If Valour FC’s midfield position group was to be presented as a painting, there would be some familiar hues and exciting shapes forming in front of our collective eyes.

Yet it should be said that with the club’s 2022 Canadian Premier League opener in Edmonton just five days away, this is also very much a work in progress.

Returning to the middle of the park for Valour FC are veterans Daryl Fordyce and Brett Levis, along with Diego Gutiérrez – a member of the squad in 2019-20 who spent last year with A.C. Barnecha in Chile. The status of a fourth vet – Raphael Ohin – is yet to be determined as he suffered a knee injury on the first day of training in February and will likely miss a good chunk of the season.

Joining the midfield crew is Matthew Catavolo, who just this week was named to the Canadian Men’s Under-20 squad for an upcoming training camp in Costa Rica, along with former Ryerson University star and 2022 CPL U-Sports Draft pick Jacob Carlos.

“We’ve got a lot of discipline and guys who really understand their roles and when to attack and when to defend,” said Fordyce. “There’s really good quality on the ball as well. You look at a guy like Diego, and his passing ability is outstanding and at the top of the league, for sure.

“We’re missing Raph, but Jacob has come in and adapted really well and can play a number of positions. Brett Levis is also very versatile and Andy Baquero could play there, as could Moses Dyer

“We’re very excited and what I like the most is they’re all team players and not individuals.”

Valour’s goalkeeping position and back line is set, and the midfield group will be critical in helping connect an impressive group of attackers.

“You’re always involved in the game when you play in the midfield,” Fordyce explained. “But the way the game has evolved every single player is involved in the game in every moment because you defend with 11 players and attack with 11 players, whereas 10 years ago a winger could stay out wide, and the striker could stand up front. Now the strikers have to defend as much as the centre backs have to build out from the attack. The players in the midfield are always in the mix of things and always have to stay switched on.

“There’s a lot of versatility with the midfielders we have,” Fordyce added. “Moses Dyer is playing striker now and if we needed to, he could drop back at any moment… I wouldn’t do that because he’s such a goal threat, but if needed he could help us there. Again, it’s about the versatility we have. It’s exciting to be a part of a group like this.”

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THE MIDFIELDERS
Jacob Carlos

Ht: 5-9; Born: 7/12/01

Nationality: Canadian

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Matthew Catavolo

Ht: 5-4; Born: 2/13/03

Nationality: Canada

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Daryl Fordyce

Ht: 6-0 ; Born: 1/2/87

Nationality: Northern Ireland/Canada

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Diego Gutiérrez

Ht: 5-10; Born: 2/18/97

Nationality: Canada

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Brett Levis

Ht: 5-8; Born: 3/29/93

Nationality: Canada

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Raphael Ohin

Ht: 5-7; Born: 5/25/95

Nationality: Ghana/Canada

*Currently injured

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NOTABLE VALOUR FC MIDFIELDER NUMBERS

90

Veteran Daryl Fordyce finished on the squad with 90 tackles, second only to fullback Andy Baquero, who has 112.

57

Matches played in Raphael Ohin’s Valour career, including in the CPL regular-season and Canadian Championships. That ranks him first on Valour’s all-time list, although his status for this season is uncertain after he suffered an ACL injury in camp.

6

The number of CPL players named to Canada’s U-20 national team camp roster, including Valour’s Matthew Catavolo. The others: GK Dino Bontis (Forge FC), FB Kwasi Poku (Forge FC), MF Maxwell Piepgrass (Calvary FC), F Lowell Wright (York United FC) and F Kamron Habibullah (Pacific FC, on loan from Vancouver Whitecaps).–

THE GAFFER SAYS

Valour GM and head coach Phillip Dos Santos assesses the midfielders:

“We have continuity. We bring in a Daryl Fordyce, who offers so much leadership. We have Brett (Levis) who I think is a player who will jump out at that position. We’ve definitely solidified our midfield with a guy like Diego Gutierrez who, for me, could be one of the references for the midfield in this league.

“Jacob (Carlos) is in the mix. We have Matthew Catavolo. We’ve got different pieces here, pieces with different qualities than the ones that were here last year.

“Right now, with a few knocks and injuries during camp it’s probably the one place on the field where we’ve struggled to see continuity. That’s frustrating for us, but if everyone is back and healthy and ready to go it’s a position that has versatility and there’s a lot of quality there.”

NEXT: The Valour FC forwards

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The Defenders: https://valourfc.canpl.ca/article/valour-2022-preview-the-defenders

The Keepers: https://valourfc.canpl.ca/article/valour-2022-preview-the-keepers