Latest news with #Himaras
Winnipeg Free Press
08-08-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘You keep fighting and believing until you get there'
Just when it looked like Valour FC had turned a corner, Winnipeg's professional soccer club reminded everyone that they are still, well, Valour FC. After breathing some life into their season with back-to-back victories, Valour was knocked back down to earth courtesy of the top dog in the Canadian Premier League, Forge FC, with a 5-0 loss last Saturday in Hamilton. It was the largest margin of victory at home in franchise history for Forge — a four-time league champion. They also dismantled Winnipeg 5-0 on June 22 at Princess Auto Stadium. Daniel Crump / Free Press Files Winnipeg Valour's key defender Zachary Fernandez was injured in Saturday's game against Forge FC, and will not be available for when the club hosts Atlético Ottawa on Sunday. In Valour's defence, though, their most recent thumping was their fourth match in 14 days. Plus, there's zero shame in losing to the powerhouse in orange. Forge has now gone 17 consecutive matches without taking a loss and are an incredible 10-7-0 (wins-draws-losses) for 37 points. The result dropped Valour to 4-2-11 on the year. 'To lose a game at Forge, against a team that is probably the best version of them that I've seen, is not the problem. The problem is you hope to build on some good performances… and we didn't,' said Valour manager Phillip Dos Santos after Thursday's training session at Ralph Cantafio Soccer Complex. To make matters worse, key defender Zachary Fernandez is currently on crutches after he left in the first half of the game against Forge with an injury. He's expected to be out for a while. 'It's going to be a big loss for us. Zach is obviously another warrior that we have on the team,' said midfielder Raphael Ohin. 'He's very passionate, and he comes in with a strong mentality and wants to win every game. And I can see when things are not going well, you can see the frustration, right? So, he's a winner. Losing a player like that is a big blow and at the end of the day, we just have to move on.' It's not a spot where they can afford to lose bodies as Valour has struggled to keep the ball out of their own net. Veteran goalkeeper Jonathan Viscosi is currently out with a sprain and has some work to do to return. Then there's backup goalie Eleias Himaras, who was dealt a three-game suspension by Canada Soccer for leaving the bench and getting involved in a shoving match between Valour and Cavalry in the closing minutes of Winnipeg's 2-1 win at home on July 29. Himaras had to sit out the loss at Forge, forcing Valour to sign goalies Callum Weir and Adam Kour on short-term replacement contracts in order to have someone between the pipes. Weir, 21, who was most recently with TSS FC Rovers of League1 BC, got the start last weekend. Valour is appealing the decision and hope Himaras will be deemed eligible to play Sunday when they host Atlético Ottawa (10-6-1) at 2 p.m. 'Right now, it's all up in the air. I'm just hoping Eleias will hear good news. If Eleias is in the net, man, we're happy,' said Ohin. 'But regardless of whatever happens, we just have to go and play and have the same faith in the backup goalkeepers that we signed. We just have to have faith and protect them.' Valour has surrendered a league-high 41 goals with 19 of those coming in just four matches. RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS FILES Winnipeg Valour head coach Phillip Dos Santos said the club's two wins in the last three games gave the team life for a post-season push — which would be the franchise's first trip to the playoffs. 'We haven't handled individual moments well. I think every goal comes down to something minor,' said defender Gianfranco Facchineri. 'You can nitpick, but I don't think we've been dealing well enough with specific moments and I think we're well aware of that and we're doing our best to try and find some level of defensive cohesiveness.' They'll need defensive cohesiveness to get back in the win column this weekend as Ottawa is only one point behind Forge in the standings and has surrendered just one goal in their previous four outings. Valour trails the HFX Wanderers by 10 points with 11 matches left for the fifth and final playoff spot. 'A few weeks ago, we were heading towards being 16 points behind the line, and then you win two matches and it gives you life. You know how emotions are, it can carry a long way,' said Dos Santos. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. 'So, for us, it's about sticking to it. Every game is going to be very important. For us to get something out of a team that's contending for a title right now… and keep the machine going in a positive way, would be important.' Valour is still searching for their first post-season berth in club history. You don't have to remind Ohin, as the Winnipegger has been with the team since Day 1 and is two appearances away from having his 100th cap in Valour colours. 'I wouldn't say I'm tired, it's just that it's a fight every year,' said Ohin. 'It's a process. You keep fighting and believing until you get there. And when you finally cross that line, you can look back and say, 'Oh, yeah, I did it.' It's a good feeling crossing that line and we're not going to rest until we do.' Taylor AllenReporter Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor. Every piece of reporting Taylor produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Hamilton Spectator
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Whitecaps use late goal to defeat Valour FC, advance to Canadian Championship semis
