HFX Wanderers show their character in draw against Pacific FC

Subs Daniels, Coimbra key in tallying late equalizer for Halifax

Confidence. Work ethic. Desire.

These were the expectations set by Halifax Wanderers head coach Patrice Gheisar for his squad ahead of Saturday's kick-off against Pacific FC. Reeling from a 3-0 loss at home to York United last week, Gheisar said he had challenged his club to put in the work.

And they answered his challenge, delivering a hard fought 1-1 draw against one of the CPL's toughest teams.

But it wasn't an easy affair as Pacific looked to turn the page after a disappointing result in the Canadian Championship semi-finals and pushed hard for a win in front of their fans at Starlight Stadium in Langford, B.C.

Both squads came out tentatively but cranked up the pressure as the match ensued.

Pacific had the edge early, putting a number of attempts just wide of Halifax keeper Yann Fillion's net.

As has been their wont this season, Halifax conceded their goal off a turnover, this time an errant pass by captain Andre Rampersad just outside of his own 18-yard box. The ball was picked up by Pacific midfielder Sean Young who sent in attacker Adonijah Reid.

Reid drove into the box, skirting two Halifax defenders, before unleashing a curling shot which struck Fillion's outstretched hands and trickled into the bottom right corner of the net.

However, it was all Halifax to start the second half as they pressed for an equalizer.

They nearly had it in the 51st minute as attacker Zachary Fernandez put a perfect cross through the box to a waiting Wesley Timoteo. Timoteo took a touch to settle the ball and sent a low shot towards the net only to be robbed by Pacific keeper Kieran Baskett.

Gheisar started shuffling his lineup in the 67th minute, aiming for more attacking players. He subsequently put on midfielders Aidens Daniels, Callum Watson, Mo Omar and striker Tiago Coimbra.

His substitutions were rewarded as his squad played through the Pacific press and delivered a good ball to Coimbra near the goal line. Coimbra sent the ball into the box to a waiting Daniels who made no mistake and equalized the game at the 85th minute mark.

The Wanderers tried to go in for the kill but came up short of their first win.

Still, Gheisar said post-match he was pleased by his players' response.

“This is a great statement from this young group coming off a really bad game,” said Gheisar. “I think it sends a message to the league that we have our goals, and one of our goals is not to lose two games in a row, and I thought the guys were brilliant and very brave to get (the point today).”

Both the eye-test and analytics tell the tale of a Wanderers squad which played their game, especially in the second half: they had nearly 60 per cent possession, 18 shot attempts and had an expected goals of 2.05.

The Wanderers next match is June 3 against Atlético Ottawa.

From the Notebook:

