| Final Score: Halifax Wanderers FC 3-0 Pacific FC Goalscorers: Johnston 51', Callegari 55' (PK), Juhmi 69' (OG) Game of the 2025 season: 93 CPL Match: 688 |
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Match in a minute or less
The Halifax Wanderers won the latest coastal clash against Pacific FC on Saturday afternoon, scoring three times in the second half to move closer to clinching a playoff spot.
After a scoreless first half, the Wanderers scored twice in the first ten minutes of the second half, with Isaiah Johnston chipping the ball over Sean Melvin before Lorenzo Callegari doubled the lead from the penalty spot. Rea contributed to a third goal as well to put the cherry on top of a dominant second half, taking the shot that deflected off Roshawn Juhmi and into the back of the Pacific net to make it 3-0.
With the win, Halifax will secure their playoff spot later on Saturday if Valour FC fail to beat Cavalry FC in Calgary. Pacific could be eliminated on Sunday if Cavalry wins and York United pick up a point or more against Vancouver FC on Sunday.
Three Observations
Another Wanderers home outburst has them on the verge of clinching a playoff spot
Home, sweet home.
The Halifax Wanderers have scored eleven goals in their past three matches on the east coast, including putting three more into the back of the net on Saturday in front of another near-capacity crowd. The win puts them on the verge of clinching a playoff spot, just needing Valour FC to lose or draw against Cavalry FC at ATCO Field later on Saturday to make it official -- a result that would also book Cavalry's spot in the postseason.
Not content with just a playoff spot, head coach Patrice Gheisar and midfielder Isaiah Johnston also stressed their desire to finish in the top three or four to guarantee a home playoff game where they can use their own fans, and extended travel for their opponents, to their advantage. Avoiding the Knockout Match midweek between the fourth and fifth place sides would be an advantage to finishing higher up the table as well.
The Wanderers hit the road next weekend to play a Vancouver FC side that has struggled in CPL play and sits bottom of the table, but Martin Nash's side will also consider resting players as they play the Canadian Championship final the following Wednesday against Major League Soccer's Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place. That CPL game is mostly inconsequential for the Eagles, but it presents a huge opportunity for Halifax to pick up three more points.
Vancouver has shipped 52 goals in 23 games at the time of publication, but will play York United on Sunday night as they too could be playing to clinch a playoff spot. If Halifax can attack Vancouver the way they did Pacific -- ruthlessly, and directly -- they will cause that team a lot of problems.
Wanderers' depth and versatility important as players near return to full fitness
When the team sheet was revealed ahead of the match, many assumed Ryan Telfer would be playing striker for Halifax in the absence of Tiago Coimbra and Jason Bahamboula. Telfer was instead played as a left wingback -- a position he has played before, but a different one from the more attacking roles he has become accustomed to with the Wanderers.
Coimbra had missed a handful of matches with injury, and did return to the bench on Saturday, but was not substituted in after the Wanderers' scoring outburst -- while Bahamboula suffered an injury ahead of last weekend's match in Calgary and has an unclear timetable for his return. Telfer started that match in Calgary at striker, but Yohan Baï was preferred up top in this one. Baï put in a good shift, and won the penalty that would be converted for Halifax's second goal, and could get the nod again if Coimbra isn't quite ready to start already. There has been no indication that the latter is the case, but easing Coimbra back in ahead of a crucial stretch of the season could be how Gheisar approaches it next weekend in Vancouver.
Next to Telfer, centre-back Nassim Mekidèche also played the full 90 minutes in his first start since late June, after getting about 20 minutes off the bench last weekend. His return, along with the recent substitute appearances from Julian Dunn after a long injury layoff, are coming at exactly the right time for the Wanderers, whose depth will be tested in this final stretch of the season -- especially if they are going to play in the midweek Knockout Match between the fourth and fifth-place teams in the first round of the playoffs. Being able to bring club captain Andre Rampersad and usual starting left wingback Wes Timoteo off the bench is a luxury as well, in addition to recent signing Reshaun Walkes who can provide more energy off the bench in the attacking line.
In an ideal situation, as the Wanderers get back to full strength these battles for minutes will bring out the best in everyone, in the part of the season where the pressure to perform will ramp up several notches.
Key Pacific players missing as they slide toward elimination
Every game at this point of the season is crucial, especially for a team like Pacific FC who is now on the verge of elimination after a defeat on Saturday.
The Tridents were missing a handful of key players, with Marco Bustos' absence the most surprising. Bustos is nursing a minor injury according to head coach James Merriman, and was left back home on Vancouver Island to recover. He isn't expected to be out for very long according to the Tridents boss, but it is always noticeable when he is not on the pitch -- even if this year's goals and assist tallies don't necessarily reflect the impact he has on the club's attack.
Also missing through injury was Lukas Browning Lagerfeldt, who suffered a leg injury in Ottawa a few weeks ago and could be out for the season. Merriman said pregame that there just might not be enough time left in the season to heal and reintegrate the Swedish midfielder, as is the case for Brazilian midfielder Daniel de Pauli, who has been out of the squad since mid-June with an injury of his own. Central defender Aly Ndom, who is also Pacific's leading scorer, missed this game because of a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation, and his presence was especially felt during the rough start to the second half where the Wanderers found two quick goals, and then added to it later.
Individual mistakes leading to two goals to kick off the second half sunk the Tridents in this game, and likely their season as a whole. They could never dig themselves out of that hole, and conceded a third on an unfortunate deflection off of Roshawn Juhmi to put the nail in the coffin. It is the latest example of them failing to rise to the occasion when they need points the most, and they will subsequently end the weekend in seventh place.
Acknowledging how big of a missed opportunity this game was -- an unfortunate theme for the Tridents in both recent weeks and across this season as a whole -- both Merriman and midfielder Sean Young were emotional after the match. As a result of this defeat, the club will officially miss the playoffs for the first time since 2019 if York United FC win or draw against Vancouver FC on Sunday.
What They Said
"I'm still very hopeful for third place. We will take any position and we end up at and fight it out. If it does happen, you have a little bit of relief, but we're not afraid of earning it ourselves. We're not afraid of playing anyone, anywhere, and I'm really happy to see the courageous behaviour that the group had today." — Halifax Wanderers head coach Patrice Gheisar
"We've got a couple draws when we needed wins, and the same thing losses when we need wins. We're at the point where if we're not already out mathematically, it's going to be very tough to make the playoffs, but that's that. We got our chances to win games, we haven't executed." — Pacific FC midfielder Sean Young
CanPL.ca Player of the Match
Sean Rea, Halifax Wanderers FC
With an assist on the winning goal, and the shot that led to the own goal for Halifax's third, Sean Rea was the key figure in the Wanderers attack all afternoon.
What’s next?
Pacific head to Ontario next to play league leaders Forge FC on Saturday, September 27 (4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT). The Wanderers are in action the next day, visiting Vancouver FC at Willoughby Community Park on Sunday (6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT).
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