Soccer – Winnipeg Free Press

Emilio Morenatti / The Associated Press files
The 18-year-old Barcelona and Spain megastar, Lamine Yamal, has barely had a break in two years and has been taking painkillers to keep him going.

Relentless international window expansions detrimental

Jerrad Peters 5 minute read 4:21 PM CDT

Anyone seen Cole Palmer lately? How about Exequiel Palacios? At least Ousmane Dembélé, surely?

If not, it’s likely because the Chelsea, Bayer Leverkusen and Paris Saint-Germain players, who represent England, Argentina and France, respectively, are currently out injured.

Now, they’ve not suffered broken bones, major ligament damage or concussions. Their injuries were not sustained in tackles, knee-on-knees or any other sort of on-field clashes. No, they picked up their knocks over time — time they spent playing too much football without adequate rest and recovery.

They have stress injuries, and they’re not alone.

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Valour playing for pride with club set to miss playoffs for seventh straight year

Joshua Frey-Sam 6 minute read Preview

Valour playing for pride with club set to miss playoffs for seventh straight year

Joshua Frey-Sam 6 minute read Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025

One year ago, Valour FC had everything to play for as it concluded its regular-season schedule at home, still mathematically in the hunt for a playoff berth.

On Saturday, when the club hosts the last home game of the regular season against the Halifax Wanderers at Princess Auto Stadium (2 p.m.), the stakes will be the polar opposite.

The penultimate match of the 2025 campaign will be inconsequential for Winnipeg’s pro soccer side, which, with six wins, 15 losses and five draws, finds itself in sixth place and 13 points back of the Wanderers (10-10-6) for the fifth and final playoff spot in the Canadian Premier League.

It’s a grim scenario that fans have become all too familiar with over the last seven years. Valour is the CPL’s only original franchise that has never qualified for the post-season, and Vancouver FC — which joined in 2023 — is the only other club in that boat.

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Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025

JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS FILES
Valour FC’s captain Raphael Ohin (left) defends against Pacific FC’s Yann Toualy the last time the two clubs met. Valour hosts its final home game of the regular season Saturday against the Halifax Wanderers before concluding the season on the road against Pacific on Oct. 18.

Eagles winning against big teams on big stages

Jerrad Peters 6 minute read Preview

Eagles winning against big teams on big stages

Jerrad Peters 6 minute read Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025

Last April, just four days after a 5-2 dusting by Manchester City, Crystal Palace was whipped 5-0 away to Newcastle.

It was a “demolition,” The Guardian declared at the time — a beatdown so thorough that “the description ‘shock and awe’ (did) not really do it justice.”

Speaking to reporters post-match, Eagles manager Oliver Glasner conceded his side hadn’t been good enough to offer “competitive opposition” at St. James’ Park. “It was a game where nothing worked,” he said. “Sometimes you have games and it’s better to throw them into the bin, and this is what we will do.”

It’s exactly what they did.

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Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025

CZAREK SOKOLOWSKI / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Crystal Palace’s Eddie Nketiah (centre left) celebrates with teammate Chris Richards after scoring his side’s second goal during Conference League play Thursday.

Argentina favourite again at U-20 World Cup

Jerrad Peters 6 minute read Preview

Argentina favourite again at U-20 World Cup

Jerrad Peters 6 minute read Friday, Sep. 26, 2025

Before he was scoring the extra-time winner of the 2010 South Africa final, Andrés Iniesta was improvising a scooped finish from outside the box against Uzbekistan in the 2003 Under-20 World Cup.

Two years later, a future Barcelona teammate of Iniesta’s — one Lionel Messi — was whipping the ball inside the near post in a showdown with Brazil. Iniesta, Messi and Xavi, another U-20 World Cup star, would win the Champions League together the following spring.

And before anyone really knew about FIFA’s biennial youth championship, Diego Maradona was drilling a low free kick into the back of the net against the Soviet Union in the 1979 final.

Everyone knew about it after that.

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Friday, Sep. 26, 2025

Matilde Campodonico / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES
Argentina will be without Claudio Echeverri at the Under-20 men’s World Cup, but his absence only means Maher Carrizo (right) will have a chance to shine for the Albiceleste.

