'I feel like I'm part of the process': How Sean Rea's new role, and defensive growth, is helping the Wanderers thrive
Wanderers midfielder Sean Rea is part of a small group putting in extra work after training.
He, alongside Ryan Telfer, Giorgio Probo, Wesley Timóteo and Vitor Dias, practice bending free kicks from just outside the 18-yard box, sending shot after shot on net. They take turns lining up their attempts, each with their own little routine and steps — like Highland dancers but without the bagpipes — and jeer when one of them shanks a ball. It is the Friday before the club's home opener against Pacific FC and the Wanderers Grounds is, aside from these players, quiet and still.
From afar, standing in the mid-April sun, Rea looks as happy as he's ever looked in a Wanderers shirt. Several minutes later, seated pitch side, the Québec-born midfielder tells HFX Football Post that he feels part of head coach Patrice Gheisar's plans.
"I feel like you can already tell in our first two games," he says.
"I feel like I'm part of the process. Coming in late last year, you're not really part of it, you're trying to fix what was broken. But now, we're really building the team with Patrice and he gives us a lot of confidence. We have a clear idea and that's really important."
It's certainly clear Rea has bought into Gheisar's tweaked system, which allows for creativity, but demands a draconian work ethic off the ball. He says having a full training camp — as opposed to being dropped in mid-season — has allowed him to truly embrace his larger role as a creative No. 10 alongside Probo.
The results through four matches have been telling: Rea has started every tilt and, even when he isn't scoring, has found a way to contribute. Be it his highlight reel goal against Atlético Ottawa or floating into the middle to help break open Pacific's defenders through a quick exchange with Probo, the diminutive midfielder is chipping in both on and off the scoresheet. It's no coincidence the Wanderers happen to be undefeated during some of Rea's best performances for the club.
The truth, says Gheisar, is simple: Rea's role — starting as a left-sided attacking midfielder that has the liberty to roam in possession — is tailor-made.
"I feel like the role we've given him is a great role that fits him. It's really made for him," he explains "But at the same time, he's evolving his game. It's scary to see how hard he works."
If football is a path to tread, Rea was lost last year amidst the beautiful game's broad thoroughfares. In a dizzying 18-month span, it ferried him from Montréal to Oregon to the shores of the Iberian Sea.
Josh Healey
He says his decision to come to Halifax was one born of the need to get back onto the route he'd previously been on, having already gotten a taste of both international football and Major League Soccer (MLS).
"If you make a wrong move, it can turn out poorly," says Rea. "What was really important was to try and find the best fit. So, with CF Montréal, when it didn't work out and we went our own ways, that was where I was looking with my agency to go: 'Okay, what's the best opportunity now?'"
Rea's opportunities included a two month trial in MLS with the Portland Timbers, followed by a sojourn in Spain with CD Castellón. But by June, 2024, he was back in North America and pondering his next steps.
Ultimately, amidst interest from several Canadian Premier League (CPL) clubs, as reported by this publication, Rea chose to sign with the Wanderers.
"Football isn't always a clear path or a straight path. I'm just super happy with the decision I made to come (to Halifax)," said Rea.
"Speaking to (head coach) Patrice (Gheisar), when he showed me his plan, I thought this was something that was really going to fit me."
Gheisar says he felt too much was expected of Rea upon his return to the CPL last year. They wanted him to come in and change the trajectory of their team. But it was too much to ask of a player who hadn't been able to build up chemistry or match fitness.
Now, through a full pre-season, Gheisar says he and Rea have built an understanding of what they need from each other and that includes a defensive work ethic.
"There's a lot of special attackers but what I've challenged (Rea) with is just not to be the guy that scores that goal. It's about his commitment to pressing, his commitment to transition, his commitment to defensive transition, tackling loose balls and doing it all," says Gheisar.
Although not a natural defender, Rea's work ethic off the ball has not gone unnoticed: following their first match of the season, Gheisar highlighted that he ran 13 kilometres and was a threat to steal balls higher up the pitch. He's got the same amount of tackles (three) as centre-backs Thomas Meilleur-Giguère and Kareem Sow. And he's showing fight and grit greater than his 5-foot-7 frame.
"What Patrice has been saying a lot, and it's something that's been sticking with me, is that your forwards are your first defenders. If we do a good job high up on the pitch, or win it high, we get the ball back and we're close to the net. I think that's what we've bought into," says Rea.
And once on the ball, that is where Rea comes alive, a trickster in football boots capable of beating defenders one-on-one or combining to pass through the opposing press. Rea's six shots are second behind only Probo and he's forcing defenders to foul him, again trailing only Probo and Telfer for fouls-suffered.
Rea's already matched last year's goal contribution in just four appearances.
But Rea knows football isn't a linear path, just as every Haligonian knows there's more than one way to find Pizza Corner. It's something he says he's reminded himself of as he works to re-find his footing in Halifax.
"Sometimes you've got to take one step back to take two steps forward," he says.
And as the 22-year old looks to use the Wanderers as a launching pad, so too is the club looking to harness his attacking instincts. Paired with Probo, the Wanderers have two of the most gifted No. 10s they've had in club history not named João Morelli. Their chemistry is something the Wanderers are banking on.
"I think Sean's an instinct player, he gets the ball and improvs," explains Gheisar.
"I think Giorgio is more of a thinker of the game. I think if you have two Seans, I'm not sure how they'd do it together as instinct attackers that are high risk. But if you have two Probos, you don't have the high risk attacker. They complement each other quite well. I feel like our system is able to evolve and grow because we have two unique No. 10s."
In many ways, this season is about growth for Rea. The North American football landscape knows what he can do with the ball; as part of Gheisar's more aggressive press, he's looking to show he's grown to become a more complete player.
Rea says he's looking to dominate in the CPL this year.
And he knows his ability to return to the levels he's been at, be that in MLS or Europe, will depend on showing that consistency across the entire campaign. He covets that next rung. It's why he's putting in extra work after training on a Friday. It's why he's running 13 kilometres in matches. And it's why he's come to play for the Wanderers.
"I hope this year's going to show that growth," he said.
Four matches into this season, the early returns look very promising.
Cover Photo Credit: Trevor MacMillan / Halifax Wanderers FC
