It’s never too late, says the adage. This has never been more true than for Loïc Kwemi and Safwane Mlah, two CS Saint-Laurent players who have just found work among the pros, in the Canadian Premier League (PLC).

Kwemi, a 27-year-old forward, and Mlah, a 22-year-old midfielder, signed with Winnipeg’s Valour FC on Friday. The two Quebecers have both played semi-pro in the province in recent years, in addition to being accomplished players in Canadian futsal.

“These are two players we’ve had on our radar for a few years,” Valor head coach Philip Dos Santos was quoted as saying by the club’s website. Yes, he’s Marc’s brother.

St-Lo’s great run in the Canadian Championship was the spark needed to move forward with both profiles. The Montreal club, whose technical director is former Impact Rocco Placentino, beat the Halifax Wanderers on penalties in the preliminary tournament, before facing MLS Greater Toronto FC in the quarter-finals . Sure, the semi-pro club was defeated 11-1 in total goals, but never stopped playing their way. For his players, there was no better business card.

“We’re always looking at new professional players,” Dos Santos continues. We want to know how they manage 90 minutes of play at this level, but without having real references. This run in the Canadian Championship gave us these references. »

Kwemi and Mlah’s performances also caught the eye of Toronto FC head coach John Herdman.

“I spoke with John,” adds Dos Santos. He was impressed with the players’ ability to repeat their performances over the two matches, at a very high physical and technical level. It matched what we had seen. »

Kwemi scored 17 goals in as many games in Ligue1 Quebec last season, and 19 the season before.

Philip Dos Santos agrees that this is a player who has “yet to be given such an opportunity”, also noting his “power” in duels and his innate talent for scoring goals.

If Kwemi was the country’s futsal player par excellence in 2022, Mlah was in 2023. He also scored eight goals last season, allowing Saint-Laurent to win the provincial title.

“He’s very technically gifted,” Dos Santos maintains. He adds that energy and ability to cover ground in the middle. He is very combative. After seeing him in these matches, we felt we had to add him to our group. »