2024 CPL Regular Season — Match #32
Halifax Wanderers FC vs. Pacific FC
June 8, 2024 at 3 p.m. AT/11 a.m. PT
Wanderers Grounds in Halifax, Nova Scotia
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Week nine of the 2024 Canadian Premier League season kicks off in Halifax on Saturday, as Halifax Wanderers FC welcome Pacific FC to the opposite coast for an afternoon clash at Wanderers Grounds.

These sides have met once already this season, on the opening weekend at Starlight Stadium. Ayman Sellouf had the lone goal of the game, scoring from the penalty spot in the 35th minute to pick up three points for Pacific.

That match was the first in a five-game clean sheet streak for the Tridents to begin the year, a CPL record for the longest time without conceding a goal. In the three matches since, however, Pacific has lost twice — 1-0 to Atlético Ottawa and 2-1 to rivals Vancouver FC — and drawn once — a 1-1 stalemate last weekend at home to Cavalry FC.

In last week’s match, Steffen Yeates found the back of the net six minutes in for the hosts. They couldn’t find a second, however, and had to settle for a point when Tobias Warschewski equalized in the 67th minute. The Tridents will be without both Yeates and Reon Moore for Saturday’s match, as both are away with the Trinidad and Tobago national team for World Cup qualifiers.

Adonijah Reid and Georges Mukumbilwa will both miss out as well as they recover from injuries, and according to PFC boss James Merriman are close to returning.

Halifax will be without a pair of key Trinidadians as well, with Ryan Telfer and Andre Rampersad away with the national team as well as they try to find their first victory of the CPL campaign.

The Wanderers had a 2-0 lead away to league leaders Atlético Ottawa last weekend, with just seven minutes left in the 90. Moments after Ollie Bassett pulled a goal back for the hosts in the 84th minute, Wanderers forward Tiago Coimbra was given a second yellow card and sent off for time wasting after delaying a restart by kicking the ball away. That yellow card came after another unnecessary one for taking off his shirt while celebrating the goal that doubled the lead. In the 11th minute of a lengthy stoppage time period, Ottawa scored a remarkable equalizer off the head of Alberto Zapater, rescuing post and denying the Wanderers what would have been their first win of 2024.

Instead, however, that push continues for the Haligonians, and they’ll have another crack at it in their eighth league match of the season on Saturday afternoon at Wanderers Grounds.

All CPL matches are available to stream on OneSoccer, FuboTV, or on TELUS Optik TV Channel 980.

3 THINGS TO WATCH

• Can Halifax pick up first win of 2024 on home soil?: Despite being seconds away from getting into the win column in Ottawa last week, Halifax Wanderers FC are still looking for their first win of 2024. That match was progress for Patrice Gheisar’s side, who played with confidence and scored a couple of impressive team goals. Still winless, however, small victories won’t really cut it anymore — it’s time to start racking up the points. They’ll be hoping to do so at Wanderers Grounds, their often-sold-out stadium on the east coast that was something of a fortress in 2023 but has not seen a victory yet in 2024.
• Both sides missing key Trinidadians: When Halifax and Pacific take to the pitch on Saturday, both sides will be doing it without a pair of Trinidad and Tobago internationals. Wanderers duo Ryan Telfer and Andre Rampersad join Tridents pair Reon Moore and Steffen Yeates with the national team for World Cup Qualifiers, along with Cavalry FC striker Malcolm Shaw. Both Moore and Telfer scored for the Soca Warriors on Wednesday in a 2-2 draw with Grenada, and the squad plays again against Bahamas on Saturday. Moore has missed the last three league matches for Pacific after being sent off against Forge in May and getting suspended, while Yeates has established himself as a key midfielder for the team this season. Rampersad is Halifax’s longtime club captain, while Telfer — the scorer of the first goal in CPL history — is adjusting to life on the east coast after coming back to Canada this season to join the Wanderers.
• Tridents looking to get back into the win column in league action: After a historic start to the season that saw them keep clean sheets in five consecutive league matches to begin the year, Pacific FC have lose twice and drawn once, slipping down a couple of spots in the table. They did beat CPL leaders Atlético Ottawa in the Canadian Championship during that span, booking a ticket to the semifinals, but they will be keen on halting this league winless run as soon as possible. If they are to do so, they need to be more clinical in attack from open play with two of their four most recent goals in all competitions coming from the penalty spot.

PROJECTED STARTING XIs

Halifax Wanderers FC: Fillion; Fernandez, Nimick, Loughrey, Timoteo; Callegari, Gagnon-Laparé; Ferrazzo, Probo, Bayiha; Ferrin

Pacific FC: Gazdov; Dada-Luke, Meilleur-Giguère, Amedume, Lajeunesse; Young, Toussaint, Lamothe; Heard, Zanatta, Sellouf

ALL-TIME SERIES

Halifax Wanderers FC wins: 5 || Pacific FC wins: 9 || Draws: 6

Last meeting:

April 13, 2024 — Pacific FC 1-0 Halifax Wanderers FC