Jordan Swibel is the goal scorer Valour FC has longed for.
The Australian attacker is already well on his way to one of the most prolific scoring seasons in the history of Winnipeg’s pro soccer club, and added to his exceptional start by delivering two moments of bliss for Valour in Sunday’s 2-0 clean-sheet victory over Vancouver FC before 4,262 fans at Princess Auto Stadium.
“Look, I have to give credit to everyone,” said head coach Philip Dos Santos. “Jordy is a guy that works like that every day. I’m more proud than the goals that he scored, is how he’s committed to the team. His work off the ball is phenomenal. People are going to look at the goals but, for me, what he does off the ball is just impressive.
“There’s a lot of people to praise in this process, and Jordy is a part of it, but again, he needs everyone else around him.”
Swibel’s two markers — a strike to the far side of the net off his right foot in the 38th minute and a cheeky chip shot with the left boot over Vancouver keeper Callum Irving in the 48th minute — put him at four goals on the season, one behind Canadian Premier League leader, Rubén del Campo of Atlético Ottawa. Moses Dyer, who scored nine goals in 2021 and 2022, holds the all-time season mark for Valour.
“Just off the back of hard work from the team and myself, and it’s a great feeling to score in front of fans after being away for so long. I think that was really important to bring a good performance today,” said Swibel, who finished with three shots on target.
“On a personal note, like I say every time I score, that’s what I came here to do and there’s nothing more I love than doing that, so, to bring that joy to our fans after a long way from home, it’s really nice to do.”
It was a seismic win in many respects for Valour, which improved to 2-1-5 and has quickly put itself back in the conversation by going 2-1-0 in its last three contests after dropping five straight to start the year.
It was the team’s first win at home since Aug. 11, 2023, which preceded four straight losses to end last season and a seven-game road trip to begin the 2024 campaign.
The club needed to weather one more storm ahead of its home opener, as Sunday’s contest was delayed nearly two hours due to a thunderstorm.
That didn’t slow them down one bit, as the complete effort is one that has eluded the club at home for some time. Add the fact that their victory came against one of the league’s top teams — Vancouver, who dropped to 4-1-3 — Valour’s confidence is climbing.
“They’re all very big in this league,” said Dos Santos. “It was special because you spend so much time away from home and you have a good crowd that weathered… the storm and the guys in the locker room and those levels of anxiety, they raise up. It was just important for us to come home and to win the match.”
Added Swibel: “I don’t think that we were going to lose the game today. I think coming back after a long away trip, I think anything could’ve been thrown at us and we would’ve taken it in stride, and that’s what we did today and I’m very proud of the team.”
Defensively, Valour has become stout after conceding 13 goals during their five-match losing streak. The club has allowed just two markers in the last three contests, as keeper Jonathan Viscosi has found a rhythm and his defenders have committed to their role.
Viscosi, who earned the club’s first clean sheet of the season, made three huge saves throughout the contest, first on a point-blank opportunity in the 21st minute, then off a header in tight during the 76th minute, and finally in extra-time as he stretched to deny a redirection close to the net.
“We’re playing games that are cleaner. Very little mistakes, we’re defending well,” Dos Santos said. “For me, it’s how the team grew from we were bleeding goals and now we’re willing to pay the price and we’re not making mistakes and every time you’re clean in the defensive and you don’t give much to the opposition, you give yourself a chance.”
Valour will gear up for another tough test when it welcomes No. 1 Atlético Ottawa (5-3-0) to Princess Auto Stadium on Sunday (12:30 p.m.).
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Joshua Frey-Sam
Reporter
Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He’s reported primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports and writes a weekly real estate feature for the business section. Read more about Josh.
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