Tiago Coimbra has signed a contract that could see him in Halifax until 2028. And with backing from the club, he's set his sights on winning U-21 Player of the Year.
Striker Tiago Coimbra could be a Halifax Wanderer for a long time.
The club announced on Wednesday that the 20-year old attacker has signed a deal that could see him in Wanderers blue until 2028, with the first two years of the deal guaranteed and options held through 2027 and 2028.
Speaking to The Wanderers Notebook, Coimbra said he's excited to have inked a new deal as he tries to push himself to the next level in his football career.
“It’s something that’s very meaningful to me, that Halifax doesn’t see me as just one of their U-21 pieces. They are thinking about my career, my future and about me as a person," he said.
Young footballers, especially in the CPL, don't often have much security. However, with potentially his next four years locked up, Coimbra explained the club has given him the stability — and the platform to prove himself — beyond his U-21 eligibility.
“When you’re a U-21 player, you’re always thinking, ‘What am I going to do when my minutes don't count anymore?’ Going into your last (eligible) year, you’re thinking about that. This gives me a bit of security," he said.
Coimbra added he's hoping to pay back the club's confidence in him by playing well and earning a move to a higher level, including a transfer fee for Halifax, as his career progresses.
"I want to put Halifax on the map," he explained. "Me and Halifax, we have some plans for me to go to bigger places and the only thing now, that we’re going to be able to tell it from, is through my football.”
This coming season, of course, comes with several goals, both personally for the young Brazilian - Canadian and for the club. Amongst them is getting back to their winning ways from 2023 and competing for trophies. For Coimbra himself, who is still U-21 eligible, he said he's set his sights on winning U-21 Player of the Year as well as improving on his goal scoring.
This past season saw Coimbra score four goals and add one assist, a slight increase in production from his rookie season with Halifax. However, he managed the better numbers while playing fewer minutes, battling a series of nagging muscle injuries which limited him to just shy of 800 minutes. Moving forward, Coimbra said he's begun his off-season training and is looking for a healthy 2025.
When asked about his numbers, Coimbra said he isn't concerned about statistics, instead focusing on what he can control as he and the Wanderers look to improve.
“Looking at numbers can be something where you’re like, ‘Oh, I’m doing good, I don’t need to try as hard.' But if you’re doing bad, you get in your head. I try and stay away from numbers and if someone tells me about them, I guess I’ll know, but I just try to focus on myself and to focus on the game," he said.
And Coimbra isn't the only move the Wanderers have announced; the addition of Pacific defender Thomas Meilleur-Giguère is considered a coup for the club and is the biggest move of the off-season so far.
When asked about the addition of Meilleur-Giguère, Coimbra said he's happy to have the tough French Canadian on his side for a change, crediting his leadership and poise.
“He’s a very experienced defender. He’s just a presence on the field, he knows how to organize his defence, which is something I think will be very important for us. It doesn’t have to look as pretty as it did. We just have to do our job and not let anybody score," said Coimbra.
"Playing against him was for sure challenging, he’s just a captain. He is leadership. I’m just excited to play with him.”
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Cover Photo Credit: James Bennett
