The 2023 Canadian Premier League playoffs are upon us, and five teams have earned the right to battle for the North Star Cup. This season’s innovative new format gives each side a chance, but rewards regular season success with increasing benefits for higher places in the standings.
With the postseason kicking off on Oct. 11 and running to the end of the month, the team at CanPL.ca has put together comprehensive previews for each of the five playoff-bound clubs. To read the rest of them, click here.
Halifax Wanderers FC – 3rd place, 42 points
Record (W-D-L): 11-9-8
Goals For/Against: 39/32
Top Scorer: Massimo Ferrin (6)
Assists Leader: Lorenzo Callegari (7)
For just the second time in club history, and first time in a full, 28-game season, the Halifax Wanderers will compete in the Canadian Premier League playoffs. Previously falling in the 2020 CPL Final to Forge FC at the month-long Island Games in a bubble environment, the Wanderers will also host a playoff game for the first time, in front of their passionate fans at Wanderers Grounds.
It was a dramatic turnaround from the 2022 season, with an overhauled team and coaching staff — led by first-year head coach Patrice Gheisar — adding 13 points their 2022 tally, and making their home pitch a fortress once again. As the third seed, they will host Pacific FC — the winner of the midweek 4v5 knockout match — at Wanderers Grounds. The Wanderers have proven to be very difficult to beat at home, going 9-1-4 at home, as opposed to 2-8-4 away from the east coast.
If they win their first match at home, they will need to win two more road games in order to lift the North Star Cup, but a rejuvenated team under Gheisar plays with the knowledge that they can go head-to-head with anyone.
How They Got Here
Halifax Wanderers didn’t get off to the best start in 2023, failing to win any of their first eight league matches. The one positive about that stretch was that they didn’t lose many of them either — drawing six of eight before finally picking up their first victory on June 10 at home against Valour FC.
That win was the first of nine at Wanderers Grounds in the regular season, with the club playing to a 9-1-4 record in front of their home supporters. With two thirds of their points — 28 of 42 — coming in Halifax, they will fancy their chances in a home quarterfinal, in a stadium that was sold out for their first home playoff match before the club even know who they’d be playing or when. They love their Wanderers in Halifax, and the fans will provide a huge advantage.
There are a few matches in particular that stand out when looking back on the Wanderers’ season. After finally earning that first win of the season, Halifax went on a good run, beating Cavalry at home, and then picking up a hard-earned point at York Lions Stadium. They followed that with a statement victory over Forge FC to finish the month, with a 100th-minute penalty from Dan Nimick earning the full three points in front of another large crowd.
Patrice Gheisar would be named Manager of the Month at the end of June, and Nimick was the league’s Player of the Month for August, as the Wanderers continued to inch closer to the playoff spot that they would eventually claim.
GOAL 🌊🌊
LATE DRAMA!!@HFXWanderersFC take a 2-1 lead as Daniel Nimick cooly puts away his penalty to take all three points against @ForgeFCHamilton
Do you agree with the penalty call?🤔
🔴 https://t.co/7JFAUhgjL6 pic.twitter.com/xIV1fR1cj5
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) July 1, 2023
Another defining match for the side was the September 18 home match against Atlético Ottawa — another one that was crucial for playoff positioning as the race for spots heated up, and another dramatic victory for the Haligonians. After being down a goal after 45 minutes thanks to former Halifax striker Sam Salter, the Wanderers scored twice in quick succession after the break to take a 2-1 advantage into the late stages of the match. Salter scored again in stoppage time, thinking he had rescued a point for his side, but the home side charged down the pitch, with Tomas Giraldo scoring what would be the match-winning goal in the 92nd minute.
It was a character-building win for the team, and one that they will perhaps try to draw from as a reminder of why many footballers play the game — to represent their club and their city with pride, and to fight until the final whistle to win matches.
Two matches later, at home to Forge FC, Halifax again defeated the reigning champions 2-1 at Wanderers Grounds, to officially clinch their playoff spot. There’s a real possibility that Halifax and Forge meet again in the playoffs — which could happen as early as next weekend, if Forge lose to Cavalry in the 1v2 semifinal and Halifax beat Pacific FC in the quarterfinal.
That’s a lot of ifs, but it goes to show that if the Wanderers feel as though they can go head-to-head with the three-time champions — which they absolutely can — then they’ll fancy their chances against anyone.
3 Key Players
Dan Nimick, Defender
One of the league’s top defenders, Nimick has become a fan favourite in Halifax with his standout performances on both sides of the ball. Defensively, Nimick has the mobility and football IQ to ensure that he can be the defensive solidity his team needs, while also providing a lot in attack. Spending time at right back and centre-back this season, Nimick has scored six goals (four of them from penalties) and added three assists, playing the full 90 minutes in 27 of Halifax’s 28 matches. He’s as reliable as they come, and will need to continue to be in the playoffs.
Lorenzo Callegari, Midfielder
Undoubtedly a Player of the Year candidate after an incredible debut campaign in the CPL, Callegari is the engine in midfield that makes the Wanderers run smoothly. He leads the league in passes with 1,949, nearly 200 more than the next-best player (Manjrekar James of Forge FC). Defensively, he also leads the league with 224 recoveries, 40 more than second place, who is again Manjrekar James. He is also near the top of the pile in assists, tackles, and interceptions — a well-rounded player capable of totally taking control of matches.
Massimo Ferrin, Attacker
Ferrin has not only been the standout attacker in Halifax, but one of the best in the entire league. After winning the League1 Ontario MVP and Golden Boot in 2022, Ferrin joined former Vaughan Azzurri head coach Patrice Gheisar in Halifax, and has adapted very well to the professional level thus far. Ferrin is a technical winger that can strike the ball as well as anyone, and is one of the first names on Gheisar’s team sheet every week.
What They’re Saying
“They are so excited with us making the playoffs, so it is for sure amazing. I hope this is something that we can continue to grow and I think we have to project a higher number next year as we continue to grow and make this place a fortress. It was certainly one of the number one things I talked about, gaining a massive amount of points at home, and we achieved it.”
— Halifax Wanderers head coach Patrice Gheisar
“I think looking back on the season so far, as a team, we can be we can be happy with the performances we put together. It was a very new group coming in, both with the staff and with the players, so it took a little bit for us to gel and really understand each other on the field, but I think you’re starting to see it come together now. We’re right up there at the top of the league with the points, so looking back we can be happy.”
— Halifax Wanderers defender Dan Nimick
Halifax Wanderers FC will win the North Star Cup if…
…they can keep the ball out of their own net and take care of business on the road.
After six games without a clean sheet, Patrice Gheisar’s side put in a strong defensive performance against Valour FC on the final day of the regular season to beat the Winnipeggers 1-0. They were outshot and out-possessed at IG Field, but were able to hold down the fort, and won the match thanks to Massimo Ferrin’s goal early in the second half. With some of the league’s top defenders in Dan Nimick, Cale Loughrey, Doneil Henry, Zach Fernandez, and others — with Yann Fillion between the posts behind them — they will be looking to build on that clean sheet in front of what will be a sold-out crowd at Wanderers Grounds.
It was also just their second road victory of the season, something they need to replicate if they are to successfully advance through the playoffs.
