Gianfranco Facchineri is the latest player to parlay a U-Sports contract into a pro deal, signing with Valour through 2026

Gianfranco Facchineri's goals, from the outset of Valour's training camp last year, were both simple and immediate. And as he continued to earn the trust of head coach Phil dos Santos and the rest of the coaching staff, they evolved as the calendar flashed from February to August.

"All last year, being on a U-Sports deal, the goal was constantly moving. At first, you land in Winnipeg and the goal was to stay with the team through pre-season," Facchineri told The Wanderers Notebook in an exclusive interview. "Then it was to help the team any way you can. And then it was to extend it through August and to sign a pro deal.”

Now, Facchineri has achieved that goal, the club announcing on Wednesday that they'd signed the promising 22-year old centre-back to a standard contract through 2026.

"I'm incredibly excited. As far as personal aspirations go, it's to elevate Valour to places it hasn't been before. We want to meet our objectives and hopefully I can help lead the team to get there," he said.

Looking at his resume, it'd be easy to think Facchineri's new contract was a given, a natural next step for a player who had previously captained the Canadian U-17 squad at the CONCACAF U-17 Championship, grew up in the Vancouver Whitecaps academy and was drafted in the 2023 CPL U-Sports draft. But the truth is Facchineri's path to professional football was one filled with adversity and determination.

Forging a path to first team football

The Whitecaps signed Facchineri to their development squad in 2020. Two seasons later, he was let go, having no first-team appearances to his name. He then chose to return to his hometown of Windsor, Ont., and split his time between the University of Windsor and Windsor City FC in League1 Ontario, with the goal of finding his way back to the pro game.

Looking back, Facchineri said grabbing his chance with Valour, who drafted him ninth overall in the CPL - U-Sports draft, was all about mindset.

“In my experience, I never landed in Winnipeg thinking: ‘Okay, I’m a part of this team.’ No, it was first and foremost, I’m on trial. I need to make a good impression. I need to show where I’ve improved," he explained.

“That’s the big thing about pro football that people don’t understand; there’s a lack of a linear path. It’s never point A to point B. You have to work twice as hard as everyone else (as a draft pick). You’re going in there to understand what it means to be a professional, to be in that environment, to wake up and do your job everyday. Believe it or not, that’s the best part of it.”

Facchineri's work ethic was apparent in his first season in Winnipeg, finding his place as a stalwart for dos Santos as the season progressed. He ended 2024 among Valour's statistical leaders, including for total passes, total tackles and duels won.

Facchineri is certainly not the first U-Sports draftee to parlay his opportunity into a professional contract and he won't be the last. When asked about the growing pathway, which saw players like Jevontae Layne, Luca Accettola and Mehdi Essoussi drafted this year, the centre-back said he expects it to continue to be an attractive option for players seeking professional opportunities.

"Obviously, I've been very fortunate with how it worked out for me, it was my way back into the pro game and I certainly see more and more players coming out of the CPL - U-Sports draft turning it into their careers. We've seen it happen so many times before," he said.

Looking towards the coming campaign

Valour also announced earlier this week that goalkeeper Jonathan Viscosi will be back between the sticks for 2025, the club having picked up his option. When asked to speak on playing with Viscosi, Facchineri said he's thrilled to have the veteran keeper back for another season.

"It was a downright pleasure (to play with him)," he said. “What a lot of people don’t know is he and I, off the field, are very, very close friends. We spend 90 per cent of our time together, to the point that I think I might be driving his wife a little bit nuts. But we're close and it was a pleasure to learn from him and his decade of experience in the pro game."

Facchineri also spoke about the bonds created within Valour's squad last year and how, as a group, they found a way to be competitive and push for the playoffs. He noted he hoped they could build from that growth. With players like Themi Antonoglou, Dante Campbell, Abdul Binate and Jordan Swibel on club options, Valour will have the ability to bring back much of last year's core.

For his part, Facchineri said Valour continues to grow and is looking for players like himself to step up and improve to reach their potential.

“It was a rollercoaster of a season that left us wanting a lot more,” he said. “But the best part we can take from last year is the exponential growth we saw within the team.”

Cover Photo Credit: John Jacques / Northern Tribune