Final Score: HFX Wanderers 1-1 Vancouver FC
Goalscorers: Collomb 11′; Hundal 45+2′
Game of the 2023 season: 9
CPL match: 376

Match in a minute or less

For the first time in 2023, the Halifax Wanderers played at home, as they welcomed Vancouver FC to Wanderers Ground for their home opener on Saturday.

Playing in front of a sold-out crowd on a sunny Halifax afternoon, the Wanderers got off to a dream start, too, as they grabbed an early lead through Théo Collomb in the 11th minute.

From there, however, Vancouver would do well to snatch one back before half time, as Shaan Hundal did well to get on the end of a perfect Gael Sandoval cross.

As a result, that left both teams to share the spoils in this game, as Vancouver was able to spoil the Wanderers’ party by finding a way to get the draw over the line.

Three Observations

Bold adjustments allows Vancouver to capitalize on Wanderers’ end-of-half woes:

If there’s one thing that the Wanderers can be proud of through three games of CPL action, it has to be their strong starts.

In each match, the Wanderers have managed to come out and grab the first goal, all in the first half, doing so while playing aggressively on the front foot.

Conversely, for all of the joy they’ve had early on, however, things typically haven’t ended well for them in matches. In each of these games, three 1-1 draws, they’ve allowed a goal in the last five minutes of a half, as they’ve been just unable to see any victories over the line.

Yet, in this game, the way Vancouver went about rescuing a point is worth acknowledging.

With their back against the ropes after the first 25 minutes, trailing 1-0, they knew that they needed to change something. Seeing that the Wanderers were seemingly growing by the minute, fuelled by the boost provided by their sold-out crowd, they knew that conceding a second goal would be a backbreaker.

Which, to their credit, they’d find a way to do. Starting on the pitch, as Gabriel Bitar started to take over the game, that then led to a big moment in the 35th minute, when head coach Afshin Ghotbi made a gutsy move.

After handing 22-year-old Nathaniel St. Louis his first-ever professional start in midfield, Ghotbi felt that he was struggling to keep up with the game, so he decided to make an early change. As a result, he brought on usual starter Nima Moazeni Zadeh, who started on the bench after being late to a team meeting in the lead-up to this match.

It was a bold decision, as that close to half, it would’ve been easier to wait until the break to make such a change, especially given that it’d save them a substitution window. Instead, feeling that his team needed a boost in midfield, Ghotbi went for it.

As a result, they’d be able to find a goal before half, turning that momentum into a tally after knocking on the door several times.

Had they not been able to do that, it could’ve been a long day for them, as it would’ve been hard to imagine them getting back into the game without a first half marker, showing why their resilience was so key.

“The beginning and end of halves are very critical moments,” Ghotbi said afterwards. “And that’s when you need the highest concentration. We’re a fit team, and you could see that in the first half, even in the 45th minute, how explosive and how dangerous we were, so it was really critical (to score). I think if we don’t get that goal, I’m not sure if we get this point today.”

Meanwhile, for Halifax, that’ll leave them to get back to the drawing board. On one hand, they have to be pleased with how they’re starting games, but they also know that how they finish them is just as important.

Be it by grabbing a second goal, or just tightening the ship when they get that lead, they need to manage leads better, something they’re well aware of.

“These things that are happening to us is because we’re trying to play (aggressively),” Wanderer’s head coach, Patrice Gheisar,  explained afterwards. “Because you could argue that at 1-0, as some of the teams in the league do, we could just bunker back and wait for a counter. So that’s going to take some time, but it’s something to address, for sure.”

Vancouver’s front three continues to find chemistry:

After not scoring in their first-ever CPL game, Vancouver have done well to grow offensively since, as after this match, they’ve now found the back of the net in back-to-back games.

Not only that, but they’re looking very dangerous in the final third, too, doing well to generate chances for themselves. That’s reflected in the numbers from this match, for example, as they generated 1.36 xG to the Wanderers’ 0.95, showing how they were able to generate quality looks in front of goal.

Yet, that’s a credit to their front three of Shaan Hundal, Gael Sandoval and Gabriel Bitar, who after not starting together in the opening match, have looked very dangerous playing together over the last two games.

Led by Hundal up front, who has two goals in those two games, enough to lead the league as of writing, with Bitar and Sandoval deployed underneath him, they’ve been lethal every time they get on the ball.

Bitar, in particular, has been very good across these two games, doing well to bring his teammates into play, while also not being afraid to have some looks of his own.

