'There's no excuses': Wanderers lose 2-0 to Vancouver FC, dropping two matches in a row for the first time under Patrice Gheisar

Sometimes, it's best to burn the tape.

What started out as a promising West Coast trip to kickoff the season has ended in frustration for head coach Patrice Gheisar and the Halifax Wanderers as they were soundly outplayed by a composed Vancouver FC side on Thursday night. They head back to Nova Scotia this week without any points or goals to their name.

The Wanderers likely deserved a better fate versus Pacific earlier in the week but the same can't be said of their performance at Willoughby Park where they looked hesitant and toothless against a soaring Vancouver squad which has won two in a row to start their season. Now, it'll be up to the Wanderers to show their fans why many had picked them as favourites to win silverware this year as they play their first match at the Wanderers Grounds on April 27. Given the way things unfolded against Vancouver, it might be best to move on without too much thought on what was an uncharacteristically poor night for many Wanderers players.

Gheisar opted to start most of the same line up on Thursday that featured against Pacific with the exceptions of Aidan Daniels, who drew in for Wesley Timoteo but played as part of a front three, and Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé, who formed a double pivot in midfield with captain Andre Rampersad.

Interestingly, the coaching staff shifted 26-year old Frenchman Lorenzo Callegari further up the pitch into the space Giorgio Probo occupied last match but the move didn't pay dividends as the Wanderers struggled to find their rhythm. By the second half, Callegari was back in his habitual place in front of Halifax's backline.

Both Vancouver and Halifax had their chances in the first half but miscommunication between Gagnon-Laparé and keeper Yann Fillion on a set piece led to Vancouver taking a 1-0 lead. Gagnon-Laparé attempted to head an Eagles corner kick back to Fillion, who wasn't expecting the ball; it struck him and popped out to a waiting Rocco Romeo, who slid it in for an easy goal from less than five feet out in the 17th minute. The Wanderers tried to respond but had difficulty connecting with their attacking players in the final third. Time and time again, their long balls and set pieces failed to find their mark.

Coming out of the half, Gheisar decided to bring in Timoteo for centre-back Cale Loughrey, who struggled to find time and space against a buzzing Gabriel Bitar.

However, less than 10-minutes into the second half, another Wanderers miscue — this time by defender Dan Nimick — opened up the match for Vancouver as striker Moses Dyer stripped the Labrador-born centre-back and found himself face-to-face with the Wanderers keeper. Fillion went out to challenge Dyer but the New Zealander dribbled wide into the box, ringing a shot off the post before Alejandro Diaz collected the rebound to score his first of the season.

Gheisar and his staff decided to reset the table by bringing in Massimo Ferrin, who led the Wanderers with eight goals last year, and 20-year old striker Tiago Coimbra for Ryan Telfer and Christian Volesky around the 60th minute.

Halifax's best chance of the night came in the dying seconds as Rampersad found himself with the ball inside Vancouver's 18-yard box and his back to goal. Turning, he whipped a shot high and off the crossbar. The rebound squirted across to Zachary Fernandez, who made a last effort to get his side on the board, but it was blocked. The Wanderers finished the night with 14 shots to Vancouver's 15 but the majority came in the last 30-minutes as they pushed to create something offensively. Still, only four of their attempts were on net and only two constituted real opportunities.

Speaking to reporters post-match, Gheisar acknowledged his squad needs to perform but also noted you need some luck.

“This is a game where we fell short on some of the things,” he said.

“For example, they hit the post, rebound pops to them and they score, we hit the post, the rebound doesn’t come to us. Sometimes you need bounces. (Last year) we never lost two games in a row, and I think the expectation of wanting to grow the team is something that we have to manage, and understand that our aspirations coming into the year was to do even more than last year.”

The season is young, and there'll be lots of opportunities to show their mettle but their performance against Vancouver is perhaps one of the worst in Halifax's Gheisar era.

"There's no excuses," he said.

Vancouver has now scored six goals in two matches and, juxtaposed to Halifax's lack of production, is the picture of confidence. Head coach Afshin Ghobti said it's important to get attacking players on the board early.

“Goals are vitamins for strikers,” he explained.

“When they don’t score, you see strikers go into depression . . . I always try to take the pressure off of (Diaz), it’s not how many goals you score — you can score goals, defend well for the team, hold the ball for the team, create openings for others, but he’s such a great guy, even if he has a bad performance I can never remember that. He’s just one of the most beautiful human beings I’ve ever coached.”

The Wanderers host Atlético Ottawa next Saturday for their inaugural home match of the season, giving them a chance to get back on track.