1. Bienvenue, Lorenzo. I think it can be said that Callegari's impact is palpable in every facet of the Wanderers game. He is the rudder that steers the ship, the wind in their sails. He's also not afraid to get his hands dirty and, at times, is the poor deckhand desperately hauling on the lines. The nautical imagery aside, I thought Callegari was sublime in his return and it couldn't have come at a better time. Halifax was battered, morally and physically, after their loss against York and they needed a strong match to rebound. With Callegari slotted back at his No. 6 position, the Wanderers just seemed more at ease and were able to play their game. With Callegari on the pitch, the Wanderers are able to do more with the ball and keep the ball more often. The Frenchman showcased his poise, patience, work ethic and most importantly, passing through a stellar 90 minutes. He had 105 touches, 84 completed passes, 10 long balls on target and a total of 19 passes into the final third. It's beautiful, no? Another interesting stat: I wrote a piece earlier in the week which highlighted Halifax's league leading 2911 passes going into this weekend. Of that number, Callegari and Nimick combined were responsible for 24 per cent. All said, what a bit of recruitment from the club.
2. Both Gheisar and the players felt the return of Callegari. I had a chance to hop on Gheisar's pre-match presser where he discussed the return of his French midfielder and he sang his praises. “Lorenzo’s composure and technical ability can’t be matched by many in this league so it’s really, really important to have him back. More than that, when the rest of the team sees Lorenzo putting on the kit, they feel more confident because he’s just been such a big part of our team," he said on Friday. " One of the important distinctions he made is Callegari is able to play through opposing teams presses, something Gheisar hopes for his squad to be able to do consistently. Centreback Daniel Nimick echoed his coach in his post-match comments. “I don’t think that there’s any player in the CPL who can control the game from the midfield like (Callegari) can with his passing rate, his ability to find the space, to guard the ball. As a centre back, it’s a dream, because you’ve always got that person you can trust in him to keep the ball, and I think he was a huge lift for us today."
3. Gheisar showcased a new formation on Saturday, running a false nine with attacker Massimo Ferrin featuring up front like he did in the later half of the York match. Besides for the turnover that led to Reid's goal, I would argue Halifax played Pacific pretty well to a stalemate through the first half. However, as the second half unfolded, Gheisar subbed out Wesley Timoteo and shuffled Ferrin back to his usual office on the left wing. The substitutions saw players return to the positioning we're more used to and Coimbra proved pivotal in the tying goal playing upfront. It was an important assist for the 19-year old Coimbra as he is battling with Collomb, Nwafornso and Mwandwe for minutes.
4. Midfielder Tommy Giraldo made his first start for the Wanderers and looked relatively comfortable. He had a few good attacking runs, had a shot on goal and even drew a foul off a good bout of possession in the 51st minute. This was his second match of the season as he came on at halftime against York but expect him to look more and more comfortable as the season goes on. The truth of the matter is Giraldo hasn't played much these last few years due to injuries and it will take him some time to get his legs back and show the form which earned him a contract with CF Montreal.
5. On the subject of young players like Coimbra and Giraldo, Halifax entered this weekend with the least amount of minutes played by domestic U-21 players. It's baked into the CPL pie that clubs much achieve a minimum of 2,000 U-21 minutes by the end of the season. I had a chance to ask Gheisar about the difficulties of fielding the best squad versus trying to log U-21 minutes: “There’s been a lot of comments about it that you need to get your U-21 minutes early and I completely disagree with that. Some of these young boys that are coming in need time," he said. Gheisar continued on to say his hope was to have the younger players in a position where they got up to speed and fit with the squad's style of play before slotting in regularly. Once on the game sheet, he said, they would hopefully be hard to get off the pitch due to their youthfulness and energy.
6. I wanted to take a minute to bask in the transformation of Aiden Daniels. Many Wanderers fans, myself included, thought last year was a missed opportunity for the 24-year old midfielder. The club wasn't very good and Daniels seemed mired in the mixed muck of expectation and disappointment. But this year is different and Daniels has made himself integral to the Wanderers attack. He's delivered some wonderful moments, be it a beautiful assist for Fernandez or yesterday's equalizer, and looks like a player transformed. And that's the thing about confidence: when you have it, you hit your potential. I'm looking forward to watching Daniels' continued growth.
7. I thought Fernandez had a fantastic game. He's got a very different profile from the rest in Halifax's squad in so much as he's got pace. Lots and lots of pace. He was a regular workhorse on the right side collecting Callegari long balls and was buzzing all game. He's showcased some deft feet, be it crossing or shooting, this year and delivered yet again with a perfect lob to Timoteo in the box. Like Daniels, Fernandez is another player who has shown growth this year and has rewarded Gheisar's trust with some strong performances.
8. Last but not least, I wanted to recognize Gheisar himself. The narrative coming out of last week's loss to York was not a pretty one. Some elements of the fanbase seemed fed up and who can blame them after perhaps one of the worst matches ever at the Wanderers Grounds. Gheisar said the team met the Sunday after the loss and dissected their game tape in "a very, very tough day for us all." But they moved on, earned a point against Pacific and showed their character to the rest of the league. That's good coaching in my books.

Editor's Note: The above table was taken from CanPL.ca and does not reflect this weekend's U-21 minutes.

Cover Photo Credit: Canadian Premier League