FC Whitehorse Freezers - Season 100 Review

After a 1-0 loss at home against Vandelay FC, the Freezers' inaugural CSL season has come to an end. Despite the loss, the over 26,000 fans in attendance at Service Stadium stood and cheered on their team at the end of the match as the players gave a wave of support before exiting the pitch. 

In the post match press conference, President Jaheem Byam summed it all up. "Obviously, this was a difficult season at times" said Byam. "But it was a very positive experience for everyone involved. The fans came out to this stadium consistently and were treated to top tier football by players who went out to make a name for themselves. Getting to watch this club grow and really become a part of this community has been an absolute joy. The Ice Box has become a fixture of Whitehorse on Saturdays, and I hope to see that continue for years to come."

Overall, FC Whitehorse finished the season with a 6-6-26 record, which was good for 17th place in the league. They were near the bottom of the league in goals scored (31, 4th worst) and goals allowed (111, 3rd worst), and were similarly unable to create a lot of chances or shots on goal. Discipline appeared to not be a problem, as the Freezers' 41 yellow cards put them near league average, with Fitz Patrick Scott picking up the sole red card of the season.

For the individual achievements, Josemisco led the team in scoring with 9 goals. Despite a slow start, Bencsik, Rókus finished the season with 7 and Johan Nix managed 6. Nix was named the team's player of the year for his efforts. In net, Zavala managed 3 clean sheets in 31 matches, compared to Christian Bourbeau's 2 in just 7 matches.

While Manager Oros Bala acknowledged the leniency that comes with being a new club, he noted that things would have to be different going forward. "This season was more a lesson than anything" said Bala after his club's most recent defeat. "This is a tough league, and it takes a very strong effort every week to compete for even a mid-table spot. I think the fans and the organization were able to give us a bit of patience in our first year, but there are going to be real expectations moving forward. Short term, our goal is to be competitive in every match. And obviously, we want to build to a championship long term."

Captain Johan Nix remains optimistic about the future. "You really did see it in flashes this year" said Nix. "The young players can certainly play, but it takes time. My first few years in professional football were difficult, but I kept at it and gave it everything. The young players here are very talented, and in a few years, I think we will be looking at a really solid well-rounded squad. Unfortunately, these things take time."

10 players will remain with the FC Whitehorse next season, which will lead to a very busy offseason for Oros Bala and his staff. The personnel group has been retained for next season with one notable exception: it was announced today that goalkeeping coach Leroy Lebeau would not be returning for next season. There was no news at press time about who his replacement would be.

Freezers Will Not Renew Amateur Players

As the CSL's deadline for renewing players has come and gone, FC Whitehorse made official today the news that none of the 16 remaining players who joined the club on amateur contracts will be returning of next season. "It is a difficult decision, but we feel that it was the best one for us going forward" said Oros Bala in a recent post-practice media availability. "It's always tough for a manager to have to let a player walk, but we intend to finish out the season strong and see what happens in the offseason. Every one of them put in a good effort in training and in matches throughout the season, and I hope that they are able to find success in each of their careers."

After reaching out for interviews with several of these players, we got a few responses with a variety of different emotions attached.

Lilian Dunivant was disappointed after starting the majority of his club's league matches, to find out that he would not be returning. "It really does sting" said the 27 year old Dunivant. "I felt like I had gone out match after match giving it my all, putting in a showing that was worthy of sticking around. It's a tough pill to swallow. Now all I can do is go out there for the rest of the season and prove that I have earned a spot, here or somewhere else."

31 year old super sub midfielder Kemal Perrin was simply happy to have been given the opportunity. "I spent the whole of my adult life pushing for this" said Perrin. "Just the chance to get a taste of top-tier action for myself is a dream come true. I always held out hope that I could prove that I belong on this pitch, and now I can say that I dd it. Whatever comes in future, I'm grateful for the chance."

