Valour FC - 2022 Season Thread

[Big_M]

esparza with 1 minute all season..what a bad signing

[EnigMattic1]

5 hours ago, K Edgar said:

A few players with a low number of appearance and minutes due to injury of otherwise and the roster gets very thin

               app.  min.
Rendón    11    579
Carlos      11    415
Forbes     10    404
Catavolo  14    393
Ascanio    4    220
Mikhael    4    83
Esparza    1    1

Is anyone else surprised that Levis isn't on that list? Has he really turned a corner as far as injuries go? At the same time, I feel Forbes would be a different story had he been around all season.

Mikhael probably shot himself in the foot after that quick red card early on in the season.

[Big_M]

Mekideche doesnt take his player who heads it and Mason finishes

[Cheeta]

2 hours ago, EnigMattic1 said:

Is anyone else surprised that Levis isn't on that list? Has he really turned a corner as far as injuries go? At the same time, I feel Forbes would be a different story had he been around all season.

Mikhael probably shot himself in the foot after that quick red card early on in the season.

100%.

This league is always going to have significant turn over.  Holding certain key pieces is important.  Especially so for a team like Valour who just don't have a supportive structure beneath them like say Cavalry or Forge might.

[Wippersuna]

Guess we can (unfortunately) begin to debate next season. Not really sure what direction the club will go but they really can't miss again. As much as it was a better season it clearly still isn't good enough. I think this is what I'd do with this year's crew:

Keep: Baquero, Catavolo, de Brienne, Dyer, Gutierrez, AJB, Levis, Mikideche, Rea (doubful), Romeo, Yesli

Release: Ascanio (already gone), Mikhael, Esparza, Fordyce (I think this was his last season), Pena, Ponce, Rendon, Riggi

Who knows: Carlos, Cebara (looked good with 3 back, looked poor as one of 2 CB), Forbes, Ohin, Sirois (rather develop our own keeper in Yesli)

Basically keep our entire backline (sans maybe Cebara), half our midfield (with Fordyce retiring), and rebuild our forwards while keeping a couple young Canadians to develop. Should be an interesting offseason nonetheless.

Edited October 2, 2022 by Wippersuna

[jonovision]

I'd imagine keeping all of AJB, Mekideche, Romeo, and Cebara could get expensive. It might be heresy to say it, but if AJB's health issues are an ongoing thing, maybe you cut him loose.

It will be interesting to see if Ohin wants another crack at things and is able to return to his past form (which, some forget, was just an average rotation midfielder often played out of position).

[Ansem]

Too bad... I was curious to see how Winnipeg would have responded to a playoff run. I'm stating the obvious here but a winning/dominaring team on the pitch and Winnipeg could "blow off" as a market

[jonovision]

12 minutes ago, Ansem said:

Too bad... I was curious to see how Winnipeg would have responded to a playoff run. I'm stating the obvious here but a winning/dominaring team on the pitch and Winnipeg could "blow off" as a market

I agree. I know a lot of people are getting out of their Winnipeg Jets season ticket groups and looking for places to spend their money. And Winnipeg will get behind a winner. Just look at Blue Bombers attendances this season.

[Soccerpro2]

2 hours ago, Wippersuna said:

Guess we can (unfortunately) begin to debate next season. Not really sure what direction the club will go but they really can't miss again. As much as it was a better season it clearly still isn't good enough. I think this is what I'd do with this year's crew:

Keep: Baquero, Catavolo, de Brienne, Dyer, Gutierrez, AJB, Levis, Mikideche, Rea (doubful), Romeo, Yesli

Release: Ascanio (already gone), Mikhael, Esparza, Fordyce (I think this was his last season), Pena, Ponce, Rendon, Riggi

Who knows: Carlos, Cebara (looked good with 3 back, looked poor as one of 2 CB), Forbes, Ohin, Sirois (rather develop our own keeper in Yesli)

Basically keep our entire backline (sans maybe Cebara), half our midfield (with Fordyce retiring), and rebuild our forwards while keeping a couple young Canadians to develop. Should be an interesting offseason nonetheless.

