May 17, 2025...Match Analysis...Valour victorious at last after comeback win over York United (from canpl.ca)

Valour victorious at last after comeback win over York United | MATCH ANALYSIS
17/05/2025
Written by: Mitchell Tierney

Final Score: Valour FC 2-1 York United
Goalscorers: Twardek 51', Egwu 84'; Bitar 42'
Game of the 2025 season: 24
CPL Match: 620

Match in a minute or less

Valour FC picked up three points for the first time during the 2025 Canadian Premier League season with a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over York United on Friday night in Winnipeg.

After Gabriel Bitar opened the scoring for York United late in the first half, Kris Twardek provided an equalizer with a stunning strike from outside the box in the 51st minute. With Valour pressing late, Kelsey Egwu played hero as he got on the end of a set piece to score for the second consecutive game in the 83rd minute and hand Valour the victory.

With the loss, and their sixth straight match without a win, York United now drop to the bottom of the table, with Valour moving up into seventh.

Three Observations

Valour FC show impressive fight to pick up first victory of the 2025 CPL season

The pressure has been mounting on Valour FC for some time now.

The longer they went without a victory, and it had already been five matches, the more doubts started to creep in about this team's chances of success this season. Fail to win on Friday, and it would have been the worst statistical start in club history.

Instead, Valour showed incredible determination to earn a comeback victory against York United -- one that has the potential to be a real spark in their 2025 season.

The Winnipeg side were dealt a gut punch when, just before half-time, and largely against the run of play, Gabriel Bitar opened the scoring for York United. Knowing how their season had gone to this point, it felt like this might be a fatal blow for this Valour team.

Instead, they came out in the second half and willed their way to victory. First, it was Kris Twardek, with a lovely individual effort in the 51st minute to create space for himself and equalize the match.

Despite missing numerous chances thereafter to take the lead, Valour kept believing and pressing. Even as Rocco Romeo couldn't connect with a wide-open header in the 70th minute, Shaan Hundal sent a good chance high a moment later and then the ball slipped between his legs right in front of goal in the 81st minute, Valour were relentless in their pursuit of victory.

Finally, in the 84th minute, they had their moment as Kelsey Egwu got on the end of a set piece and gave the Winnipeg side a deserved victory.

"That's what excites me," said Valour FC head coach Phil Dos Santos. "That's what I want us to be, I love the way we kept going at it.

"I want the guys to realize that's the roadmap to success, and we need to have the ability, but the courage and the understanding that it's going to need the team, and we'll need everyone to play like that."

Valour will need all the momentum they can take from this match, because their next challenge is a significant one as they host the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Canadian Championship quarter-final first leg on Tuesday. But there were real signs of life from this team on Friday night, and now it is about allowing that to create positive momentum and further belief.

Kelsey Egwu is the hero for Valour during redemption-earning performance

It is fair to say that last weekend for Kelsey Egwu was a match to forget. During a 5-2 loss to Atlético Ottawa, despite scoring his first CPL goal, the 21-year-old had a tough outing defensively, most notably after being muscled off the ball by Sam Salter in the first half on a sequence where the Atleti striker scored his first of a historic four on the day.

But on Friday, given another chance, Egwu bounced back in outstanding fashion during a redemptive performance against York United.

Even before he swung his foot at a ball on a deflected set piece in the box in the 84th minute, and pushed it past Diego Urtiaga for the match winner, Egwu had put in an outstanding performance.

He used his frame well defensively, winning five of eight duels, including two of three in the air, and made seven clearances. He also showed good composure both on and off the ball, and reading of the match throughout, stepping out of the defensive line at key moments to break up York attacks -- with three interceptions.

After scoring on a set piece for the second straight week, Egwu is proving he can be a key contributor for this Valour team at both ends of the pitch -- and a critical target in the box for their many talented crossers of the ball.

But, more than anything, Egwu demonstrated his impressive mental fortitude on Friday night, and for a young central defender like him, that attribute is as important as anything else.

"The number one thing I've learned is to just keep going, keep going and keep being resilient," said Kelsey Egwu. "A lot of prayer, a lot of hard work. I think now it's all the hard work I've put in behind the scenes coming to light, and I want to keep reaching further heights."

Set piece defending lets down York United again as broken record of issues continues to haunt them

In many ways, this game came down to one side shedding its demons, and another failing to do so.

Unfortunately for York United, they fell into the latter category on Friday, as despite their best efforts, the same issues continue to plague them week in and week out.

Particularly glaring on Friday night, given that it resulted in the match winner, was their struggles to defend set pieces. In the 83rd minute, a ball played into the box by Themi Antonoglou on a free kick was allowed to be headed back into the centre of the box, where Egwu was able to get a foot to it despite being surrounded by York United players, none of whom closed him down nearly quick enough.

There were warning signs before that as well, as earlier in the second half, nobody picked up Rocco Romeo, not exactly an easy figure to miss on the pitch, at the back post during a corner kick and he had a wide open look.

Both York United defender Max Ferrari and assistant coach Mateus Lima were nearly at a loss for words as they tried to explain why an issue they are so incredibly aware of continues to haunt them.

"Because we suffer every game on set pieces, we work a lot, we see a lot of videos, but it happens again, I don't know, I don't know," said York United assistant Mateus Lima.

Then, of course, the repeating storyline of their struggles to close out games despite scoring the opening goal. This was the fifth time in seven matches this season that the Nine Stripes have scored first. They have now won just once, on the opening day of the season, and lost the past four times they have opened the scoring.

They have now dropped a stunning 14 points from winning positions. That is just eight fewer than the CPL single-season record of 22, set by their opponents on Friday, Valour in both 2022 and 2024.

What might frustrate York most, is that they weren't even able to hold on for a single point on the road, which at least would have given them some semblance of progress.

Instead, for a third consecutive matchweek, the opponent scored late, and they lost 2-1. And the nightmare continues.

What They Said

“I think we played probably our best half of football in the second half this season, and the guys deserve credit for that. They kept it simple, but they also played as a team, as a unit. They knew what they wanted, and they went after it.” — Valour FC head coach Phil Dos Santos

“It's difficult for us. The way we play, I think we deserve more, the way we work, I think we deserve more. But the truth is we can't win...we need to work, work and work more.**" — York United assistant coach Mateus Lima

CanPL.ca Player of the Match
Kris Twardek, Valour FC
It felt like Twardek willed his team back into the match when he scored their crucial equalizer on a stunning strike early in the 51st minute. He completed three dribbles, and won eight of 11 duels and played seven crosses into the box.

What’s next?

Valour FC have a massive match coming up in the Canadian Championship on Tuesday, May 20 at Princess Auto Stadium when they host defending champions the Vancouver Whitecaps (7:30 p.m. CT / 8:30 p.m. ET). Their next league action is on Sunday, May 25 on the road against Cavalry FC (4 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. ET).

York, meanwhile, are back at home next week where they host Vancouver FC at York Lions Stadium on Sunday, May 25 (2 p.m. ET).

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