Following the announcement of the 2020 season in Prince Edward Island, the Wanderers have moved quickly to complete the signing of two young Canadian players for the Island Games.
Club University pick Jake Ruby has signed to a U SPORTS deal, with Halifax-born Luke Green earning a development contract with the team.
20-year-old Ruby is a promising right-back and Green, who is just 17, an up-and-coming centre-back.
Both players have impressed Wanderers coach Stephen Hart with their attitude throughout preseason training.
“Jake has very strong defensive qualities and he reads the game well and Luke has trained with us since last year and is very calm and measured which are good qualities as a centre-back,” said Hart.
Ruby caught Hart’s attention during a standout year with Trinity Western University in BC, where he’s from.
He is also a former Vancouver Whitecaps Academy player, who has represented Canada at the U 17 level, as well as being invited to train in Germany with FC Nürnberg during a short spell.
“It’s been amazing training with this team and I’m super happy and motivated that there is going to be a league,” Ruby said. “The club gave me the option to go back home because of Covid-19 but I decided the best move was for me to stay here and show my commitment to the club and that was the right decision in the end.”
Green is a player many throughout Nova Scotia already know about from his eye-catching performances with local club Suburban as well as Team Nova Scotia.
Last year he was a regular in ‘The Kitchen’ cheering on his hometown club from behind the goal, while also gaining experience training with Stephen Hart’s squad.
“It’s a dream come true because to watch the team in the first year and to be from the city is unreal, so for me to have this chance to play pro in Halifax means everything,” Green said.
The teenager is also paying credit to Wanderers current assistant coach Mesut Mert, who helped him develop during his time as Technical Director of Suburban.
“Mesut made me into the player I am. Just his style of play, he loves technical players and he made me try to play quick and was all about the passing type of game,” he said.
The signings represent the club’s commitment to developing young talent.
“It reflects our vision for how we can provide a pathway for local players and we definitely have it in our plans to have some form of U 23 team starting next summer that would be made up of players who live or are studying in this region, in a collaboration with Atlantic Universities and Colleges,” said Wanderers VP of Football Operations Matt Fegan.
Both players will travel with the Wanderers squad for the 2020 season in Charlottetown.
The club are continuing to monitor Covid-19 border and visa restrictions to understand when Brazilian defender Eriks Santos could arrive in Canada but are committed to bringing him to Halifax for 2021 if it won’t be possible this season.
The signings complete a whirlwind couple of days for the club after the announcement of the 2020 season and the arrival of Jamaican International forward Alex Marshall.
The club’s goalkeeper coach Jan-Michael Williams is also now in Halifax after travelling from Trinidad and Tobago, completing the club’s coaching staff.
The Wanderers have also unveiled the team’s new away kit, which celebrates Halifax by featuring the Macdonald Bridge. You can get exclusive first-access to the kit by becoming a part of the new national supporters group, The Collective. That’s just one of the many benefits outlined here.
Stay tuned to the club’s social media channels for all the latest preseason news with the Island Games coming up on August 13th.
Come on you Wanderers!