HFX Wanderers FC announced on Wednesday that 2021 CPL Player of the Year João Morelli will miss the remainder of the 2022 season, having suffered a serious anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury near the end of the club’s match against Atlético Ottawa last Saturday.
Morelli, a 26-year-old hailing from Itu, Brazil, has been part of the Wanderers and a star player in the CPL since 2020. Last year, he earned the league’s top individual honour as well as the Golden Boot award after scoring 14 goals in 21 games for Halifax.
In the first two matches of the 2022 season, Morelli remained the focal point of the Wanderers’ attack, scoring the club’s first goal of the season from a penalty kick in their 1-0 win over York United on April 7. Toward the end of their match in Ottawa, though, Morelli appeared to seriously injure his left knee and needed to be stretchered off the pitch by medical staff.
“It’s a difficult time for me, but it happens. Our job is cruel sometimes,” Morelli said in an interview with CanPL.ca on Wednesday.
He added: “There’s so many images and thoughts going through your mind at at that point, you can’t really explain what it is. It’s just like a movie replaying in my head over and over again. Honestly, I couldn’t even feel the pain at that point; my leg was numb, I was just talking so calmly. I got scared at first, because you know you you’re injured, but there’s a movie in your head, probably the best time in my career and something like this happening.
“I held my tears as much as I could but when I realized I was getting off on a stretcher I couldn’t hold it back. I posted on my Instagram and Twitter, the players and supporters there — honest I’m really thankful that they reacted that way because it’s not always like this.”
The club has now confirmed that MRI scanning revealed the injury to be a torn ACL, which will rule Morelli out for the rest of the 2022 campaign. However, club president Derek Martin was quick to assure fans that the organization will do all it can to support Morelli and facilitate him making a full recovery as soon as possible.
In December 2021, the Wanderers signed Morelli to a two-year contract extension through 2023, so they’ll be anxiously awaiting his return to the pitch next season.
“First and foremost, we are committed to João receiving the absolute best medical care possible to ensure his successful recovery from this unfortunate injury,” Martin said in a statement. “João remains a big part of the Wanderers family, and we will support him every step of the way. I can’t wait to see him scoring goals at the Wanderers Grounds in 2023.”
With Morelli sidelined, the Wanderers confirmed that they will be looking to add a new player to their roster, either international or domestic, as soon as possible to fill the open spot in their squad within the CPL’s roster relief provisions for players with season-ending injuries.
“João is an immense talent and we will miss his skill and passion on the pitch, but we have built a team full of men who we believe in as a club,” added Sporting Director Matt Fegan. “These players now have the opportunity to rise to the moment and carry the team forward to a CPL title challenge this season.”
Morelli added that he will, of course, continue to do what he can to help support the club and his teammates while he recovers from the injury.
“This is all I can do for them, I’ll try my best to be a positive piece in this team still,” he said. “It will be really hard for me not being on the pitch because I really love this, but again, this is my job right now. I want them to have success this year, even though I won’t be one of the players playing. I’m still part of the team and I want to help everyone the way I can.”