I think Valour are going to have a bigger problem building a team next year than they did this year.

I have a hunch that Dyer is ready to move on. I think AJB might be in the same boat, but again, if he's not healthy, he may not be back anyway. Add Rea, who can hopefully make the jump to MLS and Valour have big problems.

We waited 2/3 of the season for our Central American reinforcements who turned out to be about as underwhelming as the levels they were coming from. I will say that Ascanio was the best of the bunch.

I thought Baquero was really good this year, and so was Levis. Guti was player of the year for me, with Rea and Dyer right behind him.

There's going to be big turnover this year, and I believe it's going to include the spine of the team.

Is year 5 the year the Valour finally make the playoffs in a 7/8/9 team league? I sure hope so, and so do all the fans that have stuck through a club that blew a lot of good will from the fan base early on.

Edited October 3, 2022 by Soccerpro2

[jonovision]

25 minutes ago, Soccerpro2 said:

I think Valour are going to have a bigger problem building a team next year than they did this year.

I have a hunch that Dyer is ready to move on. I think AJB might be in the same boat, but again, if he's not healthy, he may not be back anyway. Add Rea, who can hopefully make the jump to MLS and Valour have big problems.

We waited 2/3 of the season for our Central American reinforcements who turned out to be about as underwhelming as the levels they were coming from. I will say that Ascanio was the best of the bunch.

I thought Baquero was really good this year, and so was Levis. Guti was player of the year for me, with Rea and Dyer right behind him.

There's going to be big turnover this year, and I believe it's going to include the spine of the team.

Is year 5 the year the Valour finally make the playoffs in a 7/8/9 team league? I sure hope so, and so do all the fans that have stuck through a club that blew a lot of good will from the fan base early on.

I agree with you. It will be tough. A Fordyce upgrade shouldn't be too difficult to find, but a forward that scores (not a positionless guy like Dyer) has eluded Valour for 4 years already. I think there are enough potential returning pieces that PDS should at least be able to build a solid defensive squad.

I guess we can hope that one of the perennial contenders falls off a bit in 2023. Pacific looks to be on the shakiest footing.

[K Edgar]

55 minutes ago, jonovision said:

I agree with you. It will be tough. A Fordyce upgrade shouldn't be too difficult to find, but a forward that scores (not a positionless guy like Dyer) has eluded Valour for 4 years already. I think there are enough potential returning pieces that PDS should at least be able to build a solid defensive squad.

I guess we can hope that one of the perennial contenders falls off a bit in 2023. Pacific looks to be on the shakiest footing.

I would consider the core of the team as:

Yesli
Baquero - Romeo - Mekideche - AJB - Levis (and maybe Cebara ?)
Guterriez - Ohin
Dyer
de Brienne - Catavolo (for U21 minutes and also a year older and better)

If Valour can keep the majority of the core together they should be solid defensively.  Build a new offense to go with that and the playoffs could be a real possibility in 2023.

Next question: Who is already under contract for 2023?  Transfermarkt lists Guterriez and Catavolo as under contract to Nov 30, 2023.  Not sure how reliable their contract dates are.

[EnigMattic1]

My opinion is, basically:

Keep:

Yesli, AJB, Romeo, Mekideche, Baquero, Cebara, Levis (Baquero and Cebara for added versatility)

Ohin (would be interesting to see how he fares under PDS for a season), de Brienne, Carlos and Catavolo.

Release:

Fordy said this was probably going to be his final season (he actually intended to stop after last season). Riggi and Dyer can't be relied upon for goals which we desperately need. Ponce never seemed to settle and was, basically, signed after an endorsement by Gutierrez. Esparza, Pena and Mikhael just don't seem to suit the style PDS wants. Esparza was a waste and, as I mentioned before, Mikhael effectively ended his own contract with that stupid, early red card at the beginning of the season.