From there, Sandoval has done well to grow each game, as he gets up to full fitness, while Hundal continues to get himself in good positions, with his goal in this game being another great example of that.

“Those are two of the best forwards in the league, so it’s really easy to play with them,” Bitar said after the game of Sandoval and Hundal “I feel like it was a bit hard for us at first, as it was the first time ever played together, but now we’re finally getting each other and starting to click.”

Plus, it feels like this trio isn’t at their full potential quite yet, either. For example, they could’ve easily scored more than they did in this game, as they’re still improving their chemistry with one another, especially when it comes to executing on the final action of certain moves.

Therefore, it’s intriguing to see how they’ll grow from this as this season goes along. As seen through two games, with Vancouver allowing just three goals in three games, there’s no doubt that this team can defend, with their defensive shape being a big priority for them since day one.

Yet, the big question was going to be about who would score the goals, but based on the last two games, it looks like this trio should be more than capable of helping them find offence going forward.

“I think they all have something special and different,” Ghotbi said of his trio. “They complement each other. As we can see, even when Hundal doesn’t play well, he can finish his chances, and he finished his chance today, and could’ve had another one.”

“And then Sandoval has the creativity and the eye to see things and to play balls in the perfect positions to put other players in scoring positions. Then Bitar is also very creative, he can dribble past players, he can combine, he can shoot.”

“I think it’s a nice combination, and those three will only get better as they play more together.”

Fluidity on the ball continues to grow for Wanderers, but finishing remains elusive:

When the Wanderers get going in possession, it can be quite a sight to see.

Take their first goal, as an example. After a good string of build-up play, they did well to carve through Vancouver with one clever sequence of play, doing well to manipulate the space available to them on the pitch.

It might’ve been a bit more direct than we’re used to seeing from them, as they prefer to break teams down with intricate passing, but it was still a prime example of what this Wanderers team wants to be about – fluid, free and direct in their offensive play.

“There’s a lot of chemistry we still need to find, but I think we’re on the right path and we’re working through it,” Halifax’s Collomb said afterwards. “So that’s been good to see.”

Unfortunately, for all of the good moments that they’ve had on the ball through three games, they’ve only got three goals to show for it, as they’re yet to score more than one goal in a match.

Plus, in all three games, they’ve been unable to maintain that fluidity across a full match, especially once they get on the board.

That’s been a worry, as that’s allowed teams to get back in games, something that could be avoided if the Wanderers’s found a way to turn these 1-0 leads into 2-0 markers, instead of allowing their opponents to come back and make it 1-1.

At the same time, this early in the season, it’s too early to hit the panic button quite yet in that regard. Given that this Halifax team is still adapting to life under their new head coach, as well as several new signings, that chemistry will only develop with time.

Therefore, Gheisar remains pleased with what he’s seen so far on the ball. The patterns are coming into place, so now, the next step is turning them into final actions on a more consistent basis.

All while finding a way to tidy things up defensively, especially when they have the lead, that will be key if they’re to start turning these draws into wins.

This early in the season, however, they’re getting points on the board, and that’s encouraging, so now, the next step is just building off that by turning those positive performances into wins.

“We want that win so badly that when we go up 1-0, it’s like we’re seeing a light at the end of the tunnel,” Gheisar explained. “And I think what we need to say to ourselves is that no, it doesn’t matter if it’s the 85th minute, I want a second goal. I think when that win comes, it’ll feel like gold, and that confidence will get the guys going and will give them the courage that we want.”

“The style we play is not easy, it’s pleasing on the eye to watch, and I hope the fans appreciate it, and in time, things will click and we’ll be off in the right direction.”

CanPL.ca Player of the Match

Théo Collomb, HFX Wanderers

Handed his first start of the season up front for Halifax, Collomb made the most of the chance, grabbing a goal. Along with three chances created and three shots, he was dangerous all game, too, causing all sorts of problems for Vancouver’s defenders. Given the competition he has up front, it was a statement performance, as he looks to show that he could potentially earn more starts in the future if he keeps this up.

What’s next?

The Wanderers are back in action next weekend, as they head to Winnipeg to take on Valour on Saturday, May 6th at IG Field (3:00 p.m. CT/5:00 p.m. AT). Meanwhile, Vancouver will head to Langley to play their first-ever home game in club history, when they host Cavalry FC at Willoughby Community Park (4:00 p.m. PT/5:00 p.m. MT).

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