Valour FC picked up their 3rd loss in 5, as the same old issues arose against Forge FC, who leapfrog them in the Spring table.

The first half of the inaugural Canadian Premier League spring season has come thick and fast for Rob Gale and Valour FC, but they aren’t sitting too pretty now that it’s over. With just 2 wins from the 5 matches, Valour will have to bounce back next month in their remaining 5 fixtures to have any shot at the Spring season title, which of course would mean a spot in the championships at the end of the season.

Their loss to Forge on Thursday under the lights at IG Field was a frustrating one, as the same old issues that arose in the first few matches came back to bite them. The away side on the other hand, put in a disciplined, hard-fought 90 minutes and ultimately came out with a deserved and much-needed 3 points to shoot them up the table.

Valour stuck to the 4-2-3-1 that they used to beat Halifax last Saturday, with the midfield trio staying the same, but the front 3 being rotated. Ali Musse offers a far more mobile option up front than Ferguson or Hoyle, while Gutierrez took up an advanced position as Gale looked to reward Garcia for his last performance with another start.

Kyle Bekker’s return from suspension was a sigh of relief for Forge ahead of such a big match. Zajac slot in for Welshman who didn’t make the trip, while Kadell Thomas was dropped in favour of Bekker. Ultimately, Forge stuck with a similar formation as we’ve seen throughout the past few weeks, but their game-plan was vastly different.

We’re only 5 matches into the inaugural Canadian Premier League season, and Valour FC already have an achilles heel that they’re struggling to shake off – the final 3rd. In all 5 matches up until now, Rob Gale’s side has seen plenty of the ball, especially in the opposition half, but seem incapable of finding a final pass and creating genuine goalscoring opportunities.

Ever since the first match against Pacific, Valour have been relying on half-chances to score their goals, which hasn’t worked out for them whatsoever, as they’ve scored just 2 in 4 since their trip to Vancouver Island. Forge did well to force Valour into their regular mistakes, by staying positionally disciplined without the ball.

The Forge we saw in this match isn’t the same one we’ve seen in previous matches by any means – they’ve found the maturity in their game again, which may have come down to Kyle Bekker’s return, as he sets an example for all those around him.

Valour were extremely sloppy in possession, and their mistakes alone cost them the match.

While you might think that playing 5 matches in 16 days is an excuse for making uncharacteristic mistakes on the field, Rob Gale, Jordan Murrell, and I’m sure everyone else in the Valour locker room would disagree with you wholeheartedly.

So what else explains the mental errors that were constantly taking place when Valour had the ball on Thursday night? It could have been fitness, it could have been the temperature, it could have been the opposition, but whatever it was, it has to be fixed, because you can’t win games if such costly mistakes aren’t ironed out.

The first mistake was just a few minutes in, when Anthony Novak went through on goal from the halfway line – something that should never, ever happen in football.

Forge FC counters off a Valour FC corner kick which leads to a Anthony Novak breakaway goal in the 9th minute. Forge leads 1-0. #CanPL — Taylor Allen (@TaylorAllen31) May 17, 2019

Louis Beland-Goyette continued his disappointing start to the CPL season, as his poor cross led directly to Novak’s breakaway. When so many players are committed forward in anticipation of a good cross, it’s important to at least give them a sliver of what they want. Instead, Beland-Goyette hit the first man with his cross, and his entire team was left stranded as Forge won the ball back far higher than anyone could have anticipated, which led to Raphael Garcia being isolated with 2 men either side of him.

Not that Garcia wasn’t at fault though – the young full-back neither committed nor dropped off of the ball, he simply stayed in limbo not knowing which player to commit to, which made Zajac’s job of finding a pass to Novak so much easier. Garcia should either charge Zajac to either foul him intentionally or get a foot in on the ball, or run towards his own goal and either keep pace with Novak or attempt to catch him offside.

He picked the wrong option, which truthfully wasn’t really an option at all.

Garcia’s mistake was due to hesitation, which was actually a big issue for entire Valour team throughout this match. Once again the team was too hesitant in the build-up and in the final third, which made it quite easy for Forge to get into positions to outnumber them and shut them down. This goes hand-in-hand with the team also struggling to create passing options for each other.

