It would only have been natural for Kris Twardek to have doubts about leaving Atlético Ottawa — his hometown squad — for a new opportunity at Valour FC. After all, he’s played all around the globe and you get a feel for these things, positively or negatively, and sometimes instantly.
Yet from the first moment the 27-year-old winger stepped into the Valour locker room here in Winnipeg it just felt, well, let’s have him tell it…
“Sometimes you can just walk into a dressing room and you feel comfortable right away,” began Twardek after Valour FC’s first day of training camp on Tuesday. “That’s how it felt here instantly. There’s a different dynamic already — you can tell — from what we had in Ottawa last year. It’s a very, very tactically controlled environment in Ottawa where you don’t get super-intense sessions. So, it’s great to be part of an environment that suits my style a little bit more, where you have more intensity. It already feels like a good decision.
“It was a big decision, naturally. I’m engaged and so it’s a big ask to move your fianceé as well. Also, after having been away for 11 years your parents get a taste of having you back home and then you choose to leave? That’s difficult for them. Ultimately, though, for me it came down to realizing that your career is 10-15 years if you’re fortunate and you’ve got to value each year the most, especially as you get older.
“You know, the years can go back so fast — I’ll be 28 next month and in the CPL that’s an experienced, older player. It’s funny because it feels like just yesterday I was 21-22 playing with Daryl (Fordyce, Valour’s assistant coach) in Ireland. One of the big positives coming here was knowing some of the players and staff. I was teammates with Daryl and Ibby (Soukary, Valour’s new strength and conditioning coach) in sports science — I worked with him in Ottawa and have known him since I was a kid. And some of the players like Dante Campbell and Shaan Hundal, I played with them as a youth national.
“So this felt home-like… ironically, perhaps more than it did in Ottawa. I can tell already it’s going to be a lot of fun here.”
Last year was all over the map for Twardek emotionally and physically, from experiencing the joys of starting for your hometown squad as it rocketed to first place, to suffering an injury and then watching his spot in the starting XI disappear. Not liking how his season ended, he asked for a change of scenery.
“In sports you can ride the wave for a really long time, and it was an unbelievable experience, those first two and a half phases of the season,” he said. “We were in first place, leading the league for 20 games and I was playing nearly every minute. It was an interesting role for me, too, because I hadn’t played much fullback. I know that later on in your career you can transition from winger into more of a fullback role and that can extend your career. In that way it was an amazing experience.
“But the way it finished… coming back from injury and then not really being brought in for the last four or five games, that’s difficult. That’s why I pushed to leave.”
Twardek’s addition offers so much for a Valour squad fighting to carry last year’s solid finish to the season into the quest for the franchise’s first playoff appearance in 2025. Beyond his versatility as a winger/fullback his experience in the game — both in the CPL and around the globe in England, Ireland, Poland and Slovakia — will be a valuable asset for a Valour squad that appears to have an intriguing mix of CPL vets and fresh faces.
Back at the wing, he was very noticeable on his first official day in Valour colours.
“When that role is clear right from the beginning it gives you peace and you just go focus on your job,” said Dos Santos of Twardek. “That’s what we wanted him to know — there’s no ambiguity. This is why we’re bringing you in and this is where we see the value in what you can bring to the team.
“He’s such a good piece for us to add. Good pro. Good character. Good qualities on and off the field. We knew that because Kris is a player we tried in the past to bring here. We knew what he was all about and when you have a member of your coaching staff who has played with a player the scouting report becomes even easier because you have information about how he is in the team dynamic and in the locker room.
“He has experience. He’s had ups and downs, and he knows how to handle those moments. That makes him a good asset in the room to show young players how to deal with that adversity. You look at him today — here’s a guy that’s 27-28 but when he stepped on the field, he had the energy of a 19-year-old.”
BOOK IT: The date for Valour’s Canadian Championship date was confirmed on Tuesday, with TSS Rovers here on May 7th at Princess Auto Stadium. The details:
Locked in
Preliminary round for our @TELUS Canadian Championship has been confirmed & will take place on May 7th, 7pm at Princess Auto Stadium. #ForValour pic.twitter.com/jL1MOcQRan
— Valour FC (@ValourFootball) February 18, 2025