Froese heats up as Valour pushes for playoff berth

Joshua Frey-Sam 6 minute read Preview

Froese heats up as Valour pushes for playoff berth

Joshua Frey-Sam 6 minute read Friday, Sep. 19, 2025

Teams tend to go as their best players do, and that is proving to be the case for Valour FC.

Winnipeg’s pro soccer club is making a late push up the Canadian Premier League table, and much of their positive results as of late can be attributed to the emergence of homegrown talent Kianz Froese, who has accounted for three assists and a pair of goals in the club’s last two contests, respectively.

Froese, a Cuban-born and Winnipeg-raised attacking midfielder who joined Valour halfway through the season after a year away from pro soccer, suffered a hamstring injury shortly after returning to game action.

The ailment sidelined him for three weeks, but he’s looked like a different player since returning to the field.

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Friday, Sep. 19, 2025

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES
Winnipeg product Kianz Froese has racked up two goals and three assists in Valour FC’s last two games as the club pushes for a franchise first post-season berth starting with a road clash against Cavalry on Saturday.

Le Classique a perennial microcosm of country’s state

Jerrad Peters 5 minute read Preview

Le Classique a perennial microcosm of country’s state

Jerrad Peters 5 minute read Friday, Sep. 19, 2025

Le Classique is a powder keg at the best of times.

With age-old fissures dividing south from north, Hellenized from Frankish and working-class from cosmopolitan, the football version of Marseille vs. Paris Saint-Germain can ignite from the slightest spark.

Their December 1992 confrontation and its more than 50 fouls is remembered as “la boucherie,” and as recently as 2020 a full-scale brawl produced five ejections, a four-match ban for spitting and allegations of racist and homophobic remarks.

Little wonder travelling fans have been prevented from attending Marseille-PSG matches since 2015 — and that no provision was made for the next one: Sunday at the Vélodrome (1:45 p.m., FuboTV).

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Friday, Sep. 19, 2025

CHRISTOPHE ENA / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES
Paris Saint-Germain’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (centre) challenges for the ball with Marseille’s Geoffrey Kondogbia (right) and Pol Lirola, the last time the two clubs met back in March. Historically, the most infamous Le Classique occurred in December 1992 with more than 50 fouls committed, while, more recently, in 2020, a full-scale brawl broke out.

Worst Manchester Derby in a generation?

Jerrad Peters 5 minute read Preview

Worst Manchester Derby in a generation?

Jerrad Peters 5 minute read Friday, Sep. 12, 2025

Depending on Saturday’s results, Sunday’s Manchester Derby could be the first of the Premier League era to feature — though “feature” might be an overstatement — two clubs in the bottom half of the table.

Man City, which will host the game, is already 13th and could drop even lower by kick-off (10:30 a.m., FuboTV). Man United, in 9th, is almost certain to fall two or three places before taking the field at Etihad Stadium. In fact, it needs an otherworldly combination of scorelines to keep it from doing so.

Based on the standings, the stats and the eye test, this is the worst Manchester Derby in a generation.

Not even City, for all its Abu Dhabi oil wealth and recent — perhaps ill-gotten — successes, has indicated it’s up for a title challenge this term. The 2023 treble winner is coming off a campaign in which it finished third in the league and didn’t win a single trophy and, if anything, the current squad is inferior to that one.

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Friday, Sep. 12, 2025

Dave Thompson / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES
Manchester United’s Manuel Ugarte (left) and Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku fight for the ball the last time the two teams met back in April. Sunday’s Derby will be the least competitive in a generation as both Premier clubs are suffering dismal seasons.

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Making his Mark

Joshua Frey-Sam 6 minute read Preview

Making his Mark

Joshua Frey-Sam 6 minute read Thursday, Sep. 11, 2025

Three years ago, long before he was anointed head coach of the University of Manitoba Bisons women’s soccer team, Mark Colvin was in Sweden, hastily figuring out how to pronounce the most basic words of the native tongue to communicate with preteens at a local academy.

The Toronto-born coach had touched down a day earlier with an agreement to be an assistant coach for U13 IF Brommapojkarna for a season while he adjusted to the European country.