Striker Yann Marshall spoke about one particular nagging frustration from his experience. "When I came into this season, I knew that getting to stay at this club long term was going to be an uphill battle" said the 25 year old Marshall. "So I set out a few goals for what I wanted to accomplish while I was given the chance. And the hardest thing is the notion that I have yet to accomplish one. I need a goal in the CSL. I want to be able to say that I scored a goal in this league. And now, with the season winding down, I know that my chances of achieving that goal are getting more and more difficult. So all I can do now is push and see what happens."

At 24 years old, one might expect that goalkeeper Christian Bourbeau would have the confidence of someone who was certain to return to the CSL, even next season. But he had perhaps the most measured response that we heard. "If you let these things get to you personally, this is going to be a difficult line of work" said Bourbeau. "I have spent this season in a top professional league. I have CSL clean sheets to my name now, and I am really proud of that. Everyone that has played here this season deserved to be here. And next year, maybe I will be back and maybe I will be playing elsewhere. I'm just going to show up and work no matter what."

FC Whitehorse Freezers - Season 100 Midseason Review

We have reached the halfway point in the CSL season, and the debuting FC Whitehorse sits at a record of 4-2-13, good for 17th place in the league. In the Canada Cup, the Freezers crashed out losing all 8 of their matches in blowouts, scoring only a single goal while allowing 50. 

Despite the expected slow start for this brand new club, there have been a number of positives to take into the second half of the season. The biggest of these was the stunning 1-0 victory over Presbyterian Express in front of the home fans at Service Stadium, stealing 3 points from an Express side that is currently in 3rd place in the CSL. Similarly, the 2-0 opening match victory on the road Real Workers FC gave the fans an early victory to feel good about.

As far as downsides, in addition the the somewhat expected blowouts in cup play, the Freezers have been routinely blown out in league play, even to relatively small clubs. Their most recent game was the worst of these, as the first place Molly's Migrant Monarchs ran the Freezers off of their own field, with an 11-0 drubbing. Conversely, a pair of 3-0 home losses to fellow CSL minnows Shanghai Sharks and AS Mantis jump out as defeats that the team would like to avoid going forward.

Goals have been very hard to come by this season, as Josemisco and Johan Nix lead the team with 5 goals each. Rókus Bencsik has had trouble finding the net with only two goals to his name this season, while no one else has scored more than one.

Defence and goalkeeping have surprisingly been an even bigger challenge, especially given their largely defensive tactics. Despite the fact that Whitehorse is near the middle of the pack when it comes to saves, their 67 goals conceded put them in second to last in the league. Zavala has made his share of impressive saves, but his tendency to get a bit lost during defensive stands has started to get the ire of the fans. Additionally, defending set pieces has been a major concern for Whitehorse, as the team routinely gets beaten by free kicks and clever corner plays.

Manager Oros Bala summed up his feelings about the first half with a combination of optimism and mild disappointment. "We always knew coming into the season that this was going to be difficult" said Bala during the post-match press conference after the club's loss to the first place Molly's Migrant Monarchs. "And while I can point to a number of areas where we have been growing and improving, there is much more work to do. The play on the pitch has generally been solid, but we are losing out on too many opportunities because of the mental part of the game. Focus for the full 90 minutes is going to be what we preach for the rest of this year."

Captain Johan Nix made a plea to the fans for patience as the team continues to grow. "We really are such a young team" said Nix in a post-training interview yesterday. "And because of that, it's going to take time for some of these guys to get their feet in professional football and for us to gel as a unit. I see it during matches and on the training grounds: there is a lot that is going well here and moving in the right direction. There is obvious talent here. But it takes a lot of time and hard work to get to the place in this league where you are winning more matches than you are losing. And we just aren't at that place yet."

