WINNIPEG — Rob Gale has been around soccer long enough, both as a player and as a coach, to understand some of the basic tenets of the game and of sport itself.
To that end, Valour FC’s skipper knew full well how to deal with his squad following Saturday’s 2-1 loss to FC Edmonton in the inaugural home match at IG Field.
He didn’t rant. He didn’t rave. And he certainly didn’t lambaste his troops after a dominant performance in which they did everything but get the end result, controlling 58% of possession and out-shooting the visitors 20-8.
What he saw from some of the troops in the aftermath of their first loss also spoke volumes, too.
“They all had it in the right perspective,” said Gale. “Their performance was excellent. We were better in the second game than we were in the first game, so that’s a positive sign. We’re going in the right direction and we’re only two games in, two competitive games.
“(FC Edmonton) punished our mistakes. The attitude has been excellent. We trained immediately after … the lads who weren’t in (the lineup or the game). I was really pleased we had a barnstorming session out on the field Sunday morning. It was freezing … it was a beautiful Manitoba day. It was terrific fun. We laughed a lot and enjoyed it and we got about each other. The attitude is right and I’m really happy about it.”
All of this isn’t to suggest Gale & Co. didn’t immediately get to work on some of the issues which popped up on Saturday. First and foremost were the assignments on defending set pieces, which hurt them on Saturday. But the other was dealing with the lack of finish around the enemy net.
“It was decisions,” Gale explained. “We were selfish at the wrong times, especially in the second half … we could have been unselfish in the right moments. And in the first half we were unselfish at the wrong moments. That’s just decisions. Another day and we’re 3-nil up inside 20 minutes if they make the right decisions and execute and their keeper doesn’t make a couple of big saves and everything is rosy in the garden. It’s decision making and making sure we’re serving the team and not trying to be the hero.
“I’ve been in football a long time and you don’t always get what you deserve,” he added. “You have to focus and are we executing roles and responsibilities. Are we playing in the style and manner that we want them to play and that came through as a resounding ‘Yes.’
“I walked into the dressing room after and said, ‘If we play like that every home game we’re going to win a lot of football matches. Today wasn’t our day. We take it on the chin and we move on to the next one.’”
Valour FC practised Monday afternoon on the grass at Grant Park, in part to get accustomed to the natural surface again after practising primarily at IG Field. The team travelled to Calgary on Tuesday in advance of Wednesday’s match against Cavalry FC (9 ET on OneSoccer.ca) on the grass at Spruce Meadows.
Cavalry won their opener 2-1 over York9 last week, and in the first Canadian Premier League power rankings, slot in at No. 1 – one spot ahead of Valour.
Valour FC will be at home again on Saturday against HFX Wanderers (2:30 p.m. start) as part of a five-games-in-15-days stretch to open their first campaign.
Gale will have close to a full roster at his disposal, and given the arduous schedule, will lean on more of his squad in the days ahead.
“We’ve got a few fresher legs coming in on Wednesday, just also because of the opposition and where we think we can get at them,” said Gale. “Then we’ll have to assess after that Friday morning. It’s a quick turnaround again with a flight back Thursday, recover Friday and play again Saturday. We’ll do our homework on Halifax after Wednesday night.”