Welcome to CPL5x5. In preparation for the 2023 Canadian Premier League season — the fifth since the league’s inception in 2019 — CanPL.ca will provide full, in-depth preview coverage for each of the eight clubs.
In this series, we’ll break down all you need to know about each team within five sections: Five stats, five key players, five fixtures to circle, five storylines to watch, and five quotes.
To check out the rest of CanPL.ca’s 2023 season preview coverage, click here. To see the other seven clubs’ CPL5x5 breakdowns, click here.
After finishing seventh in the Canadian Premier League last season, and 17 points out of the playoffs, Halifax underwent a massive personnel shift this offseason. It started with replacing Stephen Hart, who had coached this team since its inception, with League1 Ontario Coach of the Year Patrice Gheisar.
A number of mainstays on the Halifax roster also left the club, including local goalkeeper Christian Oxner, Peter Schaale, Akeem Garcia, Alex Marshall, Cory Bent and 2022 leading goalscorer Sam Salter. In total, 15 players departed the club this offseason.
In their place, Gheisar and his staff have recruited an intriguing mix of experienced pros and young prospects with potential. The hope will be that they can give fans at the Wanderers Grounds much more to cheer about than they did in 2022.
5 Stats
Two goals:
Demonstrating the immense amount of turnover from 2022 to 2023 in Halifax, only two goals scored by the club last year were from players currently on the roster. One of those was Joao Morelli, who is expected to miss at least the first half of this campaign, and the other was scored by Aidan Daniels.
Nine games:
There were just nine games last season during which Halifax scored a goal that wasn’t from the penalty spot. The next lowest was FC Edmonton with 27. In total, they scored just 14 times from open play in 2022, underperforming their expected goals by 9.33.
21 goals against:
The Wanderers Ground was hardly the fortress it had been in past seasons in 2022. Halifax tied with FC Edmonton for most goals against at home last season with 21 in 14 matches. They also had the worst home goal differential in the league, at -8.
Two points:
One positive for Halifax in 2022 was when they were able to get a lead, they rarely ever gave it up. The Wanderers dropped just two points from winning positions this past season, which was the best in the league. They were also 6-0-0 when scoring first.
10 penalty goals:
The one area where Halifax’s attack thrived in 2022 was winning and converting penalties. They scored 10 in 2022, the most in the league. While this isn’t necessarily a sustainable or controllable means of offensive output, it does show how many dangerous areas Halifax were able to get themselves into last season. Tricky winger Fumpa Mwandwe remains with the side and with his dribbling ability, football IQ and speed he is likely to win a few more spot kicks.
5 Key Players
Yann Fillion
After seven seasons plying his trade in Europe, with a brief return home in 2019 to play for Toronto FC II on loan, 27-year-old Yann Fillion is returning to Canada. He will be looking to inject some quality and experience behind a young Halifax backline that might require him to bail them out on more than a few occasions.
Cristian Campagna
The 21-year-old central defender was one of the biggest bright spots for Halifax last season. In the six matches he started after joining the club from the Vancouver Whitecaps system at the end of the 2022 season, Halifax conceded just five goals. In just 563 minutes he had 15 interceptions, 22 clearances and 30 duels won. If he can extrapolate that over an entire season, he could be the most exciting young defender in the league.
Ryan James
At 28, Ryan James is the only defender on the Halifax roster who is above 24 years of age. As a result, he will be heavily leaned upon as a leader in the backline. The good news, is that the left fullback has a wealth of experience to draw from, having played 184 games in the USL between Rochester Rhinos, Nashville SC, Pittsburgh Riverhounds and Birmingham Legion.
Andre Rampersad
The Halifax captain — on the verge of making his 100th appearance as a CPL player — will be the central figure in a new-look Wanderers midfield this year. With Jérémy-Gagnon Laparé, Marcello Polisi and Pierre Lamothe all departing for other CPL clubs, Rampersad will be leaned upon as the constant in what could be a few different looks in the middle of the park this season for Patrice Gheisar.
Lifumpa Mwandwe
Mwandwe made just 12 appearances with Halifax last season, and was not able to register a goal or an assist in that time. However, the 22-year-old English attacker was still one of the most exciting players on the pitch last year for Halifax, capable of beating defenders one-on-one and creating plenty of chances. Hopefully, with more offensive support this season, that potential should turn into more productivity.
5 Fixtures to Circle
April 22: Forge FC vs. Halifax Wanderers
Halifax have about as difficult a start to the season as a club could ask for, playing against CPL finalists Atlético Ottawa, and regular season champions, in their season opener on April 15, before they travel to Hamilton to take on CPL champs Forge the following weekend. Halifax has still never won a match in Hamilton.
April 29: Halifax Wanderers vs. Vancouver FC
The Wanderers’ 2023 home opener will also serve as their first-ever meeting with expansion side Vancouver FC. It is an important opportunity to re-establish Wanderers Ground as a fortress in 2023.
