HFX Wanderers sign TFC's Jordan Perruzza on loan, move Ludwig Amla's contract to ineligible list
As club owner Derek Martin promised last week, the Halifax Wanderers have completed a series of moves, including signing Canadian striker Jordan Perruzza on loan from Toronto FC.
Perruzza, 22, has featured in 23 MLS matches over his six year TFC career and joins a Wanderers squad surging up the league table.
"I'm excited to join a very ambitious group which seems to want to push to win everything and I hope I can help this team get to where it wants to be," Perruzza told the Wanderers Notebook. "From everything I've seen from the outside, it seems to almost suit me perfectly with how Halifax has been playing this season. I'm just hoping I can slot right in and get to work right away without too much of an adaption period."
Born in Toronto, Perruzza moved to Italy at the age of 13 to attend Empoli FC's youth academy. He completed four years, featuring in Empoli's U-17 program, before being invited to play for TFC's second team.
He signed for TFC's first team a year after returning to Canada.
Perruzza has only played sporadically for TFC this year, logging 122 minutes over five league matches but hopes to make his mark with the Wanderers.
"Halifax has climbed up the table very quickly and create a lot of chances. They keep the ball and play a lot of beautiful football. I hope I can get on the end of some of those chances and put them in the back of the net. That would be my goal right now," he said.
When asked about his reaction to signing with the Wanderers, Perruzza noted he was excited to play for head coach Patrice Gheisar and remembered last year's Canadian Championship match fondly.
"Honestly, I was very excited because I had the chance to play (in Halifax) last year with Toronto in the Canadian Championship and fell in love with the fanbase and the stadium and the city. Hopefully things work out well," he said.
And although he hasn't played for Gheisar previously, Perruzza said he has played with Aidan Daniels, Doneil Henry and Yann Fillion over the span of his career. The endorsements for Halifax's head coach are strong.
"I've heard from so many people what a wonderful man and coach he is so the opportunity to work with him is amazing," concluded Perruzza.
Primarily a striker, Perruzza has also played as a right winger in the past.
His loan runs until the end of the 2023 CPL season.
Wanderers resolve Amla situation, sign local talent
The club announced they are moving Amla's contract to the ineligible list — effectively taking him off the active roster — following a decision which banned him for two-years due to a doping violation.
As first reported by Mitchell Bailey of Global News, Amla received a two-year ban following a positive urine sample collected on September 10, 2022. The sample showed terbutaline, a medication on the anti-doping list but used to prevent and treat wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightness.
As per the written decision, Amla's evidence was that he suffered from asthma since childhood and had been prescribed an inhaler and medication while living in Europe. The medication he was given contained terbutaline.
Amla reportedly accepted the findings but requested that the sanction period be reduced or eliminated all together.
However, arbitrator Richard Pound imposed the sanction on June 15, citing in his decision it was Amla's personal responsibility to avoid prohibitive substances. It also noted that the club's chief physician, Dr. Rob Green, is of the view it was an honest mistake.
As a result of Pound's ruling, Amla is ineligible to train or play until February 7, 2025; he previously played nine matches for the club during the 2022 season.
The Wanderers also announced last week they signed 16-year old defender Yorgos Gavas to a CPL development contract.
Gavas, 16, was born and raised in Halifax and played locally with Halifax Dunbrack SC.
Gavas featured with the Wanderers U-23 development squad this year, scoring in an exhibition match against German club Holstein Kiel. His contract, which allows development players to appear in a maximum of six matches, runs until the end of this season.
Cover Photo Credit: Halifax Wanderers FC
