It will be a common refrain heard all across the Canadian Premier League over the next few days, but Valour FC exited Thursday night’s U Sports Draft ecstatic with their two picks.
Couple the selections of Raine Lyn and Jacob Carlos — both midfielders and selected fourth and 12th overall respectively — with the signing of Matteo de Brienne earlier this week and Winnipeg’s pro soccer side has significantly bolstered its Canadian prospect pool.
“Raine and Jacob are two players that we had in the Top 3 of our picks when we laid out our draft board beforehand, so we were happy to get both players,” said Valour FC GM and head coach Phillip Dos Santos. “We really want to make sure we comply with the Under-21 rule (teams are required to play U-21 Canadians a total of 1,500 minutes during the season) and it was important for us to draft players who fall under that category.
“That means a player who comes in has to have the ability to come in and give us some minutes right from Year 1. We looked at age, the margin the player has to grow and also positional need for the club and really like the players we selected.”
Here’s a look at the two picks:
Raine Lyn
Position: midfielder
Ht: 5-6
School: Cape Breton University Capers
In 2021: Appeared in 11 matches with the Capers, all starts, and chipped in with one assist and was named an AUS 2nd Team All-Star.
Dos Santos: “Raine is a dynamic midfielder who likes to be on the ball and helps in the build-up phase. He’s also someone that has some bite, the capacity to recover balls and cover ground. He’s still a young player, and someone that will grow because this will be his first time in a professional environment.
“We’re excited to see what he can bring to the table and how close he might be to competing with everyone else.”
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Jacob Carlos
Position: midfielder
Ht: 5-9
School: Ryerson University
In 2021: Appeared in 11 games for the Rams, including seven starts, and scored two goals and added two assists.
Dos Santos: “Similar profile to Raine. Very dynamic, but he brings a little bit more going forward. He has a bit more quality in the offensive half and could also play wide positions. He’s a player that took a big part of his player development with a Portugese club called Académico de Viseau (and Swedish club IK Frej), as well as the Toronto FC Academy. So, he’s someone that has lived inside locker room and understands its dynamics.”
The signing of de Brienne, meanwhile, only adds to Valour’s Canadian depth. An Ottawa product who was with Atlético Ottawa during the CPL’s 2020 Island Games but did not see any action, he spent part of last year with FC Manitoba before joining the Carleton Ravens university squad, where was named the OUA Rookie of the Year and selected to the U-Sports All-Rookie Team.
He was eligible for this draft, but Valour management offered him a CPL contract beforehand.
“We knew he was regarded extremely high around our league and is a player that would come in and fall under that U-21 rule for the next two years,” said Dos Santos. “That was an important factor for us. We saw him as a player that could come in and give us minutes right away and compete at left back or play higher up the field.
“There’s a lot of upside in Matteo and for the difference between a U-Sports contract with what a league-minimum contract is, we didn’t want to take the risk of waiting until the fourth-overall pick to lose a a player like him. That’s why we were aggressive in trying to come to a deal for him even before the draft.
“We’re happy it happened because we think he’s a kid that has a lot of upside, and who could be a surprise for us and a lot of people in the years to come.”