Saskatoon Evolution makes way for Revolution
New-look team, loaded with battle-tested former Huskies, ready for club nationals
Saskatchewan soccer’s evolution has resulted in a revolution.
An offshoot of the old HUSA Alumni side, the host Saskatoon Revolution will represent the province of Saskatchewan this week at the 2018 Toyota national men’s soccer club championship.
After breaking off from their former HUSA Alumni teammates to form a team of their own, a younger generation of Saskatoon Revolution players defeated the former nine-time defending Saskatchewan Open Cup champion HUSA Alumni 2-1. They ’ll now represent Saskatchewan at the 2018 Toyota national championship where the Challenge Trophy is up for grabs.
Most of Evolution played on the 2014 Canada West conference champion University of Saskatchewan Huskies.
“There are seven of the 11 starters, I think, on this team from that 2014 team,” noted Evolution team captain Jordan (Chico) Farahani.
“The majority of the team has enjoyed success together and our strength is the chemistry within those guys. On top of that, we’ve added some strong players as well.”
Farahani lists Garrett Peters, Mitch Bauche, Bobbi Nicholet, David Brown and goalkeeper Michal Bandula as key players on Revolution along with Luigi Bekwayo, Austin Boryski, Dion Morgan, Scotty Myrah and current Huskies redshirt Shedrek Samuel.
“Some of the younger guys who played on the HUSA team felt like they wanted to take a different direction and felt they could do that on their own,” noted Farahani.
“When I first came on board, part of the big thing was we wanted to create a more competitive men’s league in Saskatchewan because that would lead to stronger teams but also give the kids something to aspire to and want to be a part of.
“For the past 10 or so years, there haven’t been multiple competitive men’s teams. There’s just been HUSA. That had a lot to do with it. When they knew I’d be back in town (from the professional ranks) last December, they called me and told me that these guys wanted to play together and enjoyed success at the university level and knew they’d come on board with us.”
Whether the snow flies or there are sunny skies, both host Saskatchewan teams are looking to out-last the national competition this week at the Toyota soccer club national men’s and women’s championships in Saskatoon.
Saskatoon Revolution opens up play Wednesday night versus Surrey B.C. Tiger Hurricanes at Umea Park.
“I don’t know what to expect — this is my first time going to nationals,” said Farahani. “In our pool, we’ve got the two (former) national champions to go through in our group. It’s not going to be an easy road, but we’ve been working hard and we’re prepared as we’ll ever be.”
SASK. IMPACT
On the women’s side, SK Impact opens up Wednesday at 5 p.m. against B.C.’S Surrey United SC.
The Impact dominated provincial competition with a pair of 4-0 wins for its third consecutive Saskatchewan Open Cup title to advance to the 2018 Toyota national championship Jubilee Trophy tournament.
Impact’s previous top performance at nationals was fourth place in 2015 in Calgary.
Coach Abumere Okonofua is looking for a good start, and an even better result, in 2018.
“We need to start on the front foot on Wednesday against B.C., and try and use the momentum for the rest of the tournament,” Okonofua said.
“We have a pretty good chance at home with all the fan support and we’ve got a good base with a lot of returning players from last year and from the few years I’ve been coaching. We’ve added some pieces, too.”
Key players include team captains Leanne Mylymok and Erica Parenteau. “But, most importantly, I’m looking for more of a collective effort from all 20 rather than picking out specific players,” noted Okonofua, “and we’ve been preaching that all summer.”
Although the majority of Impact players are former Huskies, Okonofua’s goal is to have a “collective Saskatchewan group,” which currently includes Lakeland College and Medicine Hat alumni.
Surrey, B.C., will be “a great test,” Okonofua said.
“There’s no better way to start because, if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. I don’t think (the weather) is an advantage for us. Surrey United are the favourites for this game and they’ve won several medals and most of their players have played around Canada in this weather.”