Looking beyond the performance on the pitch, perhaps the biggest news for the club was the completion of Service Stadium. Now sitting at a fully seated capacity of 25,000, the colloquially named 'Ice Box' has become an incredible environment for supporters of the club to come to on match day. "We are really glad that the renovations have come to a close" said Freezers' President Jaheem Byam during a recent press appearance. "Seeing the stands packed with excited football fans has truly been a joy, and we are incredibly happy that the community here in Whitehorse has taken to this team so wholeheartedly." When asked about future expansion plans, Byam didn't rule anything out. "It is something that we are looking into" said Byam. "I don't know if there will be more seats added this season, but renovations going forward will be small. Maybe a thousand seats at a time rather than tens of thousands."

As their inaugural season moves into its second half, FC Whitehorse Freezers and their fans have many exciting matches ahead. Their next one is later this week when they play hosts to Ontario Soccer Club.

FC Whitehorse Draws Group C in Canada Cup

The draw for this season's Canada Cup was held today, as representatives from each of the clubs were in attendance to find out which group their team would be drawn into. The Canada Cup is an annual worldwide invitational cup, with a history dating back over 60 years. Last season, CSL champion Molly's Migrant Monarchs defeated AAAAFC from the Mexican League 8-2 on aggregate in the finals to hoist the trophy.

Whitehorse President, and former Canada Cup champion as a player, Jaheem Byam was on hand, and spoke to reporters about the importance of this competition. "As a player, these cup competitions are a great opportunity for players to gain experience playing against top competition, as well as compete for another historic trophy" said Byam. "The league play can be a marathon, but cups can really feel like a sprint, and one that can be exciting to experience and participate in."

As for the actual competition, the Freezers find themselves in Group C against 4 other clubs. AAAAFC is the early favourite to win the group going into the competition, in addition to being the runner up in the cup last season, the Mexican side also had a strong runner-up showing in league play, breaking a 12 year long streak of finishing top of the table in Mexico. Hungarian side Walkersville Lions will be their top competition, having won the Hungarian League a season ago. Reigning CSL runner up Presbyterian Express and American League third place team, and Canada Cup semi-finalist Dupont Circle FC will also be expected to contend for a spot in the knockout stage.

Manager Oros Bala remained in Whitehorse during the event, but did provide his insights. "We are going to be going into this tournament as the minnows of our group" said a characteristically blunt Bala in a post-training interview. "But as with everything, the goal is experience. We are going to go out there, give our opponents our everything, and see if we can't surprise a team or two in the process."

The matches for the group stage of the cup are expected to be scheduled in the coming days.

Freezers Drop First Match in Service Stadium

FC Whitehorse Freezers suffered their first defeat in the CSL, falling 3-1 to Canadian National Football Club. The match was played in front of a sellout crowd, as 13,000 excited fans packed Service Stadium to watch their new team in league action for the first time.

CNFC forward Salton Guevara managed to score early, heading home a well placed corner kick in the 3rd minute, giving them a 1-0 lead that they held into half time. Freezers' midfielder John Bryan brought the match level in the 65th minute with a headed goal of his own. Whitehorse's dreams of a draw were dashed by star CNFC striker Vitór Fernandes who buried a header off of another corner in the 69th minute, before doing it again in the 74th for the insurance goal.

Despite the loss, Freezers' manager Oros Bala was generally happy with his team's performance. "I thought that the boys held their own today against a top side" said Bala in the post-match press conference. "Obviously, we are going to need to put in more work in defending set pieces, but for us to go out there for 90 minutes and not look overwhelmed is a step in the right direction."

FC Whitehorse will return to Service Stadium in a week's time, as the Freezers play host to Quandale Dingle Football Club in their next league match. QDFC comes into the game with a pair of losses, dropping an away match to Vandelay FC 4-1 in today's action.

Freezers Win Debut Match

FC Whitehorse Freezers did not have to wait long to get their first win in the Canadian Soccer League, defeating the hosting Real Worker Footballers 2-0 in the Freezers' debut match. The win comes amid league-wide festivities, as the CSL celebrates its 100th year of existence.

