---

---

The 2025 Canadian Premier League season kicks off April 5, as Canada's top-flight domestic league enters its seventh season.

In the lead-up to matchday one, we at CanPL.ca will have all you need to know about each of the league's eight clubs. To see every CPL team's season preview, click here.

---

Following a club-best third-place finish in 2023 in Patrice Gheisar's first year as head coach, the Halifax Wanderers spent the entire 2024 campaign below the playoff line. They ultimately finished sixth, missing the playoffs by four points.

The Wanderers went winless for the first nine matches of the season, ten in all competitions including a heartbreaking penalty shootout loss to CS Saint-Laurent in the Canadian Championship -- and never truly recovered.

But Halifax have been hard at work making sure that story doesn't repeat itself in 2025. With some ambitious recruitment, both with their roster and in the front office, the Wanderers enter this campaign with plenty of reason for optimism.

STORY OF 2024

• 2024 CPL regular season record (W-D-L): 7-9-12 (30 pts, 6th place)
• Goals scored: 37
• Goals against: 43
• Goal difference: -6
• Top scorer: Dan Nimick (8)
• Canadian Championship: Lost 2-2 (5-3 on pens.) to CS Saint-Laurent in the preliminary round

For the second consecutive year, the Halifax Wanderers got off to an incredibly slow start -- as after going eight winless to begin 2023 it took them ten matchweeks in 2024 to claim their first victory. They lost five of their first nine.

The Wanderers struggled to play catchup the entire season, shipping a lot of goals in the process. The 43 they allowed was tied with Vancouver FC for most in the league last season, and was the most allowed in a single campaign in the club's history.

Bolstered by a few signings late in the campaign, including midfielder Sean Rea and defender Nassim Mekidèche, the Wanderers actually finished the season reasonably strong -- losing just twice in their final ten matches. But they were also the first club to be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, in a 2-1 loss to Cavalry FC in the penultimate week of the season.

---

ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES

Players in:	Players out:
GK - Sinclair Astridge	GK - Yann Fillion
GK - Rayane Yesli	DF - Zachary Fernandez
DF - Thomas Meilleur-Giguère	DF - Riley Ferrazzo
DF - Adam Pearlman	DF - Cale Loughrey
MF - Alessandro Biello	DF - Dan Nimick
MF - Isaiah Johnston	MF - Aidan Daniels
FW - Jason Bahamboula	MF - Tomas Giraldo
FW - Yohan Baï	FW - Clément Bayiha
FW - Joven Mann	FW - Massimo Ferrin

---

The volume of change is perhaps not as significant as the past few Halifax Wanderers off-seasons, but some previously foundation pieces will not be returning for 2025. It starts in net, with the departure of Yann Fillion, who played in all but four matches for the club over the past two seasons.

The club's two leading goalscorers from 2024 have also left with Dan Nimick (eight goals) joining Forge and Massimo Ferrin (six) departing for hometown York United. Key players from the past two campaigns like Zachary Fernandez, Riley Ferrazzo, Cale Loughrey and Aidan Daniels also left the club.

The Wanderers' replacements for those outgoing players, however, give reason for optimism. In net, the Wanderers added 2023 Goalkeeper of the Year nominee Rayane Yesli. The backline is bolstered heavily by the signing of Thomas Meilleur-Giguère, one of the league's elite central defenders and a 2021 CPL Champion with Pacific FC.

Former York United midfielder Isaiah Johnston adds to an already stacked midfield, while exciting French pair Jason Bahamboula and Yohan Baï give Gheisar some new weapons in attack.

Halifax also added a pair of exciting Canadian youth internationals on loan to help round out their roster, and U-21 minutes, with midfielder Alessandro Biello and central defender Adam Pearlman from CF Montréal and Toronto FC respectively.

---

2025 OUTLOOK

It goes without saying, Halifax need to get off to a better start this year or risk the wheels falling off again.

That goes for both the season itself, and in games. Halifax scored first just six times in 2024, and conceded 17 goals in the first half -- with only Vancouver FC allowing more.

One of the biggest areas of focus for the club remains finding ways to get more points away from home. They managed a league-low six on the road in 2024, and have won just three of 28 matches outside of Halifax over the past two campaigns. The club has put a lot of work this off-season into the processes and strategy involving travel and recovery which should benefit them this year.

Aside from starting matches and road form, the Wanderers allowed 43 goals this past campaign, tied with Vancouver FC for the most in the league and the most in a single season in the club history. The hope is that bringing in a player like Thomas Meilleur-Giguère will bring crucial stability to the club defensively. A no-nonsense central defender who won 67.08 per cent of his duels this past season and finished second in clearances with 138, he could be the perfect answer to the Wanderers' defensive woes. Halifax also made a change in goal, bringing in the promising Rayane Yesli.

With that being said, many of the other numbers suggest Halifax were unlucky to finish where they did last season. They led the league in expected goals with 45.99 (they scored just 37),  and finished tied for second in both shots on target (128) and second in touches in the box (642).

If they can limit the errors and discipline issues (a league leading eight red cards in 2024), the Wanderers have all the talent and depth to return to being a formidable force in the Canadian Premier League.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

"I think our biggest goal is not to lose two games in a row, I think that's imperative for us. We did that in [2023], we never lost two in a row, and we had a great year. So, I think the moral of the story and what we talked about as group is one game at a time. You lose, it's okay, no problem there's no need to have panic, but let's respond immediately the next game after. That's what will define us." -- Patrice Gheisar, head coach

"What I do really like about this team...I just think they have unlimited energy and a relentless attitude. That's something I really enjoy because I think sometimes our pretty football and desire to have possession takes away from how we really compete. So when I look at this group, I see the football, I see the goals, I see the defending. But what I see is a different kind of behaviour that I'm proud of, relentless behaviour, high work rate and a lot of optimism." -- Patrice Gheisar, head coach

---

PROJECTED XI

(3-5-2): Rayane Yesli; Thomas Meilleur-Giguère, Adam Pearlman, Nassim Mekidèche; Yohan Baï, Lorenzo Callegari, Isaiah Johnston, Sean Rea, Wesley Timoteo; Jason Bahamboula, Tiago Coimbra 

With the amount of positional versatility and depth Halifax possesses, particularly in midfield, there are a number of different ways the Wanderers could line up this season.

The one near certainty is that Rayane Yesli will start the majority of matches in net. In front of him, veteran Thomas Meilleur-Giguère is also a lock, and could form a back three with Nassim Mekidèche and Adam Pearlman who are also solid options at central defender.

What remains the biggest question mark with the lineup is what they do on the right flank. Wesley Timoteo has established himself as a solid option as a left full-back, while perhaps newcomer Yohan Baï could adapt a wingback role on the opposite flank.

As aforementioned, in the midfield Halifax have several different combinations they could, and likely will, throw out over the course of the campaign. Lorenzo Callegari, however, is a lock and could be largely be joined by another two players with excellent CPL resumés, Sean Rea and Isaiah Johnston.

Up front, Tiago Coimbra is expected to lead the line, with dynamic attacker Jason Bahamboula providing a different profile alongside him.

ROSTER NOTES

Domestic U-21	Internationals	Loaned In
Sinclair Astridge (U SPORTS)	Jason Bahamboula	Alessandro Biello (CF Montréal)
Alessandro Biello	Yohan Baï	Adam Pearlman (Toronto FC)
Adam Pearlman	Lorenzo Callegari
Tiago Coimbra	Vitor Dias
Camilo Vasconcelos	Giorgio Probo
Tavio Ciccarelli (EYT)
Joven Mann (U SPORTS)