A long time coming: Morelli scores first of the season in HFX Wanderers 2-0 road win against York United

"I was waiting for the opportunity," says Brazilian star

It had been 479 days since João Morelli last scored a goal in the CPL but he put that number behind him with a clinical finish to help the Halifax Wanderers win their first road match of the season.

The club's 2-0 win against York United represented a milestone for both the club and player as they continue to battle for a playoff spot. The Wanderers now sit fourth on the table with 25 points after finally winning one away from the Wanderers Grounds.

Their record sits at 6-7-4.

For Morelli, his tally is hopefully the first of many as he continues his remarkable journey following a devastating ACL injury which sidelined him for more than a year.

"It's crazy. I told the boys before this is where I scored my last goal and they say some things happen for a reason. Unfortunately, it was because of an injury but I got the opportunity to come on in the first half. I was telling the coach I'm ready, I'm ready, I'm feeling good," said Morelli in an interview with Kristian Jack for One Soccer. "It's been a long journey, man, but I'm really happy."

Head coach Patrice Gheisar and his staff have been very careful to manage Morelli's return to action, spoon feeding him a few extra minutes each match.

However, following a head-on-head collision between Halifax's Théo Collomb and York's Jonathan Grant, Morelli was tapped to go in during the 34th minute, his earliest start of the season.

And he did not disappoint, earning a plethora of chances with his hard work before converting on a low shot in the 61st minute against York keeper Nikolas Giantsopoulos.

Speaking to reporters post-match, Morelli couldn't hide his excitement.

"This is football, it happens like this. I'm really proud of myself and the team. The boys were incredible and I'm really happy to score a goal again," he said with a smile.

But the match wasn't without intensity as the referees handed out four yellows and a red card in the closing few minutes of play. Morelli was in the thick of the action.

He said he feels physically ready to bear the brunt of additional minutes, rough stuff and all.

"Honestly, I felt great. For me, as a player, its easier to play more minutes from the beginning instead of coming on in the back 30," said Morelli. "I'll be telling the coach I'm an option for next game to start."

Gheisar is well aware of his Brazilian star's hunt for more minutes.

"João is a big part of this team but the plan was not to play him that much. And he has been on me," said Gheisar with a laugh. "I was proud of him. I think the João in mid-August would have scored a hattrick today."

Morelli finished the match with 56 minutes played, a goal and a nice set up to teammate Armaan Wilson.

But most important, he got a chance to play the game he loves.

"I was waiting for the opportunity because the team is playing well and the coaches can't just take someone out," he told reporters. "I love this club, I love this city, I love Canada. It feels really good."

From the Notebook:

1. I wanted to start off the Notebook with a health update on Collomb and Grant following their scary collision. I confirmed both were taken to hospital for stitches and to get checked for concussions. Having had several concussions myself, I hope they are feeling okay today and take a few days off to really assess their health. If anything, incidents like this emphasize the importance of concussion substitutes and ensuring the health of athletes. More info on concussion substitutes is available here.
2. On the topic of injury, things got very heated towards the end of the match and culminated in York's Matthew Baldisimo loosing his cool and launching a dangerous challenge against Morelli. He was appropriately given a red card and kicked from the match. Now, I've no doubt that Morelli wound Baldisimo up but what he did was reckless, especially given Morelli's injury history. He now faces the possibility of a lengthy suspension at a time when York needs consistency. York coach Martin Nash was not happy post-match: "We're a bit of a roller coaster ride. It's about trying to find that consistency. And we lost control at the end a little bit. Guys are getting frustrated with certain things and they lost their cool. It just can't happen." Gheisar declined to comment on the incident.
3. A note on how other clubs approach playing the Wanderers (Gary also mentioned this on Down the Pub last week). I watched Atlético Ottawa versus Cavalry over the weekend and was struck by how differently Ottawa set up their lines compared to their match at Wanderers Grounds. They pressed high, had more space between their lines and took risks with the ball. All of this is in direct contrast to how they played Halifax; they were afraid the Wanderers would be able to play through them. Well, York is a much more offensive club and tried to play their game instead of adapting to the Wanderers' style but weren't able to assert themselves. "Most of the time, we were really in control of the game," said Gheisar when asked about the flow of the match. "When the first goal was scored, our guys relaxed. They couldn't have scored at a better time because it gives you confidence going into half. A bit of a strange up and down game with a lot of emotions." In essence, his squad is playing exactly how he hoped they would by this time of the year: more and more, they can play through other clubs.
4. Gheisar was also asked about his bench yesterday, causing him to comment on his squad's depth given he had his captain, a former Golden Boot winner and a player with 44 Team Canada caps sitting to start the match. "I had to question myself last night," he said.
5. Similar to Morelli, Gheisar and company have a specific schedule they are implementing to bring Doneil Henry up to speed and they have the next several steps lined up. Doneil again came on as a substitute late in the match, logging 15 or so minutes and has looked solid in relief. The one thing that strikes me about him is his size: Henry looks a man amongst boys but it makes sense given he's nearly 10 years older than most of his teammates. Gheisar said the plan is to play Henry about 45 minutes next match.
6. So let's talk about that rocket of a shot by Zachary Fernandez, eh? Fernandez has shown his nose for the net a number of times already this year, having scored in the opening match of the season against Ottawa and again versus Cavalry. He's got a strong right foot and hits the ball with pace but more importantly, he finishes with accuracy. Yesterday was a prime example of this as he took the ball from Wesley Timoteo and realized he had space. I don't think he takes that shot unless he thinks he can get it on target and he does just that, pinging it perfectly off the post and in. As an aside, Timoteo got his first assist of the season and was again excellent as a full-back. Add Fernandez's goal to the growing highlight reel of fantastic Wanderers strikes this season.
7. Armaan Wilson logged 22 minutes, adding to the all important U-21 minutes tally. When asked about Wilson's playing time, Gheisar said it's not that the 20-year old isn't training well but a matter of the quality within the squad. "Unfortunately (for him), we've been indestructible in the middle with injuries. Lorenzo, Andre and Mo are very difficult to bump off," he said. "I was really happy to see him get big minutes and I thought he did great. I do wish he had scored that goal because it would have been so memorable for him but good to see him going." The thing is, as great as the Wanderers midfield has been, one of Wilson or Tomas Giraldo will need to feature heavily moving forward for the club to meet its U-21 requirements. Having said that, if Collomb misses time it might mean Massimo Ferrin is moved back to the left wing, opening up a spot for Tiago Coimbra to start. Whatever happens, Gheisar is going to have to have some tough conversations to be able to meet the league requirements.
8. A bit of fun to finish with: I had the chance to ask Morelli post-match about a little Wanderers trivia. Every match, the club's communications team sends out media notes and, at the end of the document, they recount the club's all-time leaders for appearances, goals and assists. With his goal yesterday, Morelli officially tied Akeem Garcia's record of 21 goals in all competitions. So how did it feel to tie a Wanderers record? "It feels good. I honestly didn't even remember that record but it feels good now that you say it," he said, laughing. He added it would be special to be the record holder, something that's likely to happen in the coming weeks. It's made all the more special by the fact that he thought he might never play again, let alone become the Wanderers leading goal scorer.

Cover Photo Credit: Canadian Premier League