FC Whitehorse Freezers: Season 115 Preview

There is a change in the air entering the 16th season of the FC Whitehorse Freezers in the Canadian Premier League. After an offseason that including selling the majority of their key players, the club will try to move forward into a new era with a new president, manager, and youthful squad on the pitch. Speaking at the club's annual media day event, president Kayden Cassar spoke enthusiastic about the future of the Freezers. "We have taken the first few steps of a long journey, and I can't help but be excited about that. It is never going to be a straight line and there are always bumps and challenges along the way, but I really believe in this organization and the people working within it. It's going to be a growth year for us."

The expected starting lineup for the Freezers this season will look like this:

Up front, Roman Walker and Malm Bruce return as the primary striker duo, with Eduardo Montalbán also back to support them after a 27 goal performance last year. The club's new captain Welborn Rowlett will be the key figure in the middle, as the 27 year old will be joined by a trio of teenagers for the majority of the midfield minutes. Similarly, Vidaça will lead a young core of defenders with fellow Brazilian Juanmildo starting in net this season. 

Manager Johan Nix spoke at length with the media and addressed his team's chances of competing in the upcoming season. "Our goals this year are going to be focused more on growth and improvement than championship contention" said Nix. "The plan is to take things week to week, see who is adjusting well to top-level football and who is struggling with it, and then going from there. I am liking what I am seeing in training so far, but the training pitch only prepares you but so much for matches in this league. I think for us, success will be us competing every match and not letting ourselves get overwhelmed. If we can do that, we can build on that and start to get more results in the coming seasons."

The Freezers will host their season debut at Service Stadium against The Real Worker Footballers.

'Rebuild' Not a Dirty Word in Whitehorse

As S115 approaches for FC Whitehorse Freezers, the mood among fans is a lot more muted than it has been for a number of years past. After a return to the CPL top 4 a couple of years ago, 2 consecutive league seasons with 10+ losses and mid-table finishes have led the club to conclude that their contention window had come to an end. Starters from a season ago like Aiden Edmund, De Melisco, and Honorato Suaze were all sold to new clubs. Even defenders Leonard Nunez and Lakeith Sabido who had been a part of the Freezers since the club's inaugural season, will now ply their trade for a different team.

During a recent press availability after an exhibition match, Manager Johan Nix was clear about the need for a change in direction. "We have a more long-term vision for the club now" Nix said discussing his team's performance after a loss to fellow JR Wellington club Uxbridge Town AFC. "We obviously have a lot of young players that are coming in to try to grow into top flight players. That is going to take time and dedication, but we believe that we have identified talents that will be able to compete for championships later in their careers. And the best thing that we can do to nurture that talent is to give those players match time and let them work to get better on the pitch week in and week out."

Club President Kayden Cassar was asked during an interview last week whether or not this change would constitute a rebuild, a dreaded word in sport if there ever was one. Cassar doubled down. "We are not afraid to use the word rebuild here. That is without a doubt what we are doing. We accept that this isn't an easy thing to swallow, as our fan base is hungry for us to challenge for a title and has been waiting very patiently for the club to reward them. It isn't easy for us to ask them to wait longer, but we believe that this was the clearest path for us towards winning a CPL title. We know that these kinds of plans are fraught with risk, but I believe in Johan and in the coaching staff here, and I think that in a few years time, we are going to be a team that people talk about as an exciting group to watch."

Nix Names Member of Coaching Staff

Freezers Manager Johan Nix announced the key members of his staff with the club via a press release today. The most notable was another return to Whitehorse, as Nix named Timothy Brett as his assistant manager. Brett, 38, is a fellow American and former Freezers forward who played for 8 seasons with the club, serving in the role of team captain for the last seven years. After retiring, Brett joined Nix at Inter LA FC, eventually becoming that club's top assistant.

De Andre Vincelet was named the new first team coach for the Freezers. The 35 year old spent 8 years in the CPL as a journeyman before beginning work as a coach. He spent last season as the assistant manager for the Canadian National team.

Finally, the club's new head goalkeeping coach is Zavala, another former player returning to Whitehorse in a new role. Zavala, 33, was the starting keeper for the Freezers' inaugural match in S100, and spent 4 years with the club. He spent last year as the starting goalkeeper for Bulldogs FC in his native Brazil before announcing his retirement at the end of the year.

Johan Nix Returns to Whitehorse as New Manager

The Freezers have made their first major move under the leadership of club President Kayden Cassar, as the club hired Johan Nix to be their new manager. The 46 year old American was the manager at Inter LA FC in the USPL for the last 4 years, achieving three third place finishes in the league in that time. Nix had a lengthy career as a midfielder in the CPL, including a three year stay in Whitehorse as the first captain for the Freezers. He will be the club's fourth manager following the tenures of Kemal Perrin, Raley Treffle, and Oros Bala. 

Nix was re-introduced at a press conference today announcing the move. "It's great to be back in Whitehorse" said an excited Nix. "I was glad to get the call from Mr. Cassar about this opportunity and am looking forward to guiding this club into the future. The organization and the fans here are among the best in the entirety of the league, and I believe that we can build something that will make those fans very proud."

The terms of the new deal were not disclosed, but Nix is reportedly under contract with the Freezers for the next 5 years.

