Venancio To Valour: Winnipeg Adds Dash Of Portuguese Flair

Canadian Premier League side Valour FC has is continuing to build upon its Portuguese flavouring beyond Diego Ressurreicao.

Today, the club has announced the arrival of Portuguese midfielder Xavier Venancio on a one-year deal with a club option for a further season.

“We like his work ethic, creativity, and capacity to unbalance opponents,” says head coach Philip Dos Santos, who took the team to Portugal for preseason last year. “He’s also a versatile player who can be used across the front line or as a creative midfielder.”

Venancio will come in to Winnipeg from Italy’s fourth tier, where he made 17 appearances for ASD Chieiri Calcio, completing one goal and three assists. The midfielder had turned professional there with FC Rieti 1936 back in 2018 before coming home to play for Academica de Coimbra U-23 and SC Olhanense.

He isn’t the only Valour recruit who will comes in from European football pastures, with 19-year-old Canadian forward Erik Pop coming in from Germany. Elsewhere, the club has looked intra-league for much of its recruitment, adding players like Rocco Romeo, Kris Twardek, and Eleias Himaras from other CPL clubs.