MENU
“Our training is always very sharp because everyone is hungry to prove themselves. We have options.”

It was a spirited training session in blistering late-morning heat and humidity. And Valour FC’s approach to it – plus its collective reaction to two big pieces of news over the last few days – might just speak volumes as to this squad’s current mental state.

Valour FC practised Monday morning at the Ralph Cantafio Soccer Complex for the first time since the news of winger William Akio’s transfer to Ross County of the Scottish Premiership became official on the weekend and in the wake of Sunday’s scheduled match against Atlético Ottawa being moved to Wednesday in the capital due to COVID protocols.

That means Valour will be heading east for two matches in four days — with the trip to Ottawa followed by Saturday’s matinee in Hamilton against Forge FC – minus one of its most dynamic players.

Yet…

“It’s all positive because we know Willy’s doing his thing and he’s going to a higher level in the Scottish Premiership, so it’s a very good opportunity,” said Valour striker and leading scorer Moses Dyer after training on Monday. “It’s actually good not just good for him, it’s good for everyone with another player being bought out of the CPL. It’s good for the league.

“Plus, we’ve got a lot of players now and a lot of competition. Our training is always very sharp because everyone is hungry to prove themselves. We have options.

“Yes, we have two games in a few days, but we don’t create a victim mentality or victim environment here,” Dyer added. “It’s doesn’t change anything for us. In fact, if anything we look at it as a positive.

“We’re not going to see it as an excuse. Only the weak use excuses. If you think that way, if you go into the game with doubts, you’re already losing. We can’t afford to have any doubt. We leave that to the weak.”

Akio’s departure to Scotland had been rumoured for a few weeks, especially after his younger brother Victor Loturi – previously of Cavalry FC – who signed there earlier this month.

Akio signed a three-year deal with Ross County and outlined the details on his You Tube channel https://youtu.be/EFcUgonlzQU saying “I’m super excited to get started. It hasn’t really hit me yet that I’m going there, but I just think I was meant to play this sport at the highest level possible. This is just the beginning for me. I’m someone who stays humble in the sport and just works really hard.”

Valour practised Monday with a full squad and with Colombian midfielder Daniel Ascanio working in Akio’s spot. Ascanio’s Canadian Premier League debut was sensational, as he came off the bench to help set up Dyer’s match-winning goal in a 1-nil decision over HFX Wanderers.

“Daniel is an option,” said Valour GM and head coach Phillip Dos Santos. “Most likely it will be him and you saw what he could do when he came into the last game. I’m curious to see how he does because it’s one thing to come in and give the team 35 minutes, it’s another to start a game. He’s shown enormous signs of growth and brings different things to the table than Willy.

“We did the deal with Willy because we knew we had options. We felt comfortable enough to do it because we had guys who were already pushing Willy.”

Dos Santos also hinted the roster tinkering isn’t done yet, with an announcement of player to replace Akio in the works. Whether a new player arrives or not, Valour is in a dogfight for a playoff spot – with five wins and four draws against four defeats through 13 games, the club is just one point out of the fourth and final playoff spot in the CPL standings as it reaches the halfway mark of the season.

“With Willy leaving it also allows us to go to the market and bring in someone we could secure for next season or put ourselves in position to pursue a player for next year because we knew Willy was already trying to experience free agency,” he said. “That doesn’t mean we wouldn’t have been able to keep him here, but we saw who was coming in our pipeline.

“We like what we have with this team, but that doesn’t mean we stop looking for more players.”