From the Notebook:

1. Football is fickle; mistakes are compounded. A seemingly harmless failed clearance, coupled with poor communication, put the Wanderers down 1-0. Later, a pass — one that is made routinely, a thousand times per match — squeaks by to spring Dyer and suddenly, as quick and sharp as studs to your foot, the match was beyond the Wanderers. And they didn't deserve better. From where I was sitting, I'd argue this was Halifax's second worst performance since Gheisar was named head coach. For whatever reason, the squad lacked precision and poise and it showed as Vancouver capitalized on their mistakes. The good news is the season is young, as Gheisar pointed out in his press conference. “I’d rather have this loss tonight and fix things rather than in August and find out the wheels have fallen off," he said.
2. If goals are like vitamins, as Ghotbi so brilliantly noted, than the Wanderers are due for a healthy dose. Two matches in and I think it's safe to say the players leading the front line — be it Volesky, Telfer, Probo, Ferrin or Coimbra— aren't getting the service they need to be dangerous in the final third. I'd argue Nimick and Fernandez have been the most active of Halifax's players, consistently creating on the right hand side of the pitch but you need more from the rest of the group to have any hope of winning. In particular, Volesky has looked frustrated as he's been isolated on an island and unable to have any real impact. The times when he's sniffed out a chance, he's whiffed. Through two matches, Volesky has only had two shots and both missed the net, which begs the question: is there something off with Halifax's new No. 9? Turns out, yes.
3. Gheisar revealed post-match that Volesky is one of several Wanderers players who received knocks in pre-season that set them back. In addition to the 31-year old striker, Gheisar said Ferrin, Daniels, Telfer and Coimbra all had some sort of injury at one point. Telfer, he said, featured in only one pre-season match; Volesky didn't play in a single tilt. The coaching staff has decided they want to bring Volesky up to speed quickly, hence the two starts, so the Wanderers faithful should be patient as the American rounds into form. “I think our attackers being injured our entire pre-season has thrown off our rhythm," explained Gheisar. In many ways, Volesky's start reminds me of Jordan Perruzza's baptism by fire last year where the Toronto FC loanee struggled to contribute in his first few matches as he went from sitting on the bench to being a starter. This is also the second season in a row Ferrin has started injured.
4. There wasn't a whole lot different tactically on Thursday from Halifax's first match of the season other than a slight change in personnel. Having Callegari play as a No. 10 was a different look, allowing Gagnon-Laparé to get his first start. Callegari is comfortable playing as both a No. 6 and No. 8 and so it wasn't a stretch to get him further up the pitch but I think it did show how important he is in providing a release valve for the Wanderers' defenders when pressed. Although he hasn't been at his best, no one has the ability to move the ball like the former Paris Saint-Germain man. And Callegari wasn't immune to Halifax's trials; in particular, I thought his set pieces were woeful. I expect set pieces will be a focus for the club as they prepare to face the Avengers, er, I mean Atlético Ottawa next Saturday.
5. Cale Loughrey was another player who struggled. I really liked his game against Pacific so it was tough to watch him unravel as Bitar hounded him throughout the first half. I praised Loughrey's passing range in my last Notebook but, after missing a few attempts and under constant pressure, I thought he became indecisive, which is death when you've got a high press breathing down your neck. The result is that he completed only 63 per cent of his passes (17/27) and only 1 out of 5 long balls. Gheisar had no choice but to pull him in favour of Timoteo but I fully expect Loughrey to be back in the starting XI next match.
6. Just a small note but I, like many of you, noticed that Fillion's right arm seemed to be held together with bobby pins and tape, officially making him more rugged than I could ever hope to be (my Star Wars brain immediately had me quipping that he's more machine than man now). It'll be something to watch moving forward as the Wanderers battle the injury bug.
7. Typically after a loss, Rampersad is the player to speak on behalf of the club. On Thursday night, a stoic-looking Nimick appeared before the cameras and spoke about the club's frustrations. He said the club had hoped to leave the West Coast with four out of a possible six points and are disappointed to be leaving empty handed. Furthermore, one of the club's goals last season was to never lose two matches in a row, something they proudly accomplished in 2023 and wanted to carry with them this year. “First two games and we’ve already failed that goal," said Nimick. "It’s good we have versatility in our lineups, we can go with different formations and be unpredictable but it doesn’t matter if we don’t get three points at the end of the day.” Suffice it to say that this group knows what's expected of them.
8. How about a palate cleanser after all that negativity, eh? I though Aidan Daniels was sublime and one of the few bright spots amid a night of anguish. Although it sounds like he may have been nursing a knock, Daniels danced through Vancouver's players with ball rolls, feints and a flair which made him one of my favourite players to watch last year. He had his chances offensively put also put in a shift off the ball, winning nine of his 13 ground duels, registering three tackles and one interception. Add in some pointed passing and I think he was Halifax's man of the match.

Further reading:

• HFX Wanderers unveil new formation versus Pacific but repeat history
• It’s the one-year anniversary of The Wanderers Notebook

Cover Photo Credit: Canadian Premier League