Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/1/2020 (254 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s been well documented how Valour FC’s inaugural season didn’t go according to plan.

But if you’ve been keeping tabs on the Canadian Premier League’s off-season and paying attention to the rumours that have been floating around online recently, you’d think Valour is on their way to having an even worse season in Year 2 of the fledgling soccer league.

There have been several reports, most of which have not been confirmed by any of the CPL clubs, that some of Valour’s best players will be, or at the very least are strongly considering, leaving Winnipeg and signing elsewhere. The three big names that have been linked to the rumours are midfielders Louis Béland-Goyette, Michael Petrasso and Marco Bustos.

The Free Press had a 30-minute phone conversation with Valour head coach and general manager Rob Gale, who’s currently in England, to get some answers.

"What I will tell you about Louis, Michael and Marco is we sat down with them towards the end of the season. We talked to them about their ambitions and what they wanted to do and all three expressed a desire to get back into MLS and/or go to Europe."

"What I will tell you about Louis, Michael and Marco is we sat down with them towards the end of the season. We talked to them about their ambitions and what they wanted to do and all three expressed a desire to get back into MLS and/or go to Europe. They were adamant to do that, really. So, we talked to them and told them we obviously wouldn’t get in anybody’s way," Gale said.

The only member of the trio Gale confirmed wouldn’t be back is Béland-Goyette. The outspoken Pointe-Claire, Que., native, who has 12 career MLS appearances with the Montreal Impact, has signed a deal with the CPL’s HFX Wanderers FC. Gale said Béland-Goyette didn’t get an offer to return to the MLS or move on to a more competitive league. It came down to Halifax willing to spend more money on the 24-year-old than Valour was.

"To be honest, if we’re looking at the players, and we are actually actively in discussions with many players like that, there’s a lot of players similar," Gale said. "He’s not physically dominating. He’s not, per se, a box-to-box midfielder. He’s a talented, technical footballer. I think if we look at the makeup of our squad last year, we probably had a lot of those types of players. We’re looking for difference-makers, or different, physical or tactical profiles. Not to have so many of the similar characteristics, if that makes sense."

A couple days before Christmas, there was some chatter online that Petrasso, a Toronto native who was teammates with Béland-Goyette in Montreal, will be joining York9 FC (CPL) in 2020. However, Gale said that move hasn’t been confirmed as Petrasso is still pursuing opportunities in Europe. Gale admitted he spoke to Petrasso an hour before his phone call with the Free Press and that the two sides are still in discussions, although he wouldn’t go into details.

"Funnily enough, while I’m here in Europe and he’s got Europe aspirations, we’re having discussions along those lines. I don’t want to reveal too many details about that. When you’re in an off-season and you’re dealing in a global game, sometimes it’s best to say nothing at all.

"With each and every player we’ve discussed, there wasn’t one player that we tried to keep or want to keep that doesn’t want to stay due to football reasons. There’s no footballing reason and I would say that for all of the lads we’ve talked about here."

"Stephen Hart (Halifax head coach) once said ‘A wise man says nothing at all.’ Because if you put out there that you’re discussing or you’re near contracts, then the agent thinks there’s a chance to increase a bidding war. Or there’s a certain positional profile or player you’re looking for... Like if I was to come out now and say Valour is desperate for a right-sided midfielder or a right fullback, then every agent I speak to is going to add three, or four, or five thousand to their price. I look at these amateur bloggers and they’re all trying to make their way as it becomes a professional industry in the country and more people want to find their own niche. A lot of them are very misinformed and I think someone once said ‘A little information in the wrong hands can be a big problem.’"

Gale also added that if Petrasso does elect to play for York, it wouldn’t be for soccer reasons. It would simply be a matter of a player wanting to return home.

"With each and every player we’ve discussed, there wasn’t one player that we tried to keep or want to keep that doesn’t want to stay due to football reasons. There’s no footballing reason and I would say that for all of the lads we’ve talked about here," said Gale, whose club finished with a 8-4-16 record, which was tied with Halifax for the worst in the seven-team league.

"They actually thought it was their best season last year. They loved the fact they played minutes. They loved the fact we had trust in them and enjoyed their time with the football club. But when you’re not earning the big, big wages, as most of the league is not on MLS-level wages, then you have to start weighing out what’s important in your life."

"We certainly feel if we’re in positions where we might not get a player that potentially we wanted back or did fairly well for us last year, then we’re having conversations with other players with very similar ability levels and experiences that probably will come. It’s a balancing act... We are definitely not hitting the panic button."

Bustos, a 23-year-old Winnipegger who led the team with eight goals, was one of the few bright spots on the team and would be an ideal player to build around. There’s speculation he’s receiving interest from other CPL teams, especially FC Edmonton.

"I can categorically tell you that he’s not going to FC Edmonton," Gale said with a laugh.

Gale added the club is in "excellent discussions" with Bustos as he really enjoyed playing in his hometown. It’s just a matter of whether he can get picked up by a higher-level team outside of the CPL.

The Valour faithful have grown frustrated this off-season as the only signing that’s been announced is 19-year-old Ghana international winger Solomon Kojo Antwi, who Gale speaks very highly of. Gale said regardless of what happens with Petrasso and Bustos, fans shouldn’t worry. The club is actively in negotiations with several players who have national team experience. Four players who have played at the international level have signed and Gale said they will announce the additions shortly.

"We certainly feel if we’re in positions where we might not get a player that potentially we wanted back or did fairly well for us last year, then we’re having conversations with other players with very similar ability levels and experiences that probably will come. It’s a balancing act... We are definitely not hitting the panic button."

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31