Injuries have hampered Tiago Coimbra's sophomore season. But with two matches left, he's ready to embrace the Wanderers' biggest challenges yet.

It’s Wednesday night in Halifax and, with autumn’s bite blowing across the peninsula, already dark and cool by 7:00 p.m. The weather is in stark contrast to the sudsy afternoons and balmy evenings spent at the Wanderers Grounds this summer and, for striker Tiago Coimbra and his teammates, foreshadows the end of their football season.

But Coimbra and the rest of the Wanderers aren’t ready for their season to end.

Their next challenge, following a last-minute equalizer against Vancouver FC to keep their playoff hopes alive, is against Cavalry FC on Saturday. There, they’ll battle for an important three points on the road to help keep afloat their dreams of securing the fifth and final playoff spot and a chance to compete for the North Star Cup. Pacific's last-gasp 2-1 victory on Thursday night, however, means that Halifax's fate may no longer be in their control.

“It’s just another game on the road,” Coimbra tells The Wanderers Notebook from his apartment over Zoom. “It’s like Patrice (Gheisar) said, if we make the playoffs, we’re going to have to win every single game on the road. We’ve just got to show everybody we’re ready and to come home with three points.”

Although there's a healthy amount of doubt around the Wanderers given their inconsistent results across the breadth of the season, the club is undefeated in their last seven matches and hasn’t lost at home since May. They remain four points out of the playoffs in a thrilling four-way race with Pacific, Vancouver and Valour. But their last two matches have become must-wins if the Wanderers have any hope of making the post-season.

These last matches also come as a prime opportunity for the 20-year old Coimbra. With veteran attacker Ryan Telfer called away for international duty, he’ll likely be asked to lead the line as the Wanderers search for both goals and U-21 minutes.

To put it plainly: Coimbra is being thrust into a key position during the most important part of the season. And when asked about the gravity of the moment, Coimbra pauses only momentarily to consider the question before letting loose a convincing smile — it’s the type of opportunity young Canadian footballers previously had to go abroad to find.

“I feel like having pressure is a privilege. I’ve worked hard for this moment, I’ve shown I’m ready for this moment and what I’m going to have to do now is show everybody I’m ready this weekend,” he says.

Looking for more big moments

Coimbra was certainly key last Saturday as he came on as a substitute while the Wanderers tried to solve Vancouver goalkeeper Callum Irving. Although he had some looks, the young striker proved his worth in the dying seconds of the match, collecting a ricochet ball in the box and settling it for teammate Vitor Dias in the 97th minute, who fired it into the back of the net for the equalizer and, ultimately, an important point.

“At the end of the game, all you’re thinking about is scoring or trying to create something,” Coimbra says. “There’s going to be a lot of crosses, high balls and stuff. I just tried to position myself as best as I could in the box. I was trying to take it for myself but Vitor ended up being there and it happened that I was able to get the assist.”

As pivotal as Coimbra’s assist was, it’s fair to say he hasn’t had as many opportunities as he’d have liked in his sophomore season. Following a rookie campaign that was plagued by a thigh injury, Coimbra says he had hoped to build off a good training camp.

“In my mind, I wanted to win the U-21 Player of the Year award and go far into the playoffs. We all have expectations of ourselves and sometimes we’re not able to reach those expectations and that’s fine,” he says.

“I did feel very good coming into camp but I’ve been unlucky and have had a lot of injuries this year. But there’s always next year. I’m still a U-21 next year.”

It’s not that Coimbra’s season has been underwhelming. When healthy, the six-foot-two striker is a handful for defenders and very dangerous in the air. Being a bull in the box is something, he says, he prides himself on and one of the reasons he’s become a bit of a fan favourite.

“I feel like I’m that physical striker, that annoying striker that tries to get on the end of everything. I think I’m more of a box-type of striker, kind of like (Erling) Haaland where I get a touch here and there but only get the last touch to score,” explains Coimbra.

Given his relative youth and the fact he’s already got nearly 40 professional appearances, Coimbra is a big part of Halifax’s future. He’s also a player head coach Patrice Gheisar has highlighted as growing into the professional game over his tenure. In many ways, he’s the type of young talent the CPL was built for.

However, injuries interrupted Coimbra’s good run of starts earlier in the season — including four out of five matches between May 11 to June 15 — and proved difficult to recover from.

“You go one step back, one step back, one step back and then you start losing your spot. Telfer has had very good performances. Of course, I’m not where I want to be on the team or in my career but what I can do is work and look forward to the next game, the next practice or the next year,” he says.

Learning from more experienced attackers is also something the coaching staff has actively planned for Coimbra, bringing in both Telfer and the since-released Christian Volesky as players he could lean on.

Potential and a growing hunger

Although Coimbra may not have hit the expectations he set for himself, his statistics tell the tale of a player who has delivered in his limited minutes.

Last season, he logged 919 minutes through 20 league appearances. Coimbra also recorded three goals and an assist over that span. So far, Coimbra has been limited to only 631 minutes through 2024 but has matched his offensive output. His 0.2 goals per game, as per SofaScore, are in line with Telfer’s production in significantly fewer minutes.

Long story short, Coimbra typically bangs in a goal every 215 minutes and, if he were to stay healthy, it’s not unreasonable to expect his goal contributions to climb in a bigger role.

An analysis from The Wanderers Notebook, using data from CPL By the Numbers, also found Coimbra’s profile to be one with a lot of upside.

But numbers aren’t something the young striker says he’s concerned with. Instead, he is focused on improving his movements, perfecting his touches and answering when his name is called. Looking at statistics or starts or minutes, be they good or bad, he says, distracts from the moment at hand.

“When I don’t play, of course I’m going to feel sad,” says Coimbra. “But at the end of the day, there’s nothing I can do (about that decision). If I don’t go out and give 100 per cent, it’s just going to look bad on me. It’s my choice.”

And Coimbra says he knows he’s been asked to step up. It’s part of a mentality the whole squad is embracing as they grapple with injuries, call ups and suspensions to key players in the death knells of the season.

“The people who were on the field have been putting in great performances so the person who does come in is going to have to step up. Just like I’m going to have to step up coming in for Telfer,” he says. “But I feel we do have the group with the right guys that are good enough and confident enough to keep the team ready for games. I’ve been ready for this.”

It’s Wednesday night in Halifax. The Wanderers are flying out the next morning, says Coimbra, the start of their trek to Alberta and back for the last stanza of their season. He leaves the call. And although the sun may have set in Nova Scotia, it’s clear that at least for now, the Wanderers have hope it hasn’t fully set on their season.

Cover Photo Credit: Trevor MacMillan / Halifax Wanderers FC