Cassar Named New Freezers' President

FC Whitehorse Freezers held a press conference today to introduce Kayden Cassar as the club's new President. Cassar, 45, was the Director of Player Personnel for Vandelay FC for the last 4 seasons, having spent the last 12 years working for the 6-time CPL champions in various roles. He replaces Gerard Dumontet who served in the role with the Freezers for 11 years before being let go by the club a month ago.

JR Wellington Sports Management's new Director of Football MacCallum Barry was on hand to introduce the Freezers' new addition. "We are very pleased to add Mr. Cassar to Whitehorse" said Barry. "We have every intention to push towards being a championship club, and adding his experience and pedigree is a great first step towards that goal."

"I am very ready to get to work as soon as all of this is over" said Cassar, motioning to the gathered media members, which got a chuckle from the gallery. "It's exciting to be in Whitehorse. This club has been a very solid staple of the Canadian Premier League for years. Now, I think our hope is to take the solid foundation that has been established here and begin to push towards title contention. The work towards that will be arduous, but I am looking forward to starting into it." When asked about potential candidates for the vacant manager position, Cassar was tight-lipped about the issue. "Finding a new manager is obviously going to be goal number one, but as far as who that will be, we are a ways away from that. Our hope is to have someone new in place as soon as possible."

FC Whitehorse finished their season with a 22-5-11 record putting them in 8th place in the CPL, their lowest point total and ranking in 5 years.

Coaching Staff Changes for Freezers

FC Whitehorse has made a few changes to their coaching staff in advance of the upcoming season. The disappointing finish this year for the Freezers was said to be the driving factor in Manager Kemal Perrin making the alterations. 

Assistant Manager Brodie Clark will be parting ways with the team. Clark spent the last two seasons as Perrin's top assistant and will now move to become an assistant of Canada's National U18 team. In his place, First Team Coach Clifton Redman will be promoted to the assistant manager role.

The big surprise is that the Freezers' new First Team Coach is the soon-to-be retired star Brazilian striker Carreterio. The 33 year old spent his entire senior career in the CSL playing for the dominant Molly's Migrant Monarchs. Over 16 seasons, Carreterio scored 483 goals in 522 league matches winning the golden boot in the league 7 times.

FC Whitehorse Freezers: Season 104 Preview

As FC Whitehorse approaches its 5th season in the Canadian Soccer League, expectations are incredibly hard to gauge. On the plus side, the roster may be the most impressive one that the team has ever constructed. However, there are major questions about team cohesion and a coaching staff that is incredibly new in their respective roles.

The Freezers' President Gerard Dumontet, who is set to begin his first season in that role, was optimistic with the direction of the team. "Considering the turnover that we had, the team that is assembled here is a pretty impressive one" said Dumontet at a recent press availability. "There are a lot of talented people working in our organization at every level, and like the players on the field, the goal right now is to find a setup and a structure that works to get the most out of everyone here. The operating word around the organization is adaptability. That is our mantra right now."

Perhaps there is no one at the club more befitting of that adaptability label than new manager Kemal Perrin. The 35 year old has gone from being a midfielder at the club, to various roles around the coaching staff, to interim assistant manager, to first team coach, and now promoted to the top coaching job. "My time at Whitehorse has been an absolute whirlwind" said Perrin after a recent exhibition victory. "So my goal is to instill the type of system that we need to have a successful season, and success going forward. I believe that best foot forward is a more hands off approach. The guys on the pitch are capable professional athletes, and while I am here to provide them guidance, they need to know what their role at the club is and what they can do day to day to make this team better. Going into the season, I really think we're close to being there."

Perrin has made a major tactical adjustment, moving the club to a 4-4-1-1 formation. With the season approaching, the expected starting lineup for the Freezers will look like this:

20 year old Zako Schmit remains the club's primary goalkeeper after a pair of successful seasons in the role, while Rubinho remains as Whitehorse's backup keeper. With the departure of Patrick Letour, the defensive trio of De Melisco, Nunez, and Sabido are joined by new star man Marcel Omozusi. The 31 year old Omozusi is expected to be the best player this season for the Freezers as he returns to CSL action for the first time since S99. Gabiro Rezusta and Daniel Fuentes return as the main defensive backups. Young midfielders Nacho Valdez and Virgillio Rivas remain in the starting lineup with support from new star youngster Honorato Suaze and slightly more veteran addition Sólyom Havas. Behind them, Bainbridge Mediate moves to a role off the bench this year joining the returning Ponce Palou and Eleazar Roque. 25 goal scorer Angel Piña will be the primary attacking forward with team captain Timothy Brett moving from the wing to a support forward role. Late addition Zétény Budai will join Marthaldo as the primary depth options at forward.

At a recent post-training press conference, team captain Timothy Brett talked up his team's commitment to winning more games in the immediate future. "Obviously, there are still quite a few young guys on this team" said Brett. "But, you watch those guys play and you can see how hungry they are to grow and improve. And adding guys like Marcel [Omozusi] and Havas, along with Angel [Piña] the scoring machine, it just feels like we have the right balance to move up that table this year."

For the second straight year, the Freezers open their season at the Ice Box hosting Vandelay FC.