HEALEY: The Halifax Wanderers were eliminated on Saturday. But it's not the squad that played at ATCO Field that lost them their playoff spot.
The Halifax Wanderers are the first CPL club eliminated from playoff contention this year, a truth that would have seemed ludicrous in March but statistically likely by mid-August.
Their 2-1 loss against Cavalry FC on Saturday certainly was spirited but, like far too often this season, a lack of clinical finishing let their opponents back into the match after a strong first half saw the Wanderers dominate the ball but miss the net.
The Wanderers eventually scored in the second half, a sneaky Giorgio Probo shot beating Cavalry goalkeeper Marco Carducci in the 53rd minute, but it came only after Tobias Warschewski gave the home side the lead in the 48th. And although it was the Wanderers with their backs against the wall, it was Cavalry that rallied to eke out the win. With the loss, and the end of their playoff hopes, the Wanderers' record in 2024 now stands at six wins, nine draws and 12 losses with one match left.
Given what the club achieved in 2023, their efforts to retain talented players who could have moved on and the optimism at training camp, the fact that the Wanderers are now battling to avoid the CPL's Wooden Spoon is a punishment of their own making.
Defender Dan Nimick's words post-match succinctly summed up their campaign.
“The first half, I thought we were great,” said Nimick. “Created loads of opportunities and were able to keep Cavs in their half for most of the first half. But they adjusted well at half-time, and we weren’t able to match that. They get a goal in transition and a scrappy corner, which sums up the season, really. Just super disappointed that we couldn’t get over the line and make that playoff push.”
What's important, I think, when parsing through the storylines of this season, is to recognize that there were two versions of the Halifax Wanderers on display. There was the squad that started the season, which earned the ignominious distinction of the worst start in CPL history (recording only four points through their first nine matches) despite playing decent football. And then there was the squad that followed, undefeated at the Wanderers Grounds since May but prone to losses of concentration and red cards.
The Wanderers may have been eliminated by Cavalry on Saturday but it's hard not to feel that the squad that was battered coming out of pre-season and went winless through their first 10 matches in all competitions in 2024 cost the club what should have been a promising season. When I interviewed several players throughout training camp, the expectation was that the Wanderers had assembled a squad that could compete for trophies. It didn't seem unrealistic then.
But with almost all of their attacking players injured coming out of a cross-country camp, the Wanderers were slow out of the gate even if they weren't playing horribly. Catching up from their calamitous start meant that the pressure around the squad was amped up much earlier than it should have been and, playing yet another must-win match, they ran out of steam.
When you take away their start, the Wanderers had six wins, five draws and seven losses through the rest of the season, which is a respectable clip. But when you delve into the match-tapes, you realize that this was a squad capable of so much more. Seven of their eight red cards came in the second phase of the season, meaning they were playing behind when they needed to be getting ahead. With the benefit of hindsight, it's easy to point to their two matches against Pacific in September and wonder what might have been had they been more disciplined or managed to hold on for a win at the Wanderers Grounds.
But resting one's hat on maybes and what-ifs is a dangerous business. These are the facts: there are a dozen little moments, decisions that did or didn't go the Wanderers way, that led them to their match against Cavalry. This iteration of the Wanderers is also a talented one that was ravaged by injury (Julian Dunn, Vitor Dias, Wesley Timoteo), cards (Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé, Yann Fillion, Zachary Fernandez) and a lack of a killer instinct (they consistently underperformed their xG). They lost against Cavalry yesterday and were eliminated. And, if they don't deliver for their last match of the season, could be remembered as one of the best eighth-placed teams in CPL history.
This isn't to say there isn't knowledge to be gleaned from all of this. Patrice Gheisar and his staff are only in their second year. Most of the players are in their first or second professional season. And they showed, albeit in stops and starts, that this squad is capable of delivering fantastic football against quality opponents. Be it their 4-0 thrashing of Vancouver FC or a memorable 3-0 dismemberment of Forge in September, the highs were very, very good.
So how do you take solace in what feels like a lost season? As Gheisar has said all year, there's lessons that they can take from what's been a rollercoaster campaign. Looking to next year, with the benefit of hindsight, I expect many of these lessons — be it about discipline, recruitment or road form — to be taken to heart.
But there's still work to be done in the short term. The Wanderers play their final match at home on Saturday. I expect they'll deliver another fine performance for their fans — as they've done most of the year at the Wanderers Grounds — before turning the page on a challenging year.
The question is, of course, how we'll see those lessons implemented on what is arguably the most talented squad in Wanderers history. There's an entire off-season to ponder that answer. And it's likely that there'll be some big changes to the squad we've watched for the past two years.
Cover Photo Credit: Canadian Premier League
