With just over a month to go until the inaugural Canadian Premier League season kicks off, the squads of all 7 sides are starting to round out now, with final touches expected in the coming weeks. Valour FC continued their training sessions this week, with new technical consultant John Peacock adding his expertise into the mix, along with Michael Petrasso, who becomes the first player in the squad to be capped at senior international level. While the likes of Nestor Navia, Martin Arguinarena, and Stephen Hoyle are still yet to make an appearance in Winnipeg, we are starting to see how the Valour FC squad is starting to shape up, and what sort of formations and lineups they may use.

The Strong Areas:

If you have taken a look at the Valour FC squad, you may have noticed the sheer depth that it possesses. There is likely going to be plenty of healthy competition for starting places, as there are a host of versatile players capable of playing in different positions. Dylan Carreiro, Josip Golubar, Raphael Ohin, Nestor Navia, Nicolas Galvis, and perhaps even Dylan Sacramento are capable of playing in the midfield, but with Valour seeming to prefer a 3-at-the-back formation in pre-season thus far, there may only be 2 midfield spots up for grabs. Of course, the likes of Sacramento and Galvis especially are capable of playing a bit further up in a front 3.

Attended Valour’s training session this morning. It was my first look at many of the players but there are some key things I noticed. I’ll tweet them in a thread below: #CanPL #ForValour — Mahith Gamage (@mahithgamage) March 22, 2019

The wide positions have also been reinforced this week with the high-profile additions of Diego Gutierrez and Michael Petrasso. Although the latter has been used as a defender and a wing-back in his previous endeavors, all signs point to him being used in an attacking role in Rob Gale’s side, most likely on the right side of a front 3. I expect Diego Gutierrez to slot comfortably into the right wing-back position, with the assumption that a 3-4-3 formation or a variation of it, is here to stay. Raphael Garcia will likely be his understudy, with Petrasso becoming an emergency option there as well.

On the left flank, Martin Arguinarena remains the only clear-cut option for left full-back, although the Uruguayan has been struggling with VISA issues and has not been able to train just yet. Glenn Muenkat and Federico Pena were both used as wing-backs periodically in training this week, so those 2 will likely provide cover in the position while also competing for a place on the left side of the front 3 with Ali Musse.

The goalkeeping tandem of Tyson Farago and Mathias Janssens is a major positive at the back for Valour FC. Farago is a homegrown talent while Janssens was brought over by goalkeeping coach Patrick di Stefani, who has heavy connections in Belgium. Both goalkeepers are vocal, trustworthy, and commanding. This position is set for the long-run.

Some healthy competition on the right side for Valour FC with addition of Petrasso. Have seen experiments of both a 3-5-2 and a 3-4-3. If they go with the latter, could see Gutierrez at RM/RWB and Petrasso at RW. Quite the attacking front with Hoyle and Musse #CanPL. — Ryan Brandt (@Ryan_Brandt) March 18, 2019

The Weak Areas:

Rob Gale’s squad currently contains 18 officially signed players, with this number expected to jump to 19 with the imminent signing of Federico Pena, a Winnipegger who spent time in the Genk and Standard Liege academies in Belgium. With the maximum squad size being set at 23 for this season, just 4 spots remain, but at least 2 of them should be reserved for centre-back signings. Jordan Murrell and Skylar Thomas were signed early on, but there hasn’t been a single addition to this position since, which is strange considering the excessive use of 3 centre-back formations in pre-season training.

Trialists Kyle Andrade, Ezequiel Lubocki, and even 3rd choice goalkeeper Svyatik Artemenko have been used to make up the numbers at centre-back, along with a few players from local side Bonivital SC. This gives me the feeling that the club are still potentially trying to catch a few big fish in this position, because it’s by far the thinnest area of the squad heading into the final month of preparation.

Stephen Hoyle is yet to join up with the team as the New Zealand Premiership season is still yet to wrap-up. This leaves local teenager Tyler Attardo as the only natural centre-forward currently with the team. Michael Petrasso, Ali Musse, and even Nicolas Galvis have been used up front in training, but none of the 3 are real focal points, and therefore shouldn’t be options for the #9 position.

"I want to make sure we go out and represent that name with the honour and respect it deserves every single day."



Coach Gale and the club visited Valour Road yesterday to learn about what our name represents:

📝 | https://t.co/TwUfCe6RCu#ForValour | #CanPL pic.twitter.com/SD0L7Afipj — ValourFC (@ValourFootball) March 21, 2019

The drop-off in quality between Stephen Hoyle and Tyler Attardo is likely to be quite steep, and therefore the club has to bring in someone capable of challenging the Englishman. Attardo is a player with immense potential, but is seen as a signing for the future rather than a first-team ready piece. If Hoyle sustains an injury, it would be a major gamble to have to rely on Attardo to grab the goals.

Striker Calum Ferguson is on trial with the club, although he has shown nothing to suggest that he is capable of competing for a starting spot at the club. Winnipegger Moses Danto has been linked with the club, although the rumours have died down of late and there seems to be no hint of him signing on. The Diego Forlan rumours on the other hand were very much true, contrary to popular belief, and this door has not closed just yet. Both of these players would fit the description of a first-team ready striker who can compete with Hoyle, although it remains to be seen who exactly will be signed.

How the XI Might Look:

The formations being used in preseason thus far are variations of the 3-4-3 formation, along with the sporadic appearance of a 4-2-3-1. When utilizing a 3-at-the-back formation, 4 traits have to be present in the team selection. First of all, the centre-backs have to be capable of distributing the ball to a high standard. Normally, either the middle centre-back will push up to play a sort of anchored libero role, or the 2 flanking centre-backs will push up into a half space position to distribute with greater efficiency. I expect Valour to use the latter method, as Jordan Murrell possesses immense quality in the left centre-back position.



“I trust Rob and I’m certain it’s going to go well. I just love the style Rob wants to play. Obviously, he’s the coach so we’ll play the way he wants. But it’s fast, organized soccer. I see it on the field already.” – Nicolas Galvis via valourfc.canpl.ca

The second trait is wing-backs that are able to cover a large area of space down the flanks, touchline to touchline. Both Arguinarena and Gutierrez are more than capable of this. The third trait is the need for a tactically disciplined midfield pivot. Although they are given cover by an extra centre-back behind them, the midfielders in this formation have to be positionally disciplined in order to avoid a numerical disadvantage in the centre of the park. The experience of Golubar alongside the likes of Navia, Carreiro, or Ohin checks off this box.

Lastly, the 2 wide players in the front 3 must be capable of dropping into an inverted position. Since the wing-backs are the main wide outlets in possession and take up plenty of space on the flanks, the 2 outer players in the front 3 have to be able to receive in the half-spaces and create chances. Petrasso and Sacramento in particular fit this description to perfection.

Here is a lineup that I could certainly see as the go-to for Valour FC in their inaugural season, although many of these positions are tough calls, and the names may be different.

A 4-2-3-1 formation could also be used, although this may not get the best out of the squad in the same way that a 3-4-2-1 could.



All in all, the Valour FC squad is very deep for the most part heading into the final few weeks before the season kicks off. The team will travel to the Dominican Republic in 2 weeks to train in some warm weather and play a few friendlies. Although the goalkeepers, midfield, and wide options are a strength, Rob Gale and his staff will need to be looking at adding some competition to the centre-forward and centre-back positions.

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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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