Halifax Wanderers FC addressed one of their biggest off-season question marks on Wednesday with the signing of goalkeeper Rayane Yesli. The 25-year-old joins the club on a one-year deal, plus an option for 2026.

In December, the Wanderers confirmed that Yann Fillion, who played in goal for 55 of Halifax’s 59 matches over the past two campaigns, would be departing the club. That left a big hole between the sticks at the Wanderers Grounds for this upcoming season.

Yesli’s 6-7 frame will fill that gap quite nicely. With 43 matches of Canadian Premier League experience between Valour FC and Atlético Ottawa, as well as a Golden Glove nomination after an outstanding 2023 season, he will give the Wanderers a proven option in net, with plenty of potential to reach an even higher level of play.

“First of all, the discussions that I had with Pat [Gheisar] and the coaching staff, Mark [Watson], Matt [Fegan] and Jan-Michael [Williams], the goalkeeper coach, were essential for me to come to Halifax,” Yesli told CanPL.ca. “I was looking for a project which would allow me to continue my growth in the league, and just the conversations I had with them, how great of a city Halifax is, how nice it is to play there, these were all factors that made me decide to go there.”

Yesli, who was born in Tizi Ouzou, Algeria, moved to Montréal when he was two. He came through the CF Montréal academy, before spending time in Italy with Vibonese. He was selected third overall in the 2021 CPL-U SPORTS Draft by Valour, before signing with the club the following season. After two years in Winnipeg, he spent last year in the nation’s capital with Atlético Ottawa.

“We’re delighted to welcome Rayane to Halifax, a quality Canadian goalkeeper who is already very familiar with the demands of the CPL,” said Halifax Wanderers sporting director Matt Fegan. “At 25 years old, he fits a profile our staff were targeting, with his best years ahead of him.”

The Montrealer will be looking to regain his status as a starting goalkeeper in the Canadian Premier League after playing just 11 matches for Ottawa this past season. His last appearance came on Aug. 10, as Nathan Ingham won the net for the remainder of the campaign.

“It wasn’t easy,” said Yesli. “There’s some things that you just can’t control, and you’ve just got to be able to give your best every day. Just try to be a professional and try to get better, which is what I tried to do last year. We had a good year, I had a lot of fun there, met some nice people. But, of course, the main target is always to play.”

Yesli’s opportunity to prove he is still among the best goalkeepers in the league will come for a club that is also looking to prove itself in 2025. After a club-best 2023 campaign, the Wanderers missed the playoffs during a disappointing 2024 season.

A big factor was their struggles to keep the ball out of their net. The Wanderers allowed 43 goals this past season, which was tied with Vancouver FC for the most in the Canadian Premier League and the most goals allowed in a single season in club history.

The Wanderers had already made a significant move in addressing that in December when they announced the signing of Thomas Meilleur-Giguère, one of the top central defenders in the league. He joined a backline with a heavy Québécois contingent, which also includes Yesli’s former Valour FC teammate Nassim Mekideche, Jefferson Alphonse and Kareem Sow. Yesli was also a teammate with Sow at Université de Montréal, while all of that group are from the Montreal area.

“It does help a lot,” said Yesli. “Here in Montreal, we train every off-season together. We know each other well. And just being able to communicate in French makes the information a lot clearer and more efficient. I’m happy to be able to play with them, they’re really good players and I can’t wait for the first day of preseason.”

The Wanderers also have 21-year-old goalkeeper Aiden Rushenas under contract after picking up his club option for 2025. With just four matches of CPL experience under his belt, however, Rushenas will likely once again take an understudy role.

Yesli knows that there will be a lot of pressure on this Halifax team to return to winning ways in 2025, but strongly believes the group has what it takes to get back above the playoff line.

“For the team, I’d say that the playoffs would be the objective,” said Yesli. “And not only that, I think we have the capability of finishing higher in the standing and not just finishing fifth. From an individual point of view, it would be just to try to play as many games I can, and show the level that I know that I can.”

As with any player who signs with the Halifax Wanderers, one of the things Yesli is looking forward to most is stepping out onto the pitch at the Wanderers Grounds as a home player. He knows all too well how difficult it is to be an opposition goalkeeper in Halifax, having won just once in his four career matches at the Grounds, and is looking forward to having those jeers turn into cheers this year.

“Every time you go there, the crowd is electrifying, and they’re really loud behind their team,” said Yesli. “It’s gonna be good to not have that behind my back. They’re great people, they try to disrupt you a bit when you’re in the goal and then that section where they’re right behind you, but, it’s going be fun now to have them on my side and look how they’re trying to distract the other goalkeepers now.”

As one of the league’s most acrobatic and dynamic shot-stoppers over the past few years, Yesli will certainly be a player who gives those Halifax fans plenty to cheer about in 2025. If they can accomplish their goal of a quick turnaround and become competitive with the league’s top teams again, their new goalkeeper will play a significant role.