TORONTO – Four stops into the seven-city tour of the Canadian Premier League’s #GotGame Open Trials, Valour FC head coach Rob Gale has already seen plenty of talented players.

But with the trials next heading to Winnipeg, Gale will have a chance to see the talent from the city of his own CPL outfit, an opportunity that has soccer players and supporters in Manitoba buzzing.

“I’ve had lots of emails now, people going, ‘Oh, well, we were going to sign up the week before and it’s already full’ so now we’re at the level where people are excited,” Gale told CanPL.ca following the Open Trials in Toronto. “Locals want to come see it, the founding members are all excited for the final game, so it’s getting to a fever pitch.”

Gale and the rest of the CPL’s head coaches have already visited Halifax, Montreal, Hamilton and, most recently, Toronto, with each stop providing a first-hand look at some of the hidden talents across the country. Coaches are provided a list of registrants ahead of each stop, and when asked if he’s already poured over the Winnipeg applications, Gale didn’t hold back.

“Yeah, I’ve had a big look,” Gale offered. “There are boys that are playing there in the PDL, that have been around, but you know what’s interesting, there’s a boy from Turkey and a boy from Dubai coming. In each of the tryouts, it seems like someone has popped up (from abroad), like (Yong-Chan Son from Korea) this week. I think you see a lot, in Winnipeg, the players that have been successful and moved on to higher places have come from that immigrant background, they’re new Canadians, so looking down the list, there’s going to be a lot of (players like that).”

While Gale freely admitted to doing his homework before the trials take place in Winnipeg on Oct. 18-19, he offered a cheeky “No answer” when asked what kinds of characteristics players from his city most display – though, when CanPL.ca offered that common descriptors include “patriotic,” Gale conceded the point.

“Patriotic, I like that,” Gale replied. “You know what the Winnipeg people are? I’ve said this a thousand times before – they’re hearty. It’s a big city but it’s a small village at the same time. People know each other, one degree of separation, and they rally around each other. I don’t know if that necessarily transcends into the soccer field – though, let’s be fair, we haven’t had a professional team in 26 years – so I don’t think it would be fair to typecast a certain type of player necessarily.”

As the trials turn over into the Autumn months, the weather could prove an obstacle as the group heads west. But Gale doesn’t expect any issues in Winnipeg, where the trialists will participate at a state-of-the-art facility.

“The beauty is, with our stadium, that’s going to be a unique experience so far,” Gale said. “We’ve had Tim Hortons Field (in Hamilton), but when you come into Investors Group Field, it looks like a European soccer stadium. I think that’s going to be a big thrill for the players, to be able to play at that ground and get a taste for it.”

The CPL’s #GotGame trials next head to Winnipeg (Oct. 18-19), before making stops in Calgary (Oct. 25-26) and Vancouver Island (Nov. 5-6). Think you’ve #GotGame? Register at CanPL.ca/GotGame.