When he arrived for the first day of practice, however, Colvin — jet-lagged and all — was informed that the head coach was sick and that he would need to take over as interim.

“I literally, quickly on a piece of paper, scribbled the Swedish words of pass, shoot, left, right, yellow and red, and then went on to the field to coach these young players, who, a lot of them, their English was not good,” Colvin, who holds onto that scrap piece of paper for sentimental reasons, told the Free Press recently.

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Thursday, Sep. 11, 2025

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
Mark Colvin was named head coach of the University of Manitoba Bisons women’s soccer team in June, replacing longtime bench boss Vanessa Martinez Lagunas, who had been at the helm for 12 seasons.

Canada walks the walk after shutting out Romania

Jerrad Peters 4 minute read Preview

Canada walks the walk after shutting out Romania

Jerrad Peters 4 minute read Friday, Sep. 5, 2025

It’s one thing to have all the right remarks, the upbeat pressers and the bullish feedback from training. It’s quite another thing to step out into Arena Nationala, to defy the tens of thousands of yellow-clad supporters and back it all up on the pitch.

But that’s exactly what Canada’s men’s soccer team did in Bucharest on Friday when it dropped a money-where-your-mouth-is performance against Romania.

Next up is Wales, and following their 3-0 win the Canadians will have been further emboldened in their swagger to Swansea ahead of Tuesday’s match in Landore (1:45 p.m., TSN4).

Going into the Romania showdown it was hard to keep the eyes from rolling back amidst the overwhelming positivity. Here was manager Jesse Marsch and his best ever practices with the national team. There was midfielder Stephen Eustaquio and his elevated leadership role. Look left, look right — smiles all around.

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Friday, Sep. 5, 2025

Andreea Alexandru / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Canada’s Jonathan David scored the opening goal in the 11th minute against Romania Friday. The men’s national squad blanked their opponents 3-0 in the international friendly in Bucharest.

Manchester United diminishing on Amorim’s watch

Jerrad Peters 5 minute read Preview

Manchester United diminishing on Amorim’s watch

Jerrad Peters 5 minute read Friday, Aug. 29, 2025

Ruben Amorim is a professional football manager.

Under contract at Manchester United, it’s his job to assemble a coaching staff, train the first-team squad, advise on player transactions and oversee all aspects of matchdays, from picking the lineup and directing the tactics to making on-the-fly decisions regarding shape, substitutions and strategy.

Ultimately, he is paid — about $12 million per year — to win games. More practically, he’s at least required to produce results that show a certain trajectory, ideally while entertaining the club’s supporters.

At the same time, it’s his employer’s responsibility to ensure he has the necessary resources to perform to their satisfaction. They might, for example, back him with $420 million in the transfer market or revamp his training complex to the tune of $93 million — both of which, in this instance, they did.

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Friday, Aug. 29, 2025

ADAM DAVY / PA VIA THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Since Ruben Amorim was appointed manager of Manchester United last November, the Red Devils have earned fewer points than games played.

The beginning of a bizarre friendship

Jerrad Peters 5 minute read Preview

The beginning of a bizarre friendship

Jerrad Peters 5 minute read Friday, Aug. 22, 2025

Canadian calcio fans will notice a curious crossover this weekend.

Saturday, while AC Milan hosts Cremonese on the first matchday of the Serie A season (1:45 p.m., FuboTV), some familiar faces will appear in the San Siro stands.

Toronto Maple Leafs winger William Nylander will be in attendance, as will Carolina Hurricanes centre Sebastian Aho, defenceman Miro Heiskanen of the Dallas Stars and 23 other NHL players.

No, they haven’t organized a Lombardian stag party, and they’re not starring in a new season of The White Lotus.

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Friday, Aug. 22, 2025

INSTAGRAM
The Content Collaboration Partnership between the NHL and Serie A was sparked by a viral Instagram post that showed New York Rangers’ Mika Zibanejad exchanging jerseys with Italian World Cup winners Andrea Pirlo and Marco Materazzi back in March.

