PALERMO: With Henry signed, does Halifax boast the best CB pairing in CPL this season?
"Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles," said the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson.
The old soccer cliché seems to ring true every year in leagues around the world. We’ve seen it play out in the Canadian Premier League, too.
Just last year, Forge FC’s stout backline led the club to a third North Star Shield in four years. The league's best defence through 28 regular season games remained solid throughout the playoffs, conceding just twice in three games and posting a famous shutout in the final.
Through 61 games played in the 2023 CPL season, goals have been a bit harder to come by than in years past. With each contest averaging just shy of 2.5 goals a game, 2023 is on pace to become the lowest-scoring campaign since the inaugural season. Combined with the continued deployment of some excellent league veterans, savvy recruitment has played a big part with regard to the solidity seen at the league's top defensive units.
Canadian international Doneil Henry is the latest headline-worthy signing who looks ready to make waves in the heart of Halifax’s defence. A trusted figure of the Canadian men’s national team for years, Henry has both plied his trade overseas and proven himself within Canada’s borders during stints with Toronto FC, the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Ottawa Fury.
Now competing in Canada’s domestic top flight, his arrival begs the question: Which CPL team has the best centre-back pairing in 2023?
⚓️ Got our guy 🫡
— Halifax Wanderers FC (@HFXWanderersFC) July 18, 2023
New name to cheer for at Wanderers Grounds 📢#TogetherFromAways #COYW pic.twitter.com/kQfTWEqdZZ
The top of the table seems like the clear place to start. Even though they have somewhat sputtered in the past few weeks, Pacific FC have been the benchmark in the CPL so far this season. Decisive on both sides of the ball, James Merriman's team has been led by the efforts of Amer Didić and Thomas Meilleur-Giguère at centre-half.
Didić and TMG have continued on as they were in 2022, when the latter player became a starter for Merriman. The chemistry between the two has only improved since last season and although it’s fun to see CPL clubs bring in exciting new players, the league’s best partnership at the moment has taken some time to develop over the last couple of years.
One of, if not the best defender the league has ever seen, Didić hasn’t slowed down a tad during his sophomore season on Vancouver Island. Remarkably sitting tied for fifth in the Golden Boot standings, Didić remains one of the division’s biggest threats from set pieces and is equal with Terran Campbell on three headed goals. He has also been able to use his noggin' to win a league-leading 45 duels in the air, coming out on top of those battles 83 percent of the time.
GOAL 🔱@PacificFCCPL cut one back vs. @HFXWanderersFC via Amer Didic on the corner kick pic.twitter.com/yYoxqxUalG
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) July 12, 2023
As great as they've been, the best ability for Pacific's centre-back pairing has been their availability. No other partnership in the league has played as many minutes together, helping the Tridents reach an unmatched level of consistency, especially through their first dozen matches of the season.
Tied alongside Pacific with just 15 goals conceded , Valour FC have been stellar defensively, but the exact opposite on the other end of the pitch, leaving them 7th in the league in scoring. Abdou Samaké and Guillaume Pianelli have performed admirably thus far, but each have dealt with injuries, leaving the club shorthanded in the defensive department on a few occasions. Club captain Andrew Jean-Baptiste is just beginning to get more minutes under his legs after missing the first eight league outings of the season which should make this team even tougher to break down.
Cavalry FC have taken some time to find their groove in 2023, but they now find themselves within striking distance of top spot, sitting just two points below Pacific in the table. Callum Montgomery's absence was a big blow for Tommy Wheeldon Jr. after the Nanaimo native was brought to Calgary in the offseason, but the emergence of Udoka Chima beside Daan Klomp has pushed the group higher up the standings after a shaky start.
One of the league's more underrated figures, Klomp hasn’t missed a single minute of action for Cavalry as they’ve put together four wins in their last five. Making his mark in a number of categories as the leader of the defence, Klomp has the seventh most aerial duels won and eight most clearances in the league.
Just below Cavalry you'll find Forge, who have not yet played up to the lofty expectations set for them year in, year out. Bobby Smyrniotis has tinkered with his side more so than he did last season, with the personnel changing around week-to-week. Manjrekar James, who joined the club in the offseason has been a constant in the backline though. Although he has won more duels than any defender, James has done more than just the dirty work in Steeltown. He’s completed 76 more passes than any defender in the league and has top-ten numbers at the position for key passes and accurate long balls.
Other than a four-game spell in which the Hammers allowed 10 goals in June, the defence has not been the reason why Forge haven’t been able to dominate in a fashion they’ve become accustomed to. Because of the constant lineup shuffling you can’t say at this point that a James-led pairing is the league’s best, but this could change come the season’s end if James is able to form a consistent partnership with either Achinioti-Jonsson or Garven Metusala.
A brick wall at the back 🧱@ForgeFCHamilton's @ManjrekarJames is the CPL Player of the Week, presented by @MapleLodgeFarms! 🔨#CanPL pic.twitter.com/5uxjG9f9A3
— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) May 2, 2023
Like James, Henry comes into the league as a tested Canadian international defender, and he will aim to have a similar impact on the East Coast under Patrice Gheisar. Ready to give it his all for his new side, it might take a few weeks for the three-time Voyageurs Cup champion to get into gear on account of his lack of first team minutes over the past two seasons.
Once he’s ready to go, all signs point towards Henry slotting in next to Daniel Nimick in Halifax’s back four. Nimick has been one of the league’s brightest defenders in his first CPL season after shining at Western Michigan University. With an assist and stoppage time winner already to his name, Nimick has excelled in Gheisar’s possession focused system, showing off his ball-playing skills and passing range. He leads all defenders with 88 accurate long passes, and is the most accurate distributor at the position for players who have made more than 30 long passes.
GOAL 🌊
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 30, 2023
What a start to this match for @HFXWanderersFC as Massimo Ferrin scores a rocket from just outside of the box!🔥@ForgeFCHamilton will now have to respond!
🔴 https://t.co/7JFAUhgjL6 pic.twitter.com/pzhZ1HMkqz
Cale Loughrey has emerged as the other half of Gheisar’s go-to duo in the back, but unfortunately for him, Henry’s arrival will likely spell the end of his time as a first-choice centre-back. He and Cristian Campagna will serve as depth options for the Wanderers, something that might be necessary given Henry’s lack of recent game time.
As a no nonsense defender who is known more so for his physicality and aerial presence rather than his abilities in possession, Henry could be a great fit next to Nimick for the Wanderers.
With that being said, Pacific’s Didić-TMG partnership should still be viewed as the league’s best pairing … at least, for now.
