Halifax, NS – (January 27, 2023) – The Canadian Premier League today announced the matchups for the opening weekend of the 2023 regular season schedule, presented by WestJet, which will kick off the League’s milestone fifth season.
Atlético Ottawa, 2022 regular season champion and playoff finalist, will host Halifax Wanderers on Saturday, April 15th. New Wanderers Head Coach Patrice Gheisar and the Wanderers will look to spoil Ottawa’s first game at TD Place since last year’s Final, beginning at 1 p.m. ET/2 p.m. AT.
Excitement is building at the Halifax Wanderers Football club as we bring on young talent, innovative thinking and new energy to propel us forward together.
As we enter our fifth season in 2023, here are five things that have been driving our passion this offseason.
Getting back to the Wanderers Grounds
Downtown will be rocking again in 2023 as the Wanderers play in their fifth Canadian Premier League season. In that time the Wanderers Grounds has become famous for its atmosphere and the hardcore fans who call it home.
Newest Wanderer, Callum Watson, explained “I’m excited to showcase myself in front of the fans and hear the noise they create at the Grounds, which was a big factor in why I decided to join this club.”
Though the Grounds remains a temporary pop-up stadium, it has also hosted many other events including Rugby Canada , AUS soccer and local soccer championships.
A new Coach with Championship experience
In the offseason, the Wanderers handed Patrice Gheisar the reins of the ship. Gheisar joins us from Vaughan Azzurri where he finished his last season with a Championship and an 81% win rate. He has been applauded for his entertaining, aggressive and attacking brand of football.
Gheisar has already put his stamp on the team in the short time he’s been in charge. He has brought onto his staff Vaughan Azzurri assistant coach, Jorden Feliciano.
Gheisar has coached four players that went on to play in the 2022 World Cup for Canada. He hopes to add to that total with a focus on youth development in Halifax.
Top Flight Talent join the Wanderers
Gheisar’s recruitment efforts have helped bring on six players to the team from leagues across North America and Europe.
Wanderers Goalkeeper Yann Fillion joins the team from Finnish top-flight team, IFK Mariehamn, where he made 30 appearances in the top tier of Finnish football and an additional 12 matches in domestic cup competition.
Lorenzo Callegari and Tiago Coimbra also joined the 2023 roster. Both players come from world-class academies; Callegari from Paris-Saint Germain and Coimbra from Palmeiras in Brazil.
Joining from Gheisar’s Vaughan Azzurri championship team is forward Massimo Ferrin and left-back Riley Ferrazzo. Ferrin scored 23 goals to capture the Golden Boot and the league MVP.
Future of Football in Canada
The future of football looks bright for 2023. We all saw the excitement of the Canadian Men’s National Team’s appearance in the World Cup. This year we look forward to seeing Vancouver FC join the CPL.
We also look forward to the next chapter of the Wanderers Youth Development project. With this year’s 2023 CPL-U SPORTS draft, the Wanderers continued our commitment to creating more pathways from our region into the first team. Drafted exclusively from Atlantic University Sport, Aiden Rushenas (Dalhousie University) and Anthony Stolar (Cape Breton University) get a chance to earn a first team spot.
All of this happens as we build momentum toward Canada jointly hosting the 2026 World Cup.
The Fans
There would be no Halifax Wanderers without you, the Fans. Your support is what drives us. You are the beating heart of this community and the role the Wanderers play in it.
Together we experience the joy, the hardships and the passion that comes with football. The fans are the pivotal part of our journey and as we look to step toward the 2023 season we are excited to take that step with you by our side.
Alone we are just a droplet. Together we are the ocean.