A big issue for me is the lack of consistency. PDS needs to convince players to stick around. When Bobby S. has his press conference after the last Forge game and highlights a number of players who have now played 100+ games for them, it makes it easy to see how they are able to stay relatively consistent.

I totally agree with the comment by @Soccerpro2about how we waited 2/3 of the season for our Central Americans and that is something we need to (hopefully) avoid next time around.

Edited October 3, 2022 by EnigMattic1

[Soccerpro2]

7 hours ago, EnigMattic1 said:

My opinion is, basically:

Keep:

Yesli, AJB, Romeo, Mekideche, Baquero, Cebara, Levis (Baquero and Cebara for added versatility)

Ohin (would be interesting to see how he fares under PDS for a season), de Brienne, Carlos and Catavolo.

Release:

Fordy said this was probably going to be his final season (he actually intended to stop after last season). Riggi and Dyer can't be relied upon for goals which we desperately need. Ponce never seemed to settle and was, basically, signed after an endorsement by Gutierrez. Esparza, Pena and Mikhael just don't seem to suit the style PDS wants. Esparza was a waste and, as I mentioned before, Mikhael effectively ended his own contract with that stupid, early red card at the beginning of the season.

A big issue for me is the lack of consistency. PDS needs to convince players to stick around. When Bobby S. has his press conference after the last Forge game and highlights a number of players who have now played 100+ games for them, it makes it easy to see how they are able to stay relatively consistent.

I totally agree with the comment by @Soccerpro2about how we waited 2/3 of the season for our Central Americans and that is something we need to (hopefully) avoid next time around.

It’s easier to build and keep a core when you have some success.

[jonovision]

8 hours ago, EnigMattic1 said:

A big issue for me is the lack of consistency. PDS needs to convince players to stick around. When Bobby S. has his press conference after the last Forge game and highlights a number of players who have now played 100+ games for them, it makes it easy to see how they are able to stay relatively consistent.

Valour's roster actually had a fair degree of consistency from PDS year 1 (or 0.5) to year 2. Some of the XIs from this year will have featured 8 or 9 returning players. As for getting to 100+ games, Valour would have to have 100+ competitive matches, which I don't think we've reached yet.

[EnigMattic1]

16 minutes ago, jonovision said:

Valour's roster actually had a fair degree of consistency from PDS year 1 (or 0.5) to year 2. Some of the XIs from this year will have featured 8 or 9 returning players. As for getting to 100+ games, Valour would have to have 100+ competitive matches, which I don't think we've reached yet.

Yeah, I understand that. I guess I'm just referring to the fact that Forge don't usually sign a lot of players and most played together at Sigma.

1 hour ago, Soccerpro2 said:

It’s easier to build and keep a core when you have some success.

Or a few key/reliable youngsters. I mean, if the likes of Gutierrez, de Brienne, Catavolo and Carlos could find their feet on a regular basis, that is a midfield you could build on. You already have Romeo, Mekideche and Yesli forming the base of a young team too.

[K Edgar]

1 hour ago, jonovision said:

Valour's roster actually had a fair degree of consistency from PDS year 1 (or 0.5) to year 2. Some of the XIs from this year will have featured 8 or 9 returning players. As for getting to 100+ games, Valour would have to have 100+ competitive matches, which I don't think we've reached yet.

They will finish the season with 96 games.  In the 2021 Canadian Championship Valour defeated Ottawa to reach the 2nd round and earn the only "extra" game in their history.

[jordan]

Nothing big but Yesli being advertised with a single flag 

 

[K Edgar]

ValourFury has been fairly reliable in the past.  I expect the offense certainly gets a complete overhaul.

[toontownman]

1 hour ago, K Edgar said:

ValourFury has been fairly reliable in the past.  I expect the offense certainly gets a complete overhaul.

