Valour FC’s methodical construction of its 2022 roster continues to take shape with the addition of two more building blocks.

The club announced Monday that a pair of fullbacks – Canadian Federico Peña and Cuban Andy Baquero – have signed new contracts and will remain with Winnipeg’s Canadian Premier League squad.

“They’re two players we’re happy to have back because they are important pieces for the team and both give us depth and flexibility at the fullback position,” said GM and head coach Phillip Dos Santos. “They are two guys from the get-go that we knew we wanted back.”

Dos Santos said the club had an option for both players in 2022 but restructured the deals to hopefully have them remain beyond this season.

Their additions help solidify a back line that will feature the return of Andrew Jean-Baptiste from a knee injury that ended his season last summer, along with Stefan Cebara and Tony Mikhael and new signee Jonathan Esparza.

Dos Santos sees Baquero as a fixture at left back, with Peña having the ability to flip from one side to the other.

“For Andy, right back is his best position and it’s where we’re going to play him for the duration of the season,” he said. “Now, there’s situations where you might have an emergency and that’s why his flexibility is important.

“Federico is also going to play as a right and as a left back. That’s what he gives you: that flexibility of playing on both on the right and the left.”

Baquero, 27, joined Valour last season and made 23 appearances for a total of 1,830 minutes and added one goal. He has international experience, with 27 appearances for the Cuban national team and it was in 2019, after a loss to Canada in Concacaf Nations League play that he and two other teammates opted to defect.

“He has an incredible story as to how he ended up in this country and landing here,” said Dos Santos. “He’s quite an interesting character in a good way because he has such a positive energy in the locker room. He’s a great character for us to have around.

“It’s one of those Cinderella stories that just hopefully keeps getting better for him because he still has a lot of potential. He brings maturity to the locker room. He’s lived a lot; he’s gone through a lot and he’s still so positive in the middle of everything.”

Peña, meanwhile, has been a fixture with Valour since the franchise’s inception in 2019 and has now appeared in 38 matches over the 2019-21 seasons. He appeared in 24 regular-season and both Canadian Championship matches last season.

Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, Peña moved to Winnipeg with his family when he was 10. He made his international debut with the Trinidad & Tobago National Team in a friendly against USA last February.

“He’s an important piece for us not just because he’s a local player, but because he’s a good player with great character, too,” said Dos Santos. “He’s also a positive guy and a player that comes in every day and works very hard and still has a margin to progress. He’s not a complete player quite yet. We’ve committed to working with him helping him get better.”