Revamped Royals Look to Rebound

By Davie Wong

            It may be a new year, and a new season, but last year’s third place PACWEST finish is still fresh in the minds of the returning players, and coaches Robby Toor and Paul Bahia. For both coaches, it’s been a busy offseason. As coach Robby Toor explains, the Royals have not been shy prepping for the coming season. “During the offseason, we were able to recruit five players from the now defunct KPU squad. We were also able to recruit some of the top youth players coming out of the BC Soccer Premier League”.

            The extra leg power will be needed, as many familiar faces have left the team, with only a handful returning. Key figures such as Mark Mincielli, Devin Phelan, Spencer Debois, and Dorian Colopisis, have all departed the team for a variety of reasons.

            While Toor and Bahia have been able to pull from the BC SPL for recruits, its mostly green youngsters that have been brought into the team from there. There was a distinct lack of veterans. Which is why the two coaches also managed to secure a handful of former KPU squad players.

            Two of the bigger name players coming over from KPU are Anthony McCullough and Matthew Pierre. Matthew is a defender going into his second year of PACWEST eligibility. He’ll be a big part of the Royals backline and helping newer players adapt to expectations in the PACWEST. McCullough is the other big name coming over from KPU. The former Eagles captain will be a huge presence in the midfield with his four years of PACWEST experience, and the coaching staff will be looking to him to be a leader for the fairly young team.

            While the KPU players have been an important asset to the team during the preseason, Toor admits that it didn’t always look that way. “It took a bit of an adaptation period. There were moments where we were questioning if this was even the right fit for some of the guys, but they’ve bought into how we play. During training camp and preseason, they asked questions. If they see something they don’t understand or if they do something wrong, they want to know how they can improve. They want to not only improve themselves, but the team as well”.

            Improvement is most definitely on the mind of everyone this training camp. Returning players can still feel the sting of last year’s semi-final loss. As Toor explains it, “it ended up leaving a sour taste for a lot of the returning players, and the coaching staff”. But since that loss, Toor and Bahia have used that experience to motivate their players. “Finishing third is going to be motivating for a lot of guys. We know we should be at Nationals every year, and the guys are very motivated to get back on to the pitch.  You could even see it in training camp this year, it’s a very different vibe”.

            Something different that the team boasts this year is unity, as the team looks more as a whole than it did last year. Coach Robby didn’t shy away from voicing how he felt about the team’s unity this year compared to past years, “Our team has already come together as a group.  There are no individuals or small groups.  We’re all one team now, with one common goal, and that is to get to Nationals and win a National title. Last year, we didn’t have that. It was a lot of individuals. A lot of skill and a lot of talent, but all individual. This year it isn’t like that. This year we’re all one team, and everyone is on the same page”.

            To achieve their goals, the team needs to get off to a good start. This coming weekend will be especially difficult for the team as they play three tough games in the span of four days. It will be a lot to ask of the players, but coach Toor isn’t worried about team depth. “We don’t have just 11 guys that can play. We’ve got a roster of about 20 guys that can start right now. Obviously there are some guys that we are going to be relying on more heavily than others, but we’ve got a good balance of depth this year”.

            That depth will be on vibrant display this week, as the team opens their season at home against fellow heavyweights, the Langara Falcons. The game is scheduled to be played at 8:30pm at Cunnings Field.

            They also play at home this weekend, hosting the VIU Mariners on Saturday at 3:30pm at Cunnings Field, and the Quest Kermodes on Sunday at 2:30pm, also at Cunnings Field.

Come out and support the Royals as they try to bounce back from last year and look to dominate the PACWEST!