Everyone out but Fordyce. 

Fordyce will play rush keeper, player coach.

[EnigMattic1]

7 hours ago, toontownman said:

Everyone out but Fordyce. 

Fordyce will play rush keeper, player coach.

I would, personally, try to keep Fordy for one more season, purely as an experienced head and as a leader-type to help the new players coming in. Player/coach would be a good shout as he would still be involved through a coaching capacity and not require a large amount of playing time.

 

8 hours ago, K Edgar said:

ValourFury has been fairly reliable in the past.  I expect the offense certainly gets a complete overhaul.

Given that only Gutierrez and Catavolo (I think) have contracts that DON'T expire next month, I would expect a handful of faces to remain. I can see AJB leaving this time around which would mean that we would need to get another captain in.

[jonovision]

2 hours ago, EnigMattic1 said:

I would, personally, try to keep Fordy for one more season, purely as an experienced head and as a leader-type to help the new players coming in. Player/coach would be a good shout as he would still be involved through a coaching capacity and not require a large amount of playing time.

Given that only Gutierrez and Catavolo (I think) have contracts that DON'T expire next month, I would expect a handful of faces to remain. I can see AJB leaving this time around which would mean that we would need to get another captain in.

Fordyce simply can't cover enough ground to be relied upon as a midfielder. As a bench player he doesn't offer enough value, even considering whatever leadership he may provide.

[K Edgar]

[EnigMattic1]

So, what is everyone's opinion on the reported "Vancouver FC"? There has been mention on the forum that the colours could be red and black. A CPL team using VFC and wearing red and black? Where have I seen that before? Yes, I know it isn't technically red that Valour use, but still.

Anyway....

Given that Atletico Ottawa finished this season at the top of the table and made the playoff final (so far), looking at their performance in the 2021 season, is anyone else a little optimistic at the rumoured squad overhaul? I mean, if Ottawa can go a full 180 and challenge after a rebuild, why can't we? If PDS is really going for a major rebuild, it would add an extra element to the U-Sports draft, that's for sure.

[K Edgar]

[K Edgar]

On 10/28/2022 at 4:45 AM, EnigMattic1 said:

So, what is everyone's opinion on the reported "Vancouver FC"? There has been mention on the forum that the colours could be red and black. A CPL team using VFC and wearing red and black? Where have I seen that before? Yes, I know it isn't technically red that Valour use, but still.

Anyway....

Given that Atletico Ottawa finished this season at the top of the table and made the playoff final (so far), looking at their performance in the 2021 season, is anyone else a little optimistic at the rumoured squad overhaul? I mean, if Ottawa can go a full 180 and challenge after a rebuild, why can't we? If PDS is really going for a major rebuild, it would add an extra element to the U-Sports draft, that's for sure.

2 VFC's?  Not nearly as bad as 2 Roughriders in the CFL for years.  Perhaps there is a marketing opportunity in it?

Too early to be optimistic about Valour's rebuild for 2023.  Every year there is a major overhaul -- this year it will be the offense.  I believe PDS can do the job but the tight Valour budget will make it tough.  Hopefully he has learned from this year (Esparza, Riggi, Rendon,...).  Perhaps he looks further south this year?  With Argentina's inflation out of control there will be players looking elsewhere to make a living.  (Not that looking south has worked in the past )

Don't think USports draft will play a major role.  As the level of play improves in the CPL the recruits from the draft are increasingly likely to be periphery players.  None of the 2022 draft choices made a large impact in the league (Coore and Gander are arguably the exceptions).  Valour signing de Brienne before the draft turned out to be a good move.  Hopefully he returns in 2023 and continues to improve and contribute to the team.  Carlos was a good draft choice but his minutes were limited, perhaps he has more to offer in 2023.  Not sure what happened to Lyn.  I would not expect any of the 2023 choices to play more than Carlos did this year.