The past few off-seasons have not been particularly kind to Valour FC. Following the 2022 campaign, fullback Brett Levis and leading scorer Moses Dyer left to join FC Tulsa in the USL, Jonathan Sirois and Best U-21 Canadian Player honouree Sean Rea were recalled from their loans to CF Montréal, and Rocco Romeo left for expansion club Vancouver FC. Last off-season, the club faced a similarly difficult exodus when captain Diego Gutiérrez left for Cavalry, while Best U-21 Canadian Player Matteo de Brienne and goalkeeper Rayane Yesli joined Atlético Ottawa. That won’t be the case again heading into 2025. Over the past few weeks, Valour announced the return of several key pieces from their 2024 team, with options being picked up on goalkeeper Jonathan Viscosi, Defender of the Year nominee Themi Antonoglou, fullback Roberto Alarcón, midfielder Dante Campbell, captain Raphael Ohin and attacker Jordan Faria. Gianfranco Facchineri, meanwhile, signed a professional contract after playing on a CPL-U SPORTS deal last season, joining a solid group that already includes Diogo Ressurreiçao, Safwane Mlah, Shaan Hundal and Kian Williams. It’s easy to look at last year’s CPL table and see that this Valour group finished at the bottom for a second consecutive season. But that doesn’t tell the full story of a team that over the back half of the campaign found a clear identity and competitive spirit. Only CPL Shield winners Forge and North Star Cup champions Cavalry had more points than Valour over the second half of the 2024 CPL season. Now, the vast majority of their starting eleven is set to return, giving Valour a level of continuity that they have lacked in past seasons — and an important start to their construction for 2025. “I think that consistency is going to be crucial,” said Valour’s head coach and general manager Phil Dos Santos. “Bringing back key players that contributed to that relative success, I think, is important and now it’s assessing and making sure we bring in the right pieces to complement those players.”
The club has already set out to add to their returning group. Last week, they announced the signing of goalkeeper Eleias Himaras, formerly of York United, and secured attacker Kris Twardek in a transfer from Atlético Ottawa. Then on Tuesday, they announced the return of central defender Rocco Romeo after the 24-year-old spent two seasons with Vancouver FC. “We lacked a little bit of pace, maybe a bit more verticality,” said Dos Santos. “Kian [Williams] brings that, but we still want to add a piece or two in the front line. That’s why we drafted a player like Jevontae [Layne] because we believe he could bring that to the team. And we just want to see how that can translate in the pro world.” Dos Santos also says the club would still like to add a little bit more depth at the centre-back position. Another profile the Winnipeggers would love to add is a more attack-minded midfielder who can carry play forward and progress the ball.
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One returning player who will also feel like a new signing is Kian Williams. The 24-year-old missed the entire 2024 campaign with a torn ACL, but was one of Valour’s key players during the 2023 season, putting up four goals and five assists while showing versatility and creativity across the front. Dos Santos says Williams is feeling good, but will have to be eased back into game action after such a long layoff. “It’s like another signing, it’s another good piece that we add to our attack,” said the Valour manager of Williams. Dos Santos compared Williams’ situation to that of captain Raphael Ohin, saying he will need a bit of time to ease back in and regain his match fitness. After playing just one CPL match in two years due to injury, Ohin played 21 matches in 2024, which Dos Santos said was a big boost for the team. So is the fact that he is returning to its midfield for 2025. “He’s an important part of not only this team, but also this club,” said Dos Santos. “He is the only local player that we currently have in the roster, and we know how important it is for him to play here and represent this club.”
Dos Santos and his staff are currently in assessment mode as they watch back the entirety of their matches from the 2024 season — a process that will not stop until they kick their first ball of the 2025 campaign. There are two significant areas, however, where the team can make big strides: their home record and their ability to hold onto leads. They finished the season with the second-fewest points at home in the league, with just 17 from 14 matches at Princess Auto Stadium, and tied with Vancouver FC for the fewest goals scored at home in a campaign, with just 14. “I look at our home record, we need to be a lot better,” said Dos Santos. “I think had we done more at home, we would probably have had a better fortune at the end.” On the second point, Valour tied a CPL record, their own back in 2022-23, for the most points dropped from winning positions in a single CPL season, with 22. “Those are the aspects that we absolutely need to make sure that we utilize our experience and what we’ve learned through the season, and make sure that we come out bigger and better in 2025,” said Dos Santos. While bigger and better is the ultimate goal, Valour believe the bricks they have already laid in their roster construction form a strong base. Now it is about carefully considering where to place new ones in order to give their squad even more solidity. “We like our foundation, we’re not in a rush,” said Dos Santos. “I think that if we were to start the season today we would already be very competitive with the players that we have. But if we find the right player and we’re comfortable with it, and we feel that he’s going to add to the team, then we’ll try to better ourselves.” With seven out of eight teams, including Valour, still alive in the playoff race on the final day of the 2024 campaign, Dos Santos and the Winnipeg club know that 2025 is already shaping up to be as competitive as ever in the CPL. But with their core secured, Valour are looking like they are very much in the mix to finally finish above the playoff line for the first time in club history.