Midfielder Kianz Froese returns to his Manitoba roots, signs with Valour FC
After nine years in Germany, Kianz Froese was working on the family's coffee plantation/farm in Cuba when he got a call from Josh Carabatsakis, Valour FC's director of football operations.
The message was simple.
'(He) told me I should come play,' Froese recalled. 'And then presented me the opportunity to come home and play.'
The 29-year-old attacking midfielder said yes, agreeing to a one-year contract with the Canadian Premier League side, plus a club option for 2026
It's a homecoming for Froese, who was born in Cuba but came to Manitoba with his family when he was one.
'It feels good,' he said. 'It's been a while since I've been back in Winnipeg. So (I'm) happy about it.'
A former Canadian youth international at the under-17 and under-20 ranks, Froese was 19 when he won senior caps for Canada against Ghana in October 2015 and the U.S. in February 2016
Froese was born to a Cuban mother and Canadian father. They met in Cuba, where his father was involved in a project bringing solar ovens to Cuba.
His mother returned to Cuba after Froese's father died.
Froese joined the Whitecaps residency in September 2011 after a training stint with FC Edmonton, making the move from his hometown of Brunkild, Man.
He was named the Whitecaps' Most Promising Player for 2015, after a productive year that saw him make his MLS debut, score his first MLS goal and make his senior international debut.
He left for Germany and the second division club Fortuna Duesseldorf in early 2017. He had the option of staying in Vancouver, but wanted to experience playing in Europe.
In December 2017, he was promoted to the Duesseldorf first team. In July 2019, he switched to FC Saarbruecken before moving to TSV Havelse and SV Wehen Wiesbaden, which he helped gain promotion to the German second division before leaving in July 2024.
Froese set a record in the DFB-Pokal (German Cup) for assists by a lower-division club while with Saarbruecken, which was promoted to the German third-tier while he was there.
Froese, who also won promotion to the second tier while playing in Germany, says after the first few years, life in Germany started becoming normal.
'And now I'm maybe more German than Canadian,' he said with a laugh.
Froese didn't speak any German before arriving. That has changed, especially with a German girlfriend.
She will be joining him 'for a bit' in Winnipeg before she heads to China to study
He wasn't sure about his football future after Germany, saying he was 'looking but passively' for a new club.
'Some things did come up, opportunities, but I decided not to take them,' he said.
Time went by, and he began to think about a return to soccer. He chose Winnipeg over several other offers from Europe.
'I made a decision more for the soul … I wanted to do something different,' he explained. 'Come back home and experience being back here.'
Valour is delighted to land Froese, who will wear No. 80
'This is a big moment for our club,' Valour GM and head coach Phillip Dos Santos said in a statement. 'Kianz adds quality and versatility to our group of attackers with a high level of experience. He's a local guy with ties to the community who brings a competitive edge to compete and win for this city.'
Also Wednesday, Valour announced that midfielder Dante Campbell has been placed on the inactive list with a season-ending knee injury. The CPL club will receive cap relief on the compensation owed to Campbell for the remainder of the year.
Valour (2-6-2) currently stands seventh in the eight-team CPL, two points ahead of cellar-dwelling Vancouver FC.
After a 0-4-1 start to the season, Valour has gone 2-2-1, losing 3-0 at league-leading Atletico Ottawa last time out. Valour has conceded a league-worst 21 goals while scoring only nine, tied for second-worst. Only Pacific FC, with eight goals, has scored fewer.
Valour hosts second-place Forge FC (5-0-5) on Sunday at Princess Auto Stadium.
---
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 18, 2025
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Globe and Mail
29 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Springer stars as Blue Jays sweep Yankees to take first place in AL East
George Springer smacked a pair of two-run homers to lift the Toronto Blue Jays to an 8-5 win and a four-game series sweep over the New York Yankees on Thursday. Springer put Toronto ahead 3-1 in the third inning and expanded his team's lead to three runs in the eighth as the Blue Jays (49-38) took over first place in the American League East from the Yankees (48-39). The Blue Jays were eight games behind the Yankees on May 28. A dogged Nathan Lukes endured a 14-pitch at-bat to snap a tie with a two-run double in the fourth inning before 36,848 at Rogers Centre. Addison Barger added a solo homer in the fifth to go with two earlier doubles. Blue Jays' slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. named American League all-star starter Toronto starter Chris Bassitt (8-4) struck out nine in 5 2/3 innings, surrendering three runs on eight hits and three walks. The Yankees struck for two runs in the seventh to make it a one-run game. Springer walked with one out and scored on Addison Barger's double to left centre in the first inning. Trent Grisham tied the game in the third with his 12th homer. The Yankees tied the game in the bottom half on a run-producing single from Anthony Volpe and a Bassitt wild pitch that scored the Yankees shortstop. New York starter Clarke Schmidt left the game after three innings because of right forearm tightness. He gave up three runs on four hits and two walks with a strikeout. Jeff Hoffman earned his 21st save with a one-hit ninth.
Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Globe and Mail
Toronto FC lose 3-1 to NYCFC in first game since buying out Insigne. Bernardeschi contracts
Toronto FC, in its first outing since buying out the contacts of Italian designated players Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi, was beaten 3-1 by New York City FC in the lone MLS game Thursday. Hannes Wolf, Mitja Ilenic and Kevin O'Toole scored for New York (9-7-4). Eight of NYCFC's wins have come at home (8-3-0). The win moved NYCFC up three places to sixth spot in the Eastern Conference, seven places and 14 points above Toronto. While Toronto (4-11-5) was competitive at Yankee Stadium, its offence was stagnant in the first half. There wasn't much offence until Ola Brynhildsen and Theo Corbeanu both tested New York 'keeper Tomas Romero around the hour mark. At the other end it too often allowed NYCFC attackers too clear a path to TFC's goal. Toronto FC buys out hefty contracts of Italy's Lorenzo Insigne, Federico Bernardeschi Toronto started brightly but found itself trailing 1-0 in the 20th minute when, after a NYCFC free kick, a cross found Wolf and the Austrian midfielder's stylish left-footed volley went in after beating Sean Johnson and hitting both goalposts. It was the ninth goal of the season for Wolf and his sixth in his last six games. Ilenic doubled the lead in the 49th minute, sticking out a leg to deflect in Agustín Ojeda's cross after the Argentine winger had been allowed to race towards the Toronto goal without challenge. Ilenic, a 20-year-old Slovenian international fullback, marked his second goal of the season with Cristiano Ronaldo's trademark celebration. Toronto cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 70th minute via an own goal. Corbeanu beat a defender down the right flank, reached the byline and sent in a cross that deflected off defender Justin Haak and then Romero into the goal. O'Toole restored New York's two-goal lead in the 74th minute. Kosi Thompson was dispossessed and Maxi Moralez passed the ball to Wolf, who found O'Toole unchecked in the Toronto penalty box. The substitute dribbled towards goal and beat Johnson with a low shot. Toronto coach Robin Fraser went with the same lineup that beat visiting Portland 3-0 Saturday in what was TFC's best performance of the season. Toronto moved the ball around but showed little in front of goal in a first half that saw both teams attempt four shots with NYCFC holding a 2-0 edge in shots on target. TFC defender Kevin Long was shown a yellow card in the second minute with midfielder Matty Longstaff following him into referee Fotis Bazakos' book in the 20th minute. Defender Richie Laryea, back from Gold Cup duty with Canada, came on in the 57th minute. Maxime Dominguez became the third TFC player to be cautioned after a tussle with Ilenic in the 67th minute. Thompson made his 100th appearance for TFC in all competitions. New York forward Alonso Martínez returned from international duty with Costa Rica but goalkeeper Matt Freese, the hero of the American penalty shootout quarter-final win over Honduras, remains at the Gold Cup. Romero, an El Salvador international and former Toronto player, started in goal for NYCFC. Canadian Greg Ranjitsingh, his backup, also had a stint with TFC. Toronto defenders Nicksoen Gomis, Zane Monlouis and Henry Wingo remain long-term casualties. Captain Jonathan Osorio was also out, recovering from a lower-body injury suffered with Canada, while midfielder Deybi Flores played in Honduras's 2-1 loss to Mexico in the Gold Cup semi-final Wednesday in California. Toronto signed TFC 2 defender Reid Fisher and midfielder Malik Henry to MLS short-term agreements for the game. Originally drafted by CF Montreal in the second round (39 overall) in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft, Henry's promotion cost Toronto a third-round draft pick in 2026 with US$75,000 in conditional general allocation money, given Montreal had retained his MLS priority rights. Henry came on in the 70th minute, picking up a yellow soon after. Toronto has had little success at NYCFC with a 1-6-5 regular-season record there. The lone win was a 1-0 decision on Sept. 23, 2020, thanks to a 90th-minute Alejandro Pozuelo penalty in a game played at Red Bull Arena. TFC has won two playoff games at NYCFC. Up next, Toronto hosts Atlanta United on July 12 while NYCFC visits Charlotte FC.
National Post
2 hours ago
- National Post
B.C. Lions get their QB back, with Nathan Rourke set to start Saturday
B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke had a stunt double for a portion of his media availability on Thursday. Article content As a gag, the Lions had rookie defensive back Jackson Findlay, who bears a resemblance to Rourke, pull on the quarterback's No. 12 jersey after practice, step in front of the microphones and answer a few questions as the pivot. The media were all in on the joke and played along. Article content Article content Article content These are happy times with the Lions in large part because Rourke didn't have to share his other duties at practice. He took all the first team repetitions Thursday and head coach Buck Pierce says that Rourke, who missed the past two games with an oblique injury, will start Saturday (4 p.m.) when B.C. (1-3) visits the Montreal Alouettes (3-1). Article content This upcoming lineup, with Rourke back as the centrepiece, is closer to what the Lions envisioned when they put this team together in the off-season. Of course, whether Findlay will pitch in during the post-game scrums going forward for Rourke remains to be seen. Article content 'He's looked good all week. He's responded better each and every day,' Pierce said of Rourke, the 27-year-old passer who was born in Victoria and raised in Oakville, Ont. Article content 'The mistakes from the previous weeks we've used as fuel for learning lessons and hopefully it's making us stronger. Obviously, having Nathan out there, with his operation and what he does … I think it looks like it should right now.' Article content Rourke had thrown the ball deeper every practice this week. Pierce said Thursday that he didn't believe that there would be any limitations for Rourke Saturday, explaining that 'I think he's feeling good right now.' Article content The B.C. offence looked crisp in the 31-14 season-opening win over the Edmonton Elks on June 7, going for 446 yards of net offence. That included 324 yards of passing from Rourke, who was 27-of-36 on the night with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Article content Article content Rourke was injured in the fourth quarter of a 34-20 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on June 12. Jeremiah Masoli, who was added in the off-season as a free agent, got the start at quarterback in the 27-14 defeat to Winnipeg on June 21 and a 37-18 setback to the Saskatchewan Roughriders last Saturday. Article content After four weeks, B.C. is second in the nine-team CFL in net offence (377.8 yards per game) but just eighth in points (20.8 per game). Article content 'I feel good,' Rourke said Thursday after taking over the media proceedings from Findlay. 'The goal has always been to play. That was the goal last week as well … just did a little too much too soon. Hopefully we're not at that point this time around.'