June 21: York United vs. Halifax Wanderers
A homecoming of sorts for Patrice Gheisar, who played for York University for five seasons, and was also an assistant at York between 2010 and 2012. The Etobicoke coached in the GTA for over a decade before joining Halifax.
September 4: Halifax Wanderers vs. York United
This match kicks off the busiest stretch of Halifax’s season, as they play six matches in September, four of which will be played at Wanderers grounds, starting with a visit from York United.
September 8: Pacific FC vs. Halifax Wanderers
Four days after playing York, Halifax travels across the country to take on Pacific at Starlight Stadium. They then return home to the east coast for a meeting with Cavalry on Tuesday, September 12 during what might be a critical late-season test of the team’s depth and fitness.
5 Storylines to Watch
Can Yann Fillion bring some solidity between the sticks?
One of the biggest areas of need this offseason for the Wanderers was an improvement in net. Halifax conceded the second most goals in the league last season with 38, just over seven more goals than expected in 2022. As a result, the club decided to release both of its 2022 keepers, Oxner and Kieran Baskett, and bring in the experienced Fillion. If the 26-year-old can prove to be more difficult to score on than his predecessors, Halifax will instantly become a more difficult side to play against.
Where will the goals come from?
Patrice Gheisar has preached the fact that he only knows how to play attacking football. The question, however, quickly becomes whether or not he has the players on his 2023 roster to do that. The uncertainly over 2021 league Player of the Year Joao Morelli looms large here, as he is expected to miss half the season, at minimum with injury. While newcomers Ferrin, Nwafornso and Théo Collomb have all proven to be prolific at different levels, no player other than Morelli on the Halifax roster is a proven goalscorer in the CPL.
The Vaughan Azzuri connection
Patrice Gheisar isn’t the only individual joining Halifax from Vaughan Azzuri this offseason. The coach brought several of his League1 Ontario winning cast of players with him, including league MVP Massimo Ferrin, playoff-leading goalscorer Kosi Nwafornso, and fullback Riley Ferrazo. These players will be key to helping Gheisar form a new club culture in Halifax both on and off the pitch.
Can Halifax make the Wanderers Ground a fortress once again?
Re-establishing their home dominance is likely the quickest way the club can succeed in 2023. Prior to 2022, Halifax had lost just four times in Halifax in CPL action. Having a unique grass surface, plus being one of the furthest trips of the season for most teams in the league affords Halifax a significant advantage at Wanderers Grounds. That is without mentioning one of the best home atmospheres in the league, regardless of how the team is doing has shown that they will show up and cheer them on.
How will Halifax’s new signings adapt to the CPL?
Halifax brought in a lot of players with intriguing profiles this offseason, be it with a history of success in League1 Ontario, USL, academy football in Brazil or the NCAA. They even brought in Lorenzo Callegari, who has played a match for Paris Saint-Germain. However, how exactly these various players will gel together and adapt to the CPL level is one of the biggest question marks surrounding this team. They brought in just two players with CPL experience this offseason, as both Cale Loughrey and Wes Timoteo spent time with FC Edmonton last season.
5 Quotes
“I don’t know if we’re going to win every game. I don’t know if we’re going to win one game. But I can guarantee you we’ll have a clear identity. What did you dream of when you were a kid? You never dreamt of blocking a shot off the goal line and defending; you dreamt of passing and scoring. We want to bring that engagement and fun and upbeat [style] to our fans. No other team in this league has the type of fans we have, and once they see that we’re trying to play, they’re gonna get behind us with twice the effort they already have.”
— Head coach Patrice Gheisar on establishing an identity in Halifax
“When you look at the stands, it’s always full. There are people coming out in every weather. It’s something that you really have to appreciate because over the years … To see the people still coming out, regardless of what is going on in the season it is definitely something to appreciate.”
— Captain Andre Rampersad on the fans at Wanderers Grounds
“As a professional, you never want to lose, evening if it’s in training. [Last year] definitely was a frustrating year. After an off-season of reflection, you’ve got to just put it behind you because the past is the past. You can only impact your future.”
— Midfielder Aidan Daniels on improving from 2022
“I got the call about Halifax, and Patrice Gheisar laid out the project and what the Wanderers want to accomplish, and I was truly convinced by that vision. When you see the highlights of the stadium, the fans and playing on grass, it’s a proper club. Patrice’s project and all those aspects were important to why I wanted to come here.”
— Goalkeeper Yann Fillion on choosing to play for Halifax
“My focus from day one has been to find a winner, a builder and a communicator, and throughout this extensive process, Patrice proved to be the best option for all three. Our ambition is to be perennial winners on and off the pitch, and I believe Patrice has the drive, passion, experience and relationships to get us there.”
— Wanderers Founder & President Derek Martin on the hiring of Patrice Gheisar