A rivalry is born as Wanderers fall 2-1 to Portland Hearts of Pine in heated international friendly
Although there was no history between them, no great triumph or loss upon which to draw enthusiasm, Wednesday's first international friendly featuring the Halifax Wanderers and USL League One side Portland Hearts of Pine had the look and feel of a genuine derby.
The match, which saw the Wanderers playing a mixture of their first-team and development squad, had a bit of everything: two red cards, biting tackles and thousands of crazed football fans lining Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland, Maine. An extra time missile courtesy of Hearts' Ollie Wright gave Portland a 2-1 victory, sending the Canadian Premier League (CPL) club home empty handed.
But the friendly, which was everything but friendly on the pitch, saw several of Halifax's first-team players in action and playing important minutes as the club looks to break a four-match skid in league play. First-team players Aiden Rushenas, Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé, Jefferson Alphonse, Julian Dunn, Alessandro Biello, Camilo Vasconcelos and Tavio Ciccarelli all started for Halifax.
Portland got on the board first as Gagnon-Laparé, one of the most experienced players on the pitch, scuffed a pass just outside his own 18-yard box, leading to a turnover which Mickey Reilly blasted past goalkeeper Rushenas. Halifax had several bright passing plays in the first half but struggled to create legitimate scoring chances.
Heading into the second half, Wanderers development coach Ollie Hewish shuffled his squad, subbing out Dunn, who has been rehabbing from an injury suffered last year.
The Wanderers settled in as the match progressed, with Alphonse showing his quality on the backline. He managed to evade Portland's press several times with his dribbling and movement and, in the 56th minute, displayed his vision by lofting a ball over Portland's defence to a streaking Ciccarelli. The Winnipeg-born striker again showcased his scoring prowess as he fooled Portland's 'keeper with a low shot to make it 1-1.
With his goal on Wednesday night, Ciccarelli now has three goals through his last four matches, the other markers coming during the club's International Summer Series versus Wrexham AFC.
However, the Wanderers found themselves down a man after the 77th minute as Gagnon-Laparé, who had been moved to the backline, earned a second yellow card, ejecting him from the match. But the Wanderers pushed on, nearly scoring off a wonderful free kick from Vasconcelos, who rang one off the crossbar.
Rushenas next found himself in trouble as he accidently collected a ball with his hands outside the box around the 90th minute, giving Portland a dangerous opportunity. Tempers flared as the Wanderers pushed away a Hearts' player close to their defensive wall, causing a scrum. The referee took several minutes to restore order.
The free kick eventually led to a corner, with the ball being cleared off the line, before Wright volleyed it from 20-yards out, scoring a howler of a goal to give his side the lead with only minutes left. Rushenas immediately approached the referee afterwards and was given a straight red, Halifax's second red card of the evening.
Josh Healey
Wright's goal proved to be the exclamation mark to a heated affair, with both clubs hinting at the possibility of future friendlies.
"Be it across borders, by boat, bus, or boot, the way this community gathers is something special. Just a CAT ride away, let's return the (favour) up Nova Scotia's way eh?" Portland posted on Instragram Thursday morning.
Wanderers sporting director Matt Fegan returned the favour.
"Thanks for your hospitality," he wrote. "Really excited to continue to build our club relationship. Next stop: Halifax 2026. Let's make it happen."
The Wanderers next suit up for CPL action this Saturday versus Calgary FC.
Cover Photo Credit: Portland Hearts of Pine
