Alphonso Davies' sprints, MLS reps and a CanMNT opportunity: Inside Tiago Coimbra's off-season to remember
"The last few months, man, they've been very good," says Tiago Coimbra, seated in his childhood bedroom in North Vancouver. He smiles the smile of someone who knows what he wants, his football career having reached several milestones in the last few months alone. A career best in goals with the Wanderers. Regular minutes. The CPL's Best Canadian U-21 Player award on his mantle.
But he's gained even more momentum this off-season, like a striker rising to head a ball, pushing off to attack like it's the divide between his present and his future. He's been rewarded, too, through an invitation to train with MLS side Houston Dynamo, a surreal New Year's Day session with Alphonso Davies and his first-ever call-up to the Canadian Men's National Team (CanMNT) in California.
Coimbra says this past year has helped him discover the player he can be.
"I think a lot of the things I said to myself I could accomplish, I have been accomplishing. It kind of shows me that all the work, all the dedication, all the time I've taken for myself has been worth it. It shows me the way to the future and what I want my future to look like," he says.
Coimbra is the first to admit that he wasn't always the most dedicated off the pitch. His first two seasons in the CPL were dominated by flashes of brilliance and nagging injuries that piled like firewood. Ankle, thigh and hamstring injuries limited his minutes. He struggled to play five matches consecutively. But he made a decision heading into last season to re-dedicate himself on and off the pitch that had immediate results.
"I feel like some people talk about dedication but at the same time, they're going out on weekends and drinking. Alcohol has a big effect on the body, not just alcohol but the things you put into your body," explains Coimbra.
"This year, I just came in and said: 'Listen, I really want to change my life.' I was tired of this. I'm 21-years old. You're young, you're very young, until you're not. I worked my ass off and stayed dedicated to the craft.
"I still don't drink. I came home in the off-season for Christmas and everybody's drinking and I'm over here drinking water with lemon. I don't go out anymore. My friends go out, I don't."
Coimbra's dedication, be it to nutrition or working with the Wanderers' support staff, paid off as he registered 23 appearances across 1,344 minutes — both career highs — and added 16 goal contributions, 13 of which were goals. His 0.87 goals average per 90 minutes was the best in the CPL. His underlying numbers suggest there's more offence to be found.
It's no coincidence his season, which included a nomination for Player's Player of the Year, caught the interest of the Houston Dynamo, who invited him down south following Halifax's playoff exit. It's not the first time Coimbra has trained at a higher level as he spent time with the EPL's West Ham United last February but he enjoyed the challenge as he aims to test himself.
"I wouldn't say it was much different from the CPL," he says. "I took that opportunity to stay fit, to train at a high level of football."
Since his time with the Dynamo and the CPL awards, Coimbra is back in Vancouver with his family. He trains with a local group of players everyday as he prepares for what 2026 has to bring.
On New Year's Day, says Coimbra, his group agreed to take a day off. However, he later got a text saying the session was back on and that a Canadian superstar was in the mix: Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies was joining them.
What followed, recounts Coimbra, was an energetic session with Davies showcasing what makes him one of the most dangerous left-backs in the world. It's a sight Coimbra won't soon forget.
Josh Healey
"You see this guy and he's just different. You look at him and he's different. It was a sick experience. He was doing some sprints after training, too, and he was crazy fast. I've never seen somebody run that fast before," he says.
But Davies' appearance isn't the biggest surprise so far this year as Coimbra admits he was asleep in his room when he got a text message from CanMNT head coach Jesse Marsch.
"I woke up in the morning and somebody had texted me before and I woke up to my phone vibrating. I saw a random number from Italy had texted me. I picked up and (Marsch) said: 'Hey Tiago, congrats, we're taking you into camp.' And I'm like: 'What? Who is this?'" he recounts.
"I woke up, got out out of bed and I told my whole family. It didn't feel real then, it doesn't feel real now."
Coimbra isn't shy: he's been open since signing his contract extension with the Wanderers that he hopes to move onto a higher level, wherever that may be.
He says a strong camp with Canada, under the eye of Marsch, could help facilitate a move that works for himself and the Wanderers.
"I just want to go out there, give my best, get on Jesse's good side, hopefully, and show him what I can do. I want to give nothing but my best, not just for the national team but also for myself," says Coimbra.
"I really want something else to come out of it. I feel like these past three years in Halifax, I've learned a lot and I've grown a lot but I really believe I'm ready for a move. If a transfer can come from that as well, it would be amazing. I don't want to get too ahead of myself but this is every player's dream."
Coimbra adds he knows some of the players in camp, be it Nova Scotia's Jacob Shaffelburg or fellow CPL players like Noah Abatneh or Shola Jimoh. He's says looking forward to the opportunity to test himself and maybe earning his first senior cap for Canada.
The fact that the Guatemala friendly, scheduled for January 17, is on his birthday only adds an extra layer of intrigue to an off-season unlike any the young Brazilian-Canadian has had before.
"Fun fact, the game is on my birthday so maybe, who knows, a birthday goal would be nice," says Coimbra, smiling.
Whether he scores for Canada or not, there's little doubt concerning the strides the 21-year old striker has taken over his time in Halifax. The question, of course, is what heights he'll reach following a year and an off-season which promises so much. The last few months have been very good to Coimbra.
And he's betting on himself to be the player he's always known he can be.
"I feel like the first two years (in Halifax) I kind of lost myself, coming in as a pro and for the first time getting a little bit of money to keep for myself. I feel like I'd lost myself but this past year I feel like I found myself again," he says.
"I just want to go out there and learn as much as I can."
Cover Photo Credit: Trevor MacMillan / Halifax Wanderers FC
