Tony Colistro feels the need for speed.
Having advanced his team to the Premier Development League final last summer for the second time in three seasons, only to come up short against a powerful Portland Timbers squad, the Thunder Bay Chill coach said a little quickness might be just the tonic to push them over the top in 2011.
"I think speed is always something you look for," Colistro said before practice on Tuesday, as he readied his team for the start of the PDL regular season on the road against expansion WSA Winnipeg this weekend. "Anytime you’ve got speed it’s always going to give you an advantage over your opponent. But the biggest advantage for us right now is our depth. We can definitely go to our bench. Any player that we bring in is not going to weaken our side, it’s going to just strengthen it."
Leading the fast-paced charge among newcomers is Brazilian import Pedro Pereira, an attacking midfielder who arrives in Thunder Bay via Oklahoma Baptist University.
Pereira plans to spend the summer feeding Brandon Swartzendruber passes, much the same as countryman Gustavo Oliveira has done since joining the Chill.
Recruited by Oliveira, a graduate of OBU, Pereira said he’s got plenty to offer a team that expects nothing less than a PDL championship.
"I’m hoping to bring more of a dynamic, more creativity to the team," he said.
Cracking a lineup that boasts a core of the likes of Swartzendruber, Oliveria, Nolan Intermoia, Wilson Neto and Stephen Paterson isn’t easy, he noted.
But great teams always manage to shift newcomers in and out of their lineup each year, and he expects the Chill will be no different.
"It’s big shoes to fill," Pereira admitted. "You have to step in and make a difference. It’s high expectations and you’ve got to meet them. There’s no weak links on this team. Everyone’s very strong and anybody can come in and make a difference. I’ve just got to keep working to stay on the starting 11."
Midfielder Tomohito Hirawsa said that tradition of success is why he chose the Chill to continue his soccer career.
A Japanese import who speaks no English – but is fluent in Spanish – Hirawasa through a translator said he’d only heard good things about the Chill.
He’s hoping to give them that little extra push this summer, whether or not he understands what his teammates are saying on the field.
"This team has a winner mentality, but I have one too, so it’s easier at that point, when you’re on the same page," he said.
That suits Oliveira fine. Nothing less than a championship will suffice for the veteran playmaker, who last season led the PDL in assists.
"For sure we expect to win," he said.
To do so, the rookies will have to gel.
"We have really good players. We’ve had great practices the past week and we can see we have talent enough to win the championship again."
Like Colistro, he likes how fast and technical the team has become.
"A guy like Pedro is great with his feet on the ground and that’s going to be really good for the season."
The key to ensuring success is a pair of wins this weekend, he added.
"Winnipeg is new to the league and we have to go there and get our job done, play our game and get six points," he said.
Pitch marks: The Chill will host Winnipeg Sons of Italy next weekend at Chapples Park in a pair of friendlies. They open their home schedule a week later with a pair against Des Moines.
