Douglas Royals Off-Season Forecast

The Douglas Royals are the defending PACWEST men’s soccer champions and they finally get to defend their title when the season opens on Saturday. It’s been 23 months since the Royals won gold and they like every team is itching to get back on the pitch.

This Saturday the Royals will visit the Langara Falcons to open the new PACWEST season. The game will be played at historic Swangard Stadium.

What’s New with the Royals:

Three new coaches have been added to the Royals staff. Former player Nawaf Binsaleh who played for the club in 2017 and 2018 is back after winning a PACWEST championship in 2017 and a silver medal at the Nationals. Nisha Samra joins this season as the Royals’ Female Apprentice Coaching Program (FACP) coach. She brings a wealth of knowledge after playing for the women’s program and achieving success at both the PACWEST and CCAA levels over the last four years. Lastly they have brought in Farivar Torabi who has been playing at the professional level for the last 15 years in Europe and Asia. He is the reigning BC Soccer Men's Player of the Year and has a lot to give as a coach.

The Royals’ home, Cunnings Field was resurfaced in 2020 and has yet to see PACWEST action.

Key Recruits:

Matteo Falcone – he joins the Royals roster originally from Italy. He’ll be inserted into the line-up as a forward at 5’6 with great speed and vision.

Ryosuke Sudo – the first year International student from Japan and will be looked upon for instant offence from the forward position.

Manolo Aguilar – the rookie midfielder from Richmond stands at 5’11 and is a graduate of Hugh Boyd Secondary School.

What They Needed:

With the core of their 2019 championship winning team returning coach Robby Toor believes they have filled in the positions they needed with some highly sought after recruits and now have a complete roster ready for this season. Specifically, they wanted to address the forward position for more scoring power and he believes that they have done that with these recruits.

Counting On:

Quinn Desaulniers – he enters his fourth season and will be a leader to the younger players on the Royals roster. He’s been an outstanding midfielder playing in 10 of the 12 games in 2019.

Burhan Waisy – the Royals are counting on his offence and nose for the net mentality. He scored three goals in 2019 and played in 11 games.

Yianni Siafakis – he led the Royals in scoring in 2019 with four goals playing in 11 games and was a threat each time he touched the ball. Originally from Greece the Royals will be looking for even more as he enters his third season.

The Royals open the season on Saturday visiting the Falcons before hosting their home opener on Sunday when they welcome the Capilano Blues.