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.

More Moves for Freezers in Advance of Training Camp

At the end of a very busy offseason, FC Whitehorse is hoping that the moves they made pay dividends in the near and distant future. The two newest additions to the club are:

• Honorato Suaze - M - MEX - 18 y/o
• Zétény Budai - F - HUN - 24 y/o

The most recent in a now recurring tradition of adding top youth midfielders from Mexico, Whitehorse added 18 year old Honorato Suaze as a free agent on a 5 year deal. Suaze showed himself to be an excellent dribbler, passer, and tackler at the U18 level with an excellent awareness on both sides of the pitch.

A late addition to the club, Zétény Budai joins Whitehorse from fellow CSL club Swampdragons FC via the transfer market. The Freezers paid a $356,000 transfer fee to acquire the 24 year old forward before signing him to a 5 year deal. Budai scored 13 goals in 24 matches for his old club last season, the most recent in a 6 year pro career.

As for players leaving the Freezers, a few big names were sold to different teams. 

22 year old defender Patrick Letour was sold to Hungarian club Lokomotiv Buda for a $281,000 transfer fee. The Canadian Letour played 120 CSL matches over 4 seasons for the Freezers scoring a single goal in that time. Though he was a starter his whole career here, Letour had reportedly fallen out of favour after the acquisition of Marcel Omozusi and was considered to be expendable.

Virgilio Rentería is the most recent in a long line of Freezers to move to the Manitoba Moos after their stint in Whitehorse. The 32 year old Mexican forward was acquired by the Moos for a $144,000 transfer fee after 3 seasons with his now former club. Rentería scored 19 goals in 94 league matches, serving more as a facilitator than a scoring threat himself.

Finally, goalkeeper Zavala was sold by Whitehorse to American club FC Youngstown for a transfer fee of $90,000. Signed as a developmental starting goalie in the Freezers' debut CSL season, Zavala played in 71 matches with the club, but was reduced to a backup role after the signing of Zako Schmit two seasons ago.

Omozusi, Havas Acquired by Whitehorse

Two massive incoming transfers have signalled to the league that FC Whitehorse intends to be far more competitive this season than in years past.

The club first agreed to a deal to acquire midfielder Sólyom Havas from Lokomotiv Buda in his native Hungary. The 25 year old Havas managed only a single goal last season in 31 matches, a far cry from the 11 he scored in his last season with fellow Hungarian club Martians of Science. The price for Havas was steep, as the club paid $2,095,000 in a transfer fee, in addition to a 4 year contract that pays the midfielder $935,000 per season.

Havas was not the club's highest paid player for long as the Freezers added star defender Marcel Omozusi from El Boltos FC in the Brazilian league for a $970,000 transfer fee. Omozusi, 31, will receive a 2 year deal from Whitehorse with an annual salary of $2,155,000. Serving primarily as a centre back, Omozusi scored 6 goals in 36 matches last season for the Bolts.

Manager Kemal Perrin noted that while the price might seem steep, that kind of spending is compensation prerequisite for a competitive season. "Omozusi and Havas are two players we had identified early on in this offseason as potential key contributors to our club" said Perrin. "To get both of them really pushes our timetable ahead of what we had initially planned on. This kind of top talent is what you need to add if you want to be a top level team. We're still building into that place, but this was an excellent first step in achieving that aim."

The club also added forward Leshawn Janot from new CSL club Not Very United. He is expected to serve in a depth role at Whitehorse.

New Manager Perrin Announces Coaching Staff

New Whitehorse manager Kemal Perrin wasted no time announcing his staff as the club begins the offseason in advance of its fifth CSL season.

As his assistant manager, Perrin appointed Brodie Clark, the manager of Bayfield FC for the last two seasons before he was sacked at the end of last year. The 45 year old had a 10 year journeyman career in the CSL amassing 58 goals in 310 league matches as a midfielder. Clark then worked up the ranks as a coach, becoming an important assistant at Toronto Treviso Football Club, before taking on the head role at Bayfield.

Perrin's former teammate Clifton Redman was named Whitehorse's first team coach. Redman, himself only 34 years old, was working for the club as a defenders coach after his lone season with the team in their debut year, where he scored 2 goals in 19 matches.

Finally, Szólát Újvári was named the goalkeeping coach for the Freezers this season. His lengthy goalkeeping career concluded in S95 when he served as the starting goalkeeper for the Kelowna Kickers. Since then, the 45 year old Újvári has worked as a goalkeeping coach both in the CSL and in his native Hungary. He is expected to work heavily with fellow countryman Zako Schmit this season.

Freezers Hire Kemal Perrin as New Manager

In a surprising move, FC Whitehorse has hired Kemal Perrin to be the new manager at the club. The 35 year old Montreal native was a midfielder for the club in their inaugural season in the Canadian Soccer League before becoming a member of the coaching staff. After a promotion to interim assistant manager under Corwyn Westlake, Perrin settled into a new role as the first team coach working for Raley Treffle. Perrin becomes the Freezers' fourth manager, and the third to be given the title on a full time basis. He also becomes the youngest manager in the CSL in over 40 years.

At his introductory press conference, Perrin said that he has a lot of fresh ideas that he wanted to bring to Whitehorse now that he is the man in charge. "I am excited to hit the ground running here" said Perrin. "My time here in Whitehorse has been the best in my professional career, and I believe that I can help guide this club into the upper echelons in this league. It's going to require some work and some outside of the box thinking, but I have every confidence that we can bring this club a level of success that it has not yet achieved in this league."

Perrin inherits a club in a bit of stagnation after a disappointing 12th place finish in the CSL last season. He is expected to announce key members of his new staff in the coming days.

Meanwhile, ex Freezers manager Raley Treffle was hired on to be the manager at his former club FC Saskatchewan. Treffle previously held that role from S95 to S100.

Raley Treffle Out as Freezers Manager

After over two seasons at the helm of FC Whitehorse, the club has parted way with manager Raley Treffle. The 54 year old was the Freezers' most successful manager, holding a 32-13-39 CSL record with the team at the time of his dismissal.

FC Whitehorse released a statement with the announcement, where they wished Treffle well in his future endeavours. "In a meeting with the club this morning, Raley Treffle was informed that his contract would be terminated effective immediately" read the statement. "While we felt that Mr. Treffle brought stability to a club that needed it at the time of his hiring, FC Whitehorse has decided to move in a different direction. We would like to extend our warmest thanks to Mr. Treffle for his tireless efforts here in Whitehorse in leading and shaping this team in his time at the club. We wish him the best in all of his future opportunities."

There is no word yet on who might take the role as the Freezers' new manager, but a manager search is expected to begin in the coming days.