In the 2022 League1 Ontario Final, the Blue Devils found themselves on the wrong side of a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Vaughan Azzurri, who won the right to compete against MLS side CF Montreal later this week, in the Canadian Championship.
Over the offseason, several prominent names from the Blue Devils lineup moved on to new pastures, but as always, there are players waiting in the wings to snatch up their opportunity with the first-team.
Head Coach Duncan Wilde is looking at players who are "a bit younger [and] a bit fresher to provide a bit more energy.”
“We’ve gone younger by means of trying to sustain a longer season. We’ve come up short two seasons in a row. We're trying to get it over the line, and this is the first step.”
Among that group is Scottish import Kevin Sinclair, Kiani Fairbanks from Scrosoppi, and Noah MacIntryre from Woodbridge who are all expected to make a big impact on the squad.
Sinclair will be joining Adam Czerkawski, former League1 Defender of the Year, in the middle of a back four that lost two prominent pieces from last years rotation. Matt Chandler has moved on to the CPL with Valour FC in Winnipeg where he joins another former Blue Devil, Anthony Novak, while Luka Frankovich left in the offseason to join Scrosoppi.
MacIntyre is expected to fill the role of former National Team player Kyle Porter. Wilde believes he is “a completely different style of player, a lot younger, who seems to really thrive in the system we’ve been playing in.”
“It’s just a newer system that suits a younger group. We don’t have to fall into a back 5 as often as we possible have in the last couple of years to defend. I think we’ve got a little bit more youth and pace in the group than we have before. I think defensively we look strong.”
With League1 Ontario moving to a promotion and relegation format next season, the cumulative points tallies from this and the last will determine which clubs will be in next season’s top flight and second divisions.
Wilde doesn’t appear to be too phased by this scenario after finishing last season in second place. “Well, we’re 50% there," he claims, "and we’re in second place as we start a new season. There’s 10 or 11 teams that will go to premier league.” He's "confident" that they'll achieve that. "That’s our first target for the season.”
While change is ever present in team sports, Duncan will be lucky to have a returning presence that knows the extent of the expectations placed upon them. Brandon Duarte and Mathew Santos are back to propel the attack as they have done for several years, and they will be supported by Gianluca Spadafora who is looking to follow up a phenomenal debut season last year. Former League1 Ontario Goalkeeper of the Year, Lucas Birnstingl is also back between the sticks once again.
The Blue Devils have played an extensive preseason with matches against Brampton’s Prostars FC, Burlington, and the TFC Academy, and Wilde says his team has been “gelling” over the last few weeks, things are always different when that first whistle blows.
“Pre-season and regular season are completely different animals and everything changes at 4:00 pm on Sunday when you’re playing for 3 points.”
Today’s opening game will kick off at Sheridan College against the 2021 Champions Guelph United.