With the Canadian Premier League’s 2023 season just past its midway point, the faculty at CanPL.ca have decided to evaluate each club’s first half of the campaign. All four panelists have assigned a letter grade to every side for their body of work so far, with some advice and areas for improvement for the remaining half of the year as well.
To see report cards for other clubs, click here.
Halifax Wanderers FC
Record so far: 4W, 7D, 4L (19 points)
First half summary:
Mitchell Tierney: As he reaches the halfway point of his first season as a CPL coach, Patrice Gheisar is already making a clear impact on the Halifax Wanderers. Despite significant turnover on the roster, the Wanderers have quickly found an identity and then adapted it to find more results. They have won four straight matches at the Wanderers Grounds for the first time in club history, and have the best home points per game in the league.
GRADE: B
Benedict Rhodes: The results haven’t always gone their way thus far in 2023, but the Halifax Wanderers are looking rejuvenated under new head coach Patrice Gheisar. They are making Wanderers Grounds a fortress again, and playing the exciting, attacking football that their fans have been craving. With a very young squad, they have been prone to making some preventable mistakes, but as they continue to grow into the season, they will feel as though they have every chance at making a playoff run. They should probably be higher up in the table than they are currently, but that can change in the blink of an eye with how tight the race is.
GRADE: A-
Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic: After going winless in their first eight games of the season, Halifax have really found their feet as of late, allowing them to remain in the thick of the playoff race at the midway point. Yet, that’s been a credit to Patrice Gheisar’s plan, as the first-year head coach has preached patience since day one, and has started to see the rewards of that as of late. One of the most fun teams to watch on their day, when their fluid possession game takes hold, led by midfield orchestrator Lorenzo Callegari, it can be a sight to behold, as they employ a style of play that can be pleasing to the eye. Therefore, while that style has also come with all sorts of growing pains, they’ve been betting on the process since day one, and will only continue to double down as the season goes along.
GRADE: A-
Charlie O’Connor-Clarke: The Wanderers had almost an entirely new, much younger team at the start of the year, with first-time pro head coach Patrice Gheisar leading a squad with just seven returning players. Although it took a while for the first win to come (in game nine of the year), they’ve been playing impressive, possession-based football all year anchored by midfield lynchpin Lorenzo Callegari. The Wanderers Grounds seem like a fortress once again, and now the goals are starting to flow courtesy of forwards like Massimo Ferrin and Tiago Coimbra.
GRADE: B+
Second half outlook:
Mitchell Tierney: The second half of the season sets up very nicely for the Wanderers if they can continue their home form. After a road-heavy first half of the season, Halifax have eight home matches in their final 13 games. The return of Joao Morelli, plus the massive signing of Doneil Henry, adds an injection of experience at both ends of the pitch to a talented young group.
Benedict Rhodes: With a lot of home games remaining for the Wanderers, and some key additions to the squad with the return of Joao Morelli and the signing of Doneil Henry, this team has the potential to do some big things down the stretch. If they can continue to grow as a unit and play the entertaining football that Patrice Gheisar has been instilling, they look ready to take the next step and make the playoffs for the first time in a regular, full season in club history.
Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic: It’s worth noting that while the Wanderers started slow, they did also play six of their first eight games on the road. Because of that, they’ve really found form as of late thanks to a run of home games, of which they’ve now won four in a row. Because of that, watch out for them in the second half, as eight of their last 13 games are at Wanderers Grounds. They’ll need to find a way to win on the road, no doubt – they sit as the only team in the CPL yet to do so, but if they keep up this home form, they could make the playoffs off that alone. Therefore, keep an eye on this team, especially as Aidan Daniels, Dan Nimick, Massimo Ferrin and Tiago Coimbra all continue to step up as leaders on this young team, while the 2021 CPL MVP, João Morelli, continues to refind his feet after recently returning from his major knee injury.
Charlie O’Connor-Clarke: This team seems destined to continue its forward progress under Gheisar, as they continue to buy into his system and build strong chemistry. The young core that’s been doing very well so far is about to be reinforced with some veteran wisdom as well; former CPL Player of the Year João Morelli will soon be back in the starting XI, as will Canadian national team icon Doneil Henry. With that kind of experience and leadership, this Halifax side looks poised to develop into a genuine title contender in the CPL.