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2023 CPL U-Sports Draft Recap
December 16, 2022
Ed Tait
by
Ed Tait

Valour FC dove headfirst into the Canadian Premier League’s U-Sports Draft and surfaced with two players with very intriguing profiles.

In fact, Valour’s two picks from today’s proceedings – centre back Guillaume Pianelli-Balisoni and left back Samuel Laplante – could be looked at as more than just U-Sports prospects because of their skillsets and experience.

Valour had the fifth and 12th overall selections in Thursday’s CPL-U Sports Draft – new club Vancouver FC was awarded the first two picks – and opted to grab two players who could immediately push for a roster spot and provide depth along the back line.

Here’s a look at Valour’s two picks and GM and thoughts on each from GM and head coach Phillip Dos Santos:

Pianelli

Guillaume Pianelli-Balisoni

Position: centre back

Ht: 6-4

School: Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

FYI: Pianelli-Balisoni was selected by Forge FC seventh overall a year ago but did not sign with the club. He has spent three seasons at UQTR, appearing in 41 matches and helping the program to the U-Sports championship in 2019 when he was named to the all-tournament team. He was also a U Sports and Quebec conference (RSEQ) All-Star in 2022 and a RSEQ All-Star in 2019, 2021 and 2022. He was born in Bastia, Corsica, France – some called him the ‘Corsican Bull’ and previously played with EF Bastia of the Championnat National 2 in France (2017-18) after coming up through the S.C. Bastia development program.

Dos Santos: “We were looking at him last year and thought he was very interesting because he has a very good background from France. He’s no longer a kid, he’s 25 years old and has been a dominant figure in the U-Sports system. He’s someone that can come in with maturity and with an already good pedigree. A pro-environment is not new for him. He’s 6-4. He’s a strong centre back, good on the ball, dominant in the air. His stature and physical prowess helps in that. He’ll have to get up to speed with the CPL level, but I think he’s someone who can come in and if things go well, he could help the team right away.”

LaPlante

Samuel Laplante

Position: left back

Ht: 5-9

School: Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

FYI: LaPlante played in 17 matches for the Patriotes in 2022, scoring twice and adding three assists en route to being named a RSEQ Second-team all-star.

Dos Santos: “We were looking at Guillaume and we saw this player. Good school and he was also in the provincial team system in Quebec. He showed quality, very good athleticism, a lot of speed and a good left foot. He’s someone who can be up and down that line on that left side. He’s an electric player. Again, he’s not a young player so he’s someone we hope can come in for the preseason and have an opportunity to prove himself and prove he can play at this level. It’s not every day that you come across left-footed left backs that have an ability to provide you with a bit of attacking punch. When you do have a chance to look at one closely and see how the kid could progress in our environment is always interesting. We identified him as a prospect who could come in and help and show right from Day 1.”