MATCH PREVIEW: 3 things to watch in FC Edmonton vs. Valour FC (April 10, 2022, 4PM ET)

Watch FC Edmonton vs. Valour FC on OneSoccer, TODAY at 4PM ET / 1PM PT.

Sunday’s Canadian Premier League doubleheader kicks off in the Albertan capital this week, as FC Edmonton open their 2022 campaign at home against Winnipeg-based side Valour FC.

The Eddies enter the new year with almost a clean slate, having brought back just five players from the 2021 roster — a situation necessitated in part by the club’s challenging offseason situation — but head coach Alan Koch remains at the helm to try and help the club continue to make progress.

Coming in to start their season on the road is Valour, who want to carry on with the progress they made late last year under coach Phillip Dos Santos, who took over as head coach in September for the final 10 games of the season. They missed the playoffs by just one point in 2021, their 10-5-13 record putting them just short of York United for fourth place. They proved at times to be one of the most entertaining attacking teams in the league, having opened the season winning six of their first seven in the Kickoff bubble before a down period in the late summer — not unrelated to losing star defender Andrew Jean-Baptiste to an ACL tear in mid-July.

Here are three things to watch for in this match-up:

1. Valour seek to fill Ohin's absence in the middle

The Rhino, as he’s called, will be sorely missed by Valour; Raph Ohin played 28 games in 2021, all but three of them starts, and he was a tremendous force on and off the ball with his workrate and ability to run at defenders or spring direct attacks.

It’s not immediately clear how Valour will address that gap; Daryl Fordyce will be one key piece in the middle, but there are several options for who can slot in alongside him, depending on how they choose to structure their lineup. Brett Levis and Diego Gutíerrez are logical options in central midfield, although both players are perhaps more natural playing out wide (on the left and right, respectively).

CPL-U SPORTS Draft pick Jacob Carlos is inexperienced at the pro level but could fit into a more central role, as could 19-year-old Canada U-20 call-up Matthew Catavolo. Moses Dyer also spent time in midfield last year, but Dos Santos seemed eager to put him up top toward the end of the season, and he scored six goals in his last nine games playing as a striker.

“In a normal situation you’re gonna utilize mainly two midfielders, we felt with Raph, Diego, Fordyce, and Brett we had four very good midfielders and only two can play,” Dos Santos said Friday.

“It’s a tricky one because (Ohin) is different to the other three, he has a different profile and characteristic, but I don’t think we’re weakened. We lose a piece of the puzzle and we have to be able to replace him.”

2. Eddies can threaten going forward

Perhaps the greatest strength of this Edmonton side on the pitch is the talent it has up front.

Azriel Gonzalez and Tobias Warschewski combined extremely well at times late last season, and although they won’t have towering striker Easton Ongaro this time as a target man, there’s a lot to like about the forward group.

Julian Ulbricht should have excellent chemistry with Warschewski, the fellow German with whom he’s played for several years. Plus, U SPORTS standouts Kairo Coore and Gabriel Bitar could add some of the finishing ability this side needs.

If Shamit Shome can be a creative force in midfield as well, this FCE side could surprise with its ability to score goals this season.

“Tobi being here, Azriel being here, Shamit being here, it gives us a bit of stability,” Koch said Friday.

“They know how we want them to play; they’re comfortable and part of why they’re here is we have a great relationship with these kids. I’m excited to see them take that next step in their careers.”

3. Defensive units still work-in-progress

Both of these clubs went through sub-par defensive stretches last season, so the new-look backline units will be interesting to see.

Valour’s personnel is largely the same, with Rocco Romeo most likely to start at centre-back alongside, potentially, Stefan Cebara or Tony Mikhael, with Andrew Jean-Baptiste possibly not 90-minutes fit yet.

The main newcomers to the fullback group are Matteo De Brienne and Jonathan Esparza, with Andy Baquero and Federico Peña returning.

Last year, Valour conceded two goals in seven games with Jean-Baptiste, then allowed 34 in 21 games without him (1.62 against per game, which would be second-worst in the CPL across the whole season).

Edmonton, meanwhile, is almost entirely new at the back. Luke Singh and Nyal Higgins seem a likely centre-back duo, with Terique Mohammed and possibly local youngster T-boy Fayia at fullback.

Alan Koch has explained there’s plenty of minutes up for grabs at every position, so expect to see some experimentation in the defensive unit throughout the year.