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“After my year with Montreal, I was looking for a club,” Petrasso said after Thursday’s training session. “I haven’t played many games since last August. I spoke to Rob Gale and he wanted to get me going. I know he knows a lot about me and how I play and I’m hoping he can get me back to playing at a high level.

He’s been with me since I was a kid, so he knows a lot about my game and how I play. He’s got a very good personality so he knows how to talk you into a lot of things. He’s a very good coach and very good guy so I know coming here will help me a lot.”

Petrasso should help Valour FC a lot as well.

“When you see him work on a daily basis, he’s got another level of dynamism in his attacking play,” Gale said. “He tries to get half-turned on the front foot and he goes at it each and every time with one thought on his mind: How do I get turned, how do I become an attacking threat.

“He’s a very talented footballer. He’s played in MLS, he’s played in the championship in England. We expect him to get to that level again and we’re hopefully providing him a place to showcase his talents and do a great job for us.”

Valour FC is about three weeks into training in Winnipeg and will head to the Dominican Republic for league-wide training and pre-season games on April 6.

The team’s 28-game season opens on May 1 in Victoria. B.C., and Petrasso is sure to be a part of the starting 11 if he is healthy. Gale hopes the Toronto native can provide a kind of leadership that few CPL teams will have in the inaugural season.