“We’ve got to go and try and win football matches, and take the game to the opposition. Now, what we need to improve is just that final third. Everything else is there.” Rob Gale

Too often the ball would find its way into a corner and they would lack the space to run to the touchline and cross the ball in, and lack the passing options to play their way out of the corner. This led to turnovers, and Forge played their way out of danger so well. Instead, Valour have to find a way to switch play more often, and avoid over-committing and overplaying in the final third. This is a bad combination, as it leaves them far too susceptible to counter-attacks.

Ultimately, the sloppiness in passing out from the back didn’t go unpunished, as what felt like a 20th erratic pass out from the back from Skylar Thomas landed at the feet of Alexander Achinioti-Jonsson, in a play that led to Tristan Borges goal midway through the 2nd half. This was the sucker punch to Rob Gale’s team, and the fact that it was so avoidable made it that much worse.

Anyways, back to the problem of the final third: the best way I can think of to illustrate the complete disconnection between the Valour midfield and whoever is playing striker, is through stats. In last Saturday’s win over HFX Wanderers, Valour’s 3 midfielders, Beland-Goyette, Sacramento, and Bustos, each had over 50 touches, while their striker Calum Ferguson had just 15. On Thursday, the midfield trio all had at least 70 touches, but their striker Ali Musse had just 18 touches.

While Musse does offer a bit more in terms of movement than Ferguson or Hoyle, it’s asking a lot of him to make a difference in the scoresheet with such poor service.

“End product has got to get better, and eliminate errors…It’s about eliminating mistakes and punishing the other teams, and that’ll win you football matches” Rob Gale

While Bustos’ quality is obvious, him and Sacramento are extremely similar players, and the 2 of them both playing centrally and occupying each others spaces seems redundant sometimes. Sacramento has played out wide a few times already this season, and him moving back there could work out best for all parties.

Difficult, difficult game for Valour. Once again we can’t seem to pick the lock in the final 3rd and we seem to overplay once we get to the edge of the box. Need to see the players taking more risks and finding the final pass. Really sloppy in possession tonight. #CanPL — Valourpeg Podcast (@ValourPegPod) May 17, 2019

Michael Petrasso’s return to the team is imminent, and it could not have come any sooner, as Valour have desperately missed his ability to create chances from out wide and in the half-spaces – which are the areas in which they’ve struggled the most in the last few matches.

Forge picked up a much-needed win, and put in a professional away performance in the process.

In a league where the 7 teams are all at a very similar level, tactical flexibility and adjusting to different match situations can make all the difference in the table. On Thursday night at IG Field, without their suspended head coach, Forge FC showed that they were capable of doing exactly that, as they shifted from a dominant, possession-based side, to one that can thrive in a gritty match where they see far less of the ball.

Told you…@AnthonyjNovak will be prolific in the #CanPL…he scored everywhere he played and he will keep on scoring!@ForgeFCHamilton #ForgeFC — Kevin Laramee ⚽🎙 (@KevLaramee) May 17, 2019

Forge clearly saw the success that Edmonton and HFX found against Valour at IG Field, when they allowed the home side to dictate the match and over-commit players forward, and took the same route. Lateral defensive movements are crucial in keeping Valour’s exceptionally intricate midfielders and wingers in check, and Forge did this to perfection, shutting them down at nearly every opportunity and not conceding a single clear-cut chance. Forge soaked in Valour’s play and allowed them to over-commit, which subsequently benefited them once they won the ball back, which was essentially every single time.

“In the performance the intensity was high, so they did a great job in a physical way…They worked very hard and this win is very important for Forge FC.” Peter Reynders – Forge FC Assistant Coach

When winning the ball back, Forge created some neat triangles which allowed them to play through Valour’s counter-press quite easily – in the same way Stephen Hart’s side did last weekend. Once they bypassed that first phase, they continuously found plenty of room to drive forward into.

While they didn’t necessarily cause the sloppiness from Valour, Forge still did an excellent job in winning possession back in midfield and getting to loose balls before their opposition. Their transition play was also faultless throughout the match.

In the final third, their forwards continuously tried to take the inside channel on Skylar Thomas with sharp little diagonal runs to the near post, but none of these worked out particularly well, with the Valour centre-back snuffing out the danger.