VANCOUVER - Defender Bjorn Utvik chose an opportune time to score his first-ever goal for the Vancouver Whitecaps. Utvik headed in a shot in the 90th minute to give the Whitecaps a 2-1 victory over Valour FC to win their Telus Canadian Championship quarterfinal series Wednesday night. The game's three goals came in the final four minutes of regulation time. Forward Emmanuel Sabbi, a second-half substitute, gave Vancouver a 1-0 lead in the 79th minute with a shot from the top of the box. He celebrated by doing backflips. Defender Ranko Veselinovic assisted on the play. Valour, a Canadian Premier League side from Winnipeg, tied the match in the 86th minute when Jevontae Layne's header off a corner kick snuck into the net. Utvik, playing in his second season with Vancouver, won the match when forward Jayden Nelson looped a shot into the box. Utvik went high into the air and directed it past goaltender Eleias Himaras, bringing a roar from the crowd of 14,536 at BC Place Stadium. Vancouver will face Hamilton's Forge in a two-match semifinal with the opening game in August. The Whitecaps, who play in Major League Soccer, are seeking their fourth consecutive Canadian Championship. Vancouver and Valour tied 2-2 back on May 20 in Winnipeg during the opening of the two-match aggregate series. The Whitecaps dominated play most of the game, swarming Valour's net. Forward Daniel Rios had a good scoring chance in the 10th minute, blasting a shot from distance that just went wide of the Valour net. Forward Brian White, an MLS All-Star returning to the Whitecaps from international duty with the United States at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, let go of a left-footed shot in the 20th minute that just skimmed over the top of the Valour net. Valour did threaten in the 17th minute when midfielder Raphael Ohin took the ball deep into Vancouver territory, then sent a cross in front of the net. Goalkeeper Isaac Boehmer dove out of his goal to clear the ball. Rios had another golden chance in the 57 minute, sending a shot just wide of an open corner. Nelson made a pretty, spinning move in the 60th minute to elude two defenders, but his shot went wide. He had another good shot in the 67th minute which was blocked by Himaras. Midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, another MLS All-Star who played for the U.S. at the Gold Cup, tipped a header in the 76th minute that Himaras got a hand on. Earlier Wednesday Hamilton defeated FC Montreal 3-2 in another quarter-final match. That left Vancouver the only MLS team left in the competition. The other semifinal will feature Athletico Ottawa against Vancouver FC in a battled of CPL teams. The Whitecaps came into the match 2-3-0 in their last five MLS games. Vancouver is second in the MLS Western Conference with a 11-4-5 record and fifth overall in league standings. Valour (2-8-2) are seventh in the CPL and came into the match with three straight losses. Valour earned its way into the quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory over semi-professional side TSS Rovers in the preliminary round. As defending champions, the Whitecaps had a bye through the tournament's first round. UP NEXT: The Whitecaps head out on the road for MLS games against Colorado Saturday then play in Houston July 16 and San Diego July 19. Valour hosts York United on Sunday in CPL play. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 9, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Whitecaps use late goal to defeat Valour FC, advance to Canadian Championship semis
VANCOUVER – Defender Bjorn Utvik chose an opportune time to score his first-ever goal for the Vancouver Whitecaps. Utvik headed in a shot in the 90th minute to give the Whitecaps a 2-1 victory over Valour FC to win their Telus Canadian Championship quarterfinal series Wednesday night. The game's three goals came in the final four minutes of regulation time. Forward Emmanuel Sabbi, a second-half substitute, gave Vancouver a 1-0 lead in the 79th minute with a shot from the top of the box. He celebrated by doing backflips. Defender Ranko Veselinovic assisted on the play. Valour, a Canadian Premier League side from Winnipeg, tied the match in the 86th minute when Jevontae Layne's header off a corner kick snuck into the net. Utvik, playing in his second season with Vancouver, won the match when forward Jayden Nelson looped a shot into the box. Utvik went high into the air and directed it past goaltender Eleias Himaras, bringing a roar from the crowd of 14,536 at BC Place Stadium. Vancouver will face Hamilton's Forge in a two-match semifinal with the opening game in August. The Whitecaps, who play in Major League Soccer, are seeking their fourth consecutive Canadian Championship. Vancouver and Valour tied 2-2 back on May 20 in Winnipeg during the opening of the two-match aggregate series. The Whitecaps dominated play most of the game, swarming Valour's net. Forward Daniel Rios had a good scoring chance in the 10th minute, blasting a shot from distance that just went wide of the Valour net. Forward Brian White, an MLS All-Star returning to the Whitecaps from international duty with the United States at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, let go of a left-footed shot in the 20th minute that just skimmed over the top of the Valour net. Valour did threaten in the 17th minute when midfielder Raphael Ohin took the ball deep into Vancouver territory, then sent a cross in front of the net. Goalkeeper Isaac Boehmer dove out of his goal to clear the ball. Rios had another golden chance in the 57 minute, sending a shot just wide of an open corner. Nelson made a pretty, spinning move in the 60th minute to elude two defenders, but his shot went wide. He had another good shot in the 67th minute which was blocked by Himaras. Midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, another MLS All-Star who played for the U.S. at the Gold Cup, tipped a header in the 76th minute that Himaras got a hand on. Earlier Wednesday Hamilton defeated FC Montreal 3-2 in another quarter-final match. That left Vancouver the only MLS team left in the competition. The other semifinal will feature Athletico Ottawa against Vancouver FC in a battled of CPL teams. The Whitecaps came into the match 2-3-0 in their last five MLS games. Vancouver is second in the MLS Western Conference with a 11-4-5 record and fifth overall in league standings. Valour (2-8-2) are seventh in the CPL and came into the match with three straight losses. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Valour earned its way into the quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory over semi-professional side TSS Rovers in the preliminary round. As defending champions, the Whitecaps had a bye through the tournament's first round. UP NEXT: The Whitecaps head out on the road for MLS games against Colorado Saturday then play in Houston July 16 and San Diego July 19. Valour hosts York United on Sunday in CPL play. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 9, 2025.
