Adam Pearlman is part of Toronto FC's future. But right now, he's impressing as a starter for the Halifax Wanderers

Adam Pearlman's first visit to the Wanderers Grounds was as a member of the opposition.

Back in 2022, as a player for Toronto FC, he flew to Nova Scotia for the MLS side's Canadian Championship quarter final matchup versus the Wanderers. Only 17-years old at the time, Pearlman was not selected and took in the tilt — a wondrously close affair which barely saw Toronto FC eek out a 2-1 win — from a pitch side table.

"I remember sitting there and it was my first time really experiencing the CPL," Pearlman told HFX Football Post in an interview. "I remember seeing the fans and the quality of the team and said: 'This league is going to keep growing and it's going to be a really good league.' And now, I'm here, you know?"

Pearlman joined the Wanderers on loan this season following three seasons for Toronto FC II in MLS Next Pro. He'd logged plenty of minutes — over 6,000 split between MLS and MLS Next Pro — but required further experience to really push for a first team spot. The Wanderers and Canadian Premier League (CPL), he noted, was exactly the type of challenge he needed at this stage of his career.

"I think MLS Next Pro is a really good league. I think I did my time there. There's lots of quality players," explained Pearlman.

"The biggest difference I find is in CPL, it's more men. MLS Next Pro has a lot of youth players that are very good and have the prospect of going (up) but this league is more of a men's league."

In addition to the physicality, Pearlman has had the added challenge of adapting to a new position as a right-back. While in Toronto, the 20-year old defender had played exclusively as a right-sided centre-back in a back three. But Wanderers head coach Patrice Gheisar and his staff tasked him with learning a new position as they looked to integrate him into the squad.

There's been a learning curve for Pearlman but the last few weeks have seen him play some of his best football for the Wanderers. He's started in all but one of Halifax's league matches and looks comfortable alongside defenders Thomas Meilleur-Giguère, Kareem Sow and Wesley Timóteo.

"In possession, it's pretty much the same," said Pearlman, adding he stays back and becomes part of a back three with Timóteo pushing up in attack. The difference is mainly in defending as he's asked to push into wider areas to stop or retrieve the ball.

"I feel like I've adapted well. It's always good to have new challenges and to play two or three different positions."

Given Pearlman is signed to Toronto FC through 2027, with an option for 2028, he's getting exactly the type of exposure the club hoped for when they loaned him out. Playing for Toronto FC's first team at some point is very much in the cards.

"He's someone they're very high on," TFC Republic founder John Molinaro told HFX Football Post.

"I would classify him as one of Toronto FC's most promising prospects, someone that they're very high on. I can remember speaking to Robin Fraser, Toronto FC's head coach, back in January, just to get his assessment on Pearlman because he was with the team in their pre-season training camp in Spain. He had a lot of nice things to say about Pearlman."

"He's a very smart player."

Fraser isn't the only coach singing Pearlman's praises as Gheisar has taken the opportunity to highlight his defender's progress on several occasions. Most recently, following the Wanderers' 2-1 loss in Hamilton, Gheisar spoke about the role of the CPL in developing young players, a goal that's also been pushed by Canadian Men's National Team (CanMNT) head coach Jesse Marsch.

"That starts with coaching, that starts with development," Gheisar told reporters on June 8. "Obviously, the players have to have the abilities but you've got to play the kid. I think Adam Pearlman, for us, is a high end player, Alessandro Biello, too."

His ceiling is so high, in fact, that Pearlman recently joined CanMNT during their training camp in Halifax. It marked the second time the defender has trained with the senior national team; Pearlman previously featured for Canada's U-20 Men's National Team during the Concacaf U-20 Championship.

"It's always an honour and a great experience to train with them," he said.

"It inspires you. You see guys that you're training with that are some of the best players in their position in the world. It shows me, at least, that I'm not there but there's a pathway for Canadians like myself. You try and replicate it because they've been there, they've done it. It's inspiring to see because there's a way."

Given the nature of football, Pearlman said he doesn't want to get too far ahead of himself. He's focused on the day-to-day of his time in Halifax — their strong start means the club has a shot at finishing as one of the top sides in the league. It's an opportunity Pealrman and his teammates don't want to squander.

But the future, which is bright, isn't outside his vision.

"I came here to get experience and play. Obviously, the goal is to head back to Toronto FC and be able to play there and get good minutes and have an important role with the first team there," he said.

Cover Photo Credit: Trevor MacMillan / Halifax Wanderers FC