Winnipeggers sign to play soccer in Sweden’s top league – Winnipeg Free Press
Manitoba’s top male soccer players have taken their talents to Europe.
Marco Bustos, a 26-year-old attacking midfielder who grew up in Maples, recently signed a two-year contract with IFK Värnamo in Sweden. The professional club plays in the country’s highest division.
Bustos spent the past four seasons establishing himself as one of the best players in the Canadian Premier League (CPL) with Pacific FC (2020-2022) and Valor FC (2019).
– There were a few different countries and places I could have gone to, but I think Sweden has a proven league in the Allsvenskan. In many cases it is quite similar to MLS. MLS might have more well-known guys in the soccer world, but when you talk about style of play and competitiveness, I think it’s pretty similar, said Bustos, who also had a tryout with MLS team Toronto FC in November, in a phone call from Sweden.
Bustos is a perfect example of why the CPL is so important to players in this country. After coming through the Vancouver Whitecaps system, highlighted by making four appearances with the main roster between 2015-16, Bustos joined the Oklahoma City Energy of the USL Championship, but struggled to find minutes. Fortunately, the CPL had just started its first season, opening the door for him to sign with his hometown club, the Valour, three games into the 2019 campaign.
He scored seven goals in 25 games before Pacific made Bustos the highest-paid player in the league that offseason. Bustos would reward the Victoria, BC, franchise by being nominated for the league’s Player of the Year award in 2020 and helping them to a CPL championship in 2021.
Pacific is the only club outside of Hamilton’s Forge FC to lift the North Star Shield trophy.
“I was kind of lost in a space where I wasn’t sure how to get my confidence back, who to impress, where to go or what to do. Obviously the CPL came and I saw the first few games… so finally I said, ‘You know what, let’s do it.'” Going home and playing in front of my friends and family and being with my family for an extended period of time helped me a lot,” Bustos said.
“I probably went two seasons without regular minutes and then I came to Valor and playing every minute was important to me. Then moving to Pacific I thought was better for me. I think it would have been too comfortable to stay in Winnipeg… For me, I think the CPL allowed me to see my value and obviously grow with experience.”
Bustos scored 21 goals and 20 assists in 82 CPL matches. From the first year it was obvious to even the untrained eye, Bustos had more talent than most of his counterparts, but even then it took a few seasons for him to get an offer to move up.
“Personally, what came up quite a lot was that teams didn’t really know the level of the league because it’s quite young. I don’t think other teams saw the value in the league, they overlooked it,” he said.
“But obviously now with four years of the CPL coming up and with the Canadian national team doing well and being in the World Cup, it’s a domino effect. Canadian players are a hot topic with more coming to Europe and playing in big teams. “
Canada’s World Cup roster in Qatar featured no Manitobans. Bustos has represented the country before as he earned six caps for the senior national team between 2015-17. With a strong showing in Sweden, Bustos is hopeful he can get back on Canada’s radar.
“I’ve talked to (national team head coach) John Herdman before and he said I need to get into a more challenging league. So obviously I’ve taken that step now. I don’t expect any talk just because I came here. I have to come here, put in the effort and prove myself with my performances. I think it’s a league there if I do well, why wouldn’t I get called up?”
Värnamo starts the regular season in April.
Twitter: @TaylorAllen31
Taylor Allen
Reporter
Eighteen years old and still in high school, Taylor joined the Free Press on June 1, 2011. Well, sort of…