Paris FC looks to ensure nomadic existence a thing of the past

Jerrad Peters 4 minute read Preview

Paris FC looks to ensure nomadic existence a thing of the past

Jerrad Peters 4 minute read Friday, Aug. 15, 2025

They are among the closest rivals in European club football. Literally.

Walk across Rue Claude-Farrère and you’ll find that Paris Saint-Germain and Paris Football Club are separated by no more than 20 metres. From a distance, the corner of the Auteuil and Borelli stands of Parc-des-Princes, where PSG plays its home games, seems almost to touch the adjacent stand of Paris FC’s Stade Jean-Bouin, appropriately named Tribune Parc-des-Princes.

The proximity ends there.

In purely sporting terms, this isn’t a rivalry at all. PSG and Paris FC have played just twice — both times in 1978, both matches ending in draws. When they finally meet again in January, it’ll be as neighbours who have tended to stay out of each other’s way, pretending the encounter isn’t awkward.

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Friday, Aug. 15, 2025

LAURENT CIPRIANI / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES
In the club’s quest to become a permanent Ligue 1 fixture, Paris FC has signed several big names, such as former Nantes winger Moses Simon (right).

McTominay will have to settle on ‘McFratm’ title honours

Jerrad Peters 5 minute read Preview

McTominay will have to settle on ‘McFratm’ title honours

Jerrad Peters 5 minute read Friday, Aug. 8, 2025

There will be a first-time winner of the Ballon d’Or next month, and chances are it won’t be Scott McTominay.

In all fairness, he doesn’t deserve to win world football’s top individual prize. Paris-Saint German striker Ousmane Dembélé, to the predictable though justified delight of the France Football panel that determines the 30 finalists, is the obvious favourite, followed at some distance by club teammate Vitinha, Barcelona duo Raphinha and Lamine Yamal, and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.

And yet, given his heroics at Napoli last season, the 28-year-old warranted at least a mention in the discussion. On Thursday, when France Football revealed its ballot of nominees, he received it.

“Scott McTominay has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or.” If it sounds funny to hear, nevermind awkward to say, it’s likely because of a reputation that until last autumn had him typecast as an ordinary, workaday midfielder.

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Friday, Aug. 8, 2025

Gregorio Borgia / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES
Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay (centre), though nominated for this year’s Ballon d’Or, the favourite to win the award is Paris-Saint German striker Ousmane Dembélé.

Valour gearing up for playoff push 10 points out of final post-season position

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Preview

Valour gearing up for playoff push 10 points out of final post-season position

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025

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.

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.

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Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025

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.

Müller sure to give Whitecaps attendance a shot in the arm

Jerrad Peters 5 minute read Preview

Müller sure to give Whitecaps attendance a shot in the arm

Jerrad Peters 5 minute read Friday, Aug. 1, 2025

After spending his entire career at a single club, Thomas Müller wasn’t going to play just anywhere.

His loyalty to Bayern Munich, where he scored 250 goals and won 23 major honours over a celebrated 25 years, meant he was never going to wear another Bundesliga shirt. European clubs outside Germany, meanwhile, had known for some time that the World Cup winner was not at all interested in joining them, either.

It was rumoured he might retire at the end of last season, and if he didn’t his previous salary at Bayern — a reported 20 million euros (C$32 million) annually — would surely put off most suitors.

As it turns out, the 35-year-old is about to earn around five times less — as a Vancouver Whitecap.

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Friday, Aug. 1, 2025

MATTHIAS SCHRADER / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES
Long-time Bayern Munich forward Thomas Müller (centre) has left the club and signed with the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Women’s Euros the gift that keeps on giving

Jerrad Peters 4 minute read Preview

Women’s Euros the gift that keeps on giving

Jerrad Peters 4 minute read Friday, Jul. 25, 2025

Both semi-finals at the 2025 Women’s European Championship went into extra time. Two matches required penalties in the quarterfinal round.

That’s two thirds of the knockout games going past the 90 minutes.

At no point was it tedious. Quite the contrary, in fact.

This Euro, set to finish Sunday in Basel, Switzerland (11 a.m., TSN), has been compelling from the very first kick, the sort of event where looking away — even for a moment — invites the risk of missing something important.

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Friday, Jul. 25, 2025

October 10, 2025

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