The first goal for FC Whitehorse came early, as Josemisco buried his first career professional goal off of a corner kick from captain Johan Nix in the 4th minute. Nix did not have to wait long for his first goal of the season, netting a free kick in the 25th minute. For his efforts, the captain was named the man of the match. "I felt like really good about our performance today" said Nix in the post-match press conference. "Jose getting the first one early really set the tone, and the attack just felt very good today. I'm happy to have tallied one too. Just really takes the pressure off going forward. Hopefully, we can use the effort today and the feelings and build off of it."

Zavala ended up with his first career clean sheet, making a pair of saves. Manager Oros Bala had a lot of praise for his goalkeeper, and for the defensive effort overall. "Obviously, props for Zavala for doing his job today" said Bala. "Those were saves we would expect him to make, and he didn't let pressure get to him today. It was strong defence for the whole squad. Everyone did their job and limited their chances in the back. I am proud of the boys for their effort and attention to detail."

The Freezers have little time to celebrate, as they will head home to face Canadian National Football Club next week. CNFC is the reigning 3rd place team in the CSL, and were 3-1 winners at home this week against the Shanghai Sharks.

FC Whitehorse Freezers - Season 100 Preview

While the Canadian Soccer League is celebrating its 100th season, FC Whitehorse Freezers are entering their first in the new league. Club President Jaheem Byam was excited about the upcoming season, a sentiment that the fans seem to share. "I have noticed a number of Freezers jerseys in and around town" said Byam in an interview. "The fans are clearly looking forward to having a home club to support in this league. We are continuing to work on the stadium to accommodate fan demand, but I expect the fans to be cheering loudly when we kick off the new season."

Tactically, Manager Oros Bala is expected to stick with the 5-3-2 formation he has been using for the past couple seasons. "Obviously, it's a formation that puts a lot of pressure on the wing defenders" said Bala in a recent press event. "There is a lot of ground for them to cover to support the attack out wide. However, being defensively sound is going to be a key to this season, and this is a tactic that should help with that."

While there may be some players coming in and out of the lineup throughout the season, the starting 11 for FC Whitehorse at the start of the year is expected to look like this:

In net, Zavala won't be expected to make the jump to elite netminder immediately, but many in the football world are raving about his potential. The defense will have the youthful Nunez, Letour, and Scott anchoring the centre. Young "veteran" Sabido and semi-pro veteran Lillan Duivant will have their hands full running things from the wings. The midfield is where the club's experience shines. Captain Johan Nix will hold the middle with Bryan and Lemoine at his flanks. If this team will find success early on, those three will need to have some strong performances. On the attack, Josemisco and Bencsik will have the pressure on them to provide the bulk of the scoring.

With no fewer than 7 players making their senior debuts having spent last season playing U18, the Freezers will have their hands full with some of the top clubs in the league. Manager Bala pulled no punches talking about his team's chances. "There are going to be some hard days ahead" said Bala. "Every victory is going to be hard earned to be sure. The important thing is to see growth after every match. We might lose a lot of matches, but it is only failure if we take nothing from those losses. These early growing pains will lead to success down the line, if we can maintain focus on the long term goals."

The club's first captain Johan Nix echoed his manager's call for patience. "I have seen a lot of these young guys in training, and they are certainly hungry to get on the pitch" said Nix in a post-training press appearance. "There is talent here to be sure, but it's going to take a good amount of time for that to really show through. I know that my early years in this league...it took me a while to really get settled. I will do my best to guide them along the way, but they will need room to make mistakes and learn from them."

Most experts have FC Whitehorse finishing near the bottom of the table this season. Those early predictions haven't discouraged the locker room, according to midfielder John Bryan. "We are going to catch some teams by surprise for sure" said Bryan after an intersquad scrimmage for the fans. "We're not going to tear up the tables just yet, but there will be at least a few clubs that get an unexpected challenge from us. We're hungry and ready to get this season started."

FC Whitehorse Freezers will begin their CSL season as the away side, on the road against The Real Worker Footballers. Their first home match will be the following week as the Freezers host Canadian National Football Club.