling. The pride of it, the responsibility, it’s really something. It’s an opportunity I’m really grateful for and never take for granted.”

Valour kicked off its training camp three weeks ago and Mikhael has been there since the start. While he’s disappointed he can’t rep Lebanon next week, he’s happy to focus on his pro club — and he should. As a U Sports draft pick, he’s not guaranteed a contract.

“There’s obviously so much talent at the university level and I think the club saw some of my qualities and thought that in terms of style, that I could play a part on this team,” Mikhael said.

“I think I deserve to be here and I think as long as I put my head down, give 100 per cent every session, try and make the right decisions fast, and fit in with the group, I think I could be a good fit for this club.”

New signing expected soon

Valour FC is set to announce an important signing, apparently.

Head coach and general manager Rob Gale has teased in recent days that the club has agreed to terms on a contract with a high-profile player. The club is expected to reveal its new addition in the coming days. The player, who has national team experience, is currently in quarantine somewhere outside of Winnipeg.

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @TaylorAllen31