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‘Everyone has been sharp’ Wanderers close out week two of training camp
March 11, 2022
by
HFX Wanderers FC

The season opener is less than a month away for the Halifax Wanderers Football Club, as the squad closed out the second week of training camp on Friday.

Since March 1, the Wanderers have been on the turf at the BMO Soccer Centre in Halifax, with a visit to York United FC on the horizon (Thursday, Apr. 7) to kick off the 2022 Canadian Premier League season.

“It’s a great feeling for us to be back out, it had been a long offseason,” captain Andre Rampersad said. “We’ve been putting in the work so far and I can’t wait for the season to be started.”

For Rampersad and co., the opening days of training have been about getting touches on the ball, making passes and getting the squad back up to speed.

“It’s just getting to know each other and what everyone likes on the pitch to bring it to the game so we can be more familiar,” Rampersad said.

And with players apart for much of the winter, the focus on getting match fit is ramping up.

“We’ve been training super hard since the start… everyone has been sharp from the start,” midfielder Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé said. “The fitness side is the first part and then we start to work a bit tactically on trying to be quick on the transition.”

The chance to implement some of the early tactical work came for the Wanderers on Friday. Halifax closed out week two with some game action, playing a friendly against CS Dieppe from New Brunswick.

“The players have trained well,” head coach & general manager Stephen Hart said. “We have only played one game together so it’s difficult to measure, but in general they have approached the training and inter-squad games with enthusiasm.”

HFX Wanderers defender Peter Schaale (left) and forward Sam Salter at 2022 training camp (Trevor MacMillan/HFX Wanderers FC)
HFX Wanderers defender Peter Schaale (left) and forward Sam Salter at 2022 training camp (Trevor MacMillan/HFX Wanderers FC)

NEW FACES IN THE CROWD

Taking part in his first training camp with a professional contract in hand, Mohamed Omar joins the Wanderers with his eyes set on making a strong first impression.

“I think I am someone who’s very physical on the field, I want people to know I’m there, but I can also bring that calming side on the ball,” Omar said. “I’m just looking forward to getting out, playing in front of our fans and hopefully we can have a good season

A 2022 Major League Soccer first-round selection, Omar joins a list of recent signings that include fellow Canadians Aidan Daniels, Zachary Fernandez and Obeng Tabi.

The 22-year-old Toronto native and standout player at Notre Dame is excited by the opportunity in front of him, and happy to be a Wanderer.

“I’ve had a number of people reach out to me who have been in the city or played here and everybody has said amazing things about playing at Wanderers Grounds and playing in front of our fans so I’m just looking forward to that first home game.”

The Wanderers continue training in Halifax in the coming days with the countdown on towards that April 7 meeting with York United FC and the home opener on April 30 against FC Edmonton.