Wanderers 'self-destruct' against Pacific: Why emotions are sinking their playoff hopes
The Wanderers expect better of themselves and, as multiple people within the organization have stated this season, believe they have a squad capable of competing for trophies in this league.
But what they believe and the reality on the pitch are two very different things.
Take Saturday night for example. Wanderers head coach Patrice Gheisar opted for a lineup filled with pace and prowess, a starting XI which — on paper — looked ready to shred a Pacific side down on their luck. For nearly 45-minutes, the Wanderers looked the better team despite conceding first. They finished the half with almost 70 per cent possession. And although down a goal, the players were playing Gheisar's style of front-footed, attacking football. Coming back to salvage a point, or even a win, at Starlight Stadium seemed well within their abilities.
But any possibility of earning a result on Vancouver Island shrunk dramatically when centre-back Dan Nimick was sent off in the 43rd minute, reducing the Wanderers to 10 men. You can argue referee Alain Ruch's first booking for the Labradorian-born defender, given roughly five minutes earlier for argument, but the truth is Nimick didn't do himself any favours. He put himself in a position — his arm draped around Pacific's Moses Dyer's neck — where Ruch was forced to send him off.
There were several instances in the second half where the Wanderers became frustrated and lost their cool. Midfielder Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé was booked for argument in the 52nd minute, his seventh yellow card of the season . The body language of the squad, as a whole, wilted when Pacific scored off a penalty to give them a 2-0 lead. However, things really escalated in the 74th minute as centre-back Cale Loughrey made a booming challenge, earning him a yellow, and then proceeded to yell in Ruch's face in a fit of frustration. Ruch duly sent him off, ending any whisper of a comeback and, potentially, Halifax's playoff hopes.
Looking ahead to the Wanderers' next match against Forge on September 14, they have lost their most dependable centre-back pairing in Nimick and Loughrey as both have been handed one match suspensions. Both are players Gheisar has leaned heavily on this year and means they'll sport a young backline, with players playing outside their natural positions, against the hottest club in the CPL.
Asked post-match about teaching players to keep their heads in critical moments, Gheisar said it hinges on players not getting in their own way.
"Listen, Dan (Nimick) wasn't helped by the first yellow. I really can't take that into him. Cale's first yellow was not it. No one is perfect, you're going to get a call that you don't like but it's what you do after that. You've got to tighten up, you've got to think about every decision and you've got to play within the white lines, within the rules of the game," he said.
"Do I think either of those first yellows were correct? I don't know, I have to (watch) it. But I do think we didn't help ourselves with a second yellow. Both of them have been in this league for two years now, Cale, for three, both have been in good situations and played a playoff game. I'm sure they'd want to take it back. I'm going to continue to support them. I can't say I'm happy with what happened but I can tell you for sure, neither are they."
Gheisar's messaging is perhaps best summed up by a single comment.
"We've got to learn not to self-destruct, too," he said.
It's a lesson the Wanderers have failed to learn this season and it's cost them dearly. They lead the league with six red cards in 21 matches. Somehow, young goalkeeper Aiden Rushenas' two starts have seen a combined three red cards dished Halifax's way. What's even more baffling is that the bulk of the Wanderers red cards have come on the road; they've earned five sending offs in their 11 matches away from the Wanderers Grounds.
Some of the Wanderers' red cards can be attributed to unlucky calls but the truth is their inability to control their emotions is sinking their season.
Be it Loughrey on Saturday night or Gagnon-Laparé against Forge earlier this season, losing concentration and playing emotionally is a big reason why they've only managed to accumulate a mere four away points this year. That fact alone may be the biggest single reason they may miss the playoffs. One win, one draw and nine losses on the road is dismal for any football club.
The season is at a juncture when pressure is at its highest. Making or missing the playoffs is separated by a razor's edge. Players, some of whom are running out of contract, are performing to make a playoff push and to show that they belong in this league. The fifth and final playoff spot — held by a floundering Vancouver FC — is still up for grabs.
Which is what makes Halifax's implosion against Pacific so deflating: with the opportunity to jump an opponent and be within three points of a playoff spot for the first time in a long time, they let the gravity of the match get the better of them. They lost concentration and ended up with two reds cards. They self-destructed.
Speaking post-match, Gagnon-Laparé waved off the result, looking instead to their coming homestand and the club's seven remaining matches. Mathematically, their hopes remain alive.
"We all know every game has big, big importance and I feel like we prepared the right way this week, we prepared the week before that. We've had a good streak at home. We'll do everything to keep that going. It's just one game," he said.
"It's not like it's the end of the world."
Cover Photo Credit: Canadian Premier League