Bekker’s re-introduction to the side following his suspension brought some much-needed quality back into Forge’s midfield play. Bekker is a number 10, but he loves drifting horizontally into either half space in order to stay unpredictable and influence the game in different ways from different areas. His leadership, along with his quality on the ball, made a massive difference for his team on the day.

Tristan Borges and Alexander Achinioti-Jonsson were the standout players on the day for Forge, and it was fitting that the 2 of them combined for the 2nd goal. Borges’ play in transition was superb as he constantly drifted into central areas from the right flank and got into great positions to receive passes.

Not only do Forge get back into the Spring Season title race with this victory, but they also got a start on their race to qualify for the CONCACAF League. This team, which many consider to be the deepest in the league, showed their mental resolve to shut down Valour defensively, and take their opportunities on the front-foot.

Valour FC Player Ratings:

Tyson Farago – 6.5 – Nothing he could really do about either goal. Didn’t make a single save in the match, however. Raphael Garcia – 6 – A shade of the player he was last Saturday. Strange mistake for the first goal and was poor defensively throughout. Skylar Thomas – 6.5 – Very solid defensively, but made some ridiculous mistakes with the ball, including gifting Forge a 2nd goal. Jordan Murrell – 7 – Superb goal-line clearance, but average with and without the ball once again. Martin Arguinarena – 7 – Saw a lot of the ball and was one of the only players who did more right than wrong. Louis Beland-Goyette – 6.5 – Another pretty average performance, getting too used to that. Dylan Sacramento – 6 – Bustos might be stealing his thunder a little bit, but that is no excuse for the massive number of errors he made. Marco Bustos – 7 – Had some good looks at goal and some nice dribbles, but didn’t release the ball quick enough. Diego Gutierrez – 7 – A sub-par performance compared to his previous starts, but still did a lot of things right. Glenn Muenkat – 7 – Too hesitant and wasteful in the first half, but was far better at escaping pressure in the 2nd. Ali Musse – 7 – Displayed some decent movement and had a good effort on goal, but couldn’t get into the game. SUB – Dylan Carreiro – 6.5 – Was brought in to offer more in the final third from the right flank, but couldn’t do that. SUB – Stephen Hoyle – 6.5 – Just like Musse, the service wasn’t there for him to make any impact. SUB – Federico Pena – N/A – Not enough minutes.

Forge FC Player Ratings:

Triston Henry – 7 – Didn’t have a ton to do but was solid when called upon. Giuliano Frano – 7 – Excellent defensively but not sharp enough in possession. Dominic Samuel – 7 – Didn’t do much throughout the match, but didn’t make any notable mistakes either. Bertrand Owundi – 7 – Just like Samuel, didn’t have too much to do whatsoever. Daniel Krutzen – 7.5 – Saw a lot of the ball and did well in shutting down the opposition. Alexander Achinioti-Jonsson – 8 – Was superb in kick-starting counter-attacks and maintaining possession. Created 3 chances and grabbed an assist too. Elimane Cisse – 7 – Another disciplined performance, but didn’t shine with or without the ball. Kyle Bekker – 7.5 – Not his most inspiring performance, but still became the epitome of coolness right when his team needed it. Marcel Zajac – 7 – Did well to get the assist on the opening goal, and had some good moments in the final third. Tristan Borges – 8 – Strong performance. Looked dangerous throughout, and took his goal well. Anthony Novak – 7.5 – Got involved in play really nicely throughout the match, and took the opening goal really well. SUB – Kadell Thomas – 7 – Added some much-needed width when coming on, adding a different dynamic to his team. SUB – Chris Nanco – 6 – Did relatively nothing after coming onto the field. SUB – Kwame Awuah – N/A – Not enough minutes.

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Mahith Gamage Website An avid football fan right from his first experiences with the sport, Mahith Gamage has been dabbling in football journalism for a few years now, creating his own world football blog and podcast, freeflow football, whilst featuring frequently on many other football media outlets, covering European football. With the start of the Canadian Premier League in 2019, Mahith began coverage of his hometown club, Valour FC, through NSXI. He enjoys spreading his knowledge and opinions of the beautiful game to fellow football fanatics in Canada and throughout the world, using articles and tweets, thriving particularly on tactical analysis and player scouting. You can find him tweeting about world football day and night, at @mahithgamage.

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