Sound bites: HFX Wanderers reflect on a season to remember

The Halifax Wanderers trickled into the BMO Soccer Centre, arriving in ones and twos for their end of season availability.

Clad in hoodies, they lined the uppermost railing — eyes focused on a match between two youth football clubs finishing off a tournament — as they waited their turn to face the Wanderers' marketing department, followed by the local media.

Although it had been nearly a week since they had been knocked out by Pacific in heartbreaking fashion, the wound was still fresh and it was clear they were still mourning what might have been.

But make no mistake: the players know what they accomplished and, judging by their comments, believe 2024 could be the year the Wanderers bag their first trophy in the club's history.

Here's what they had to say on a season which saw the club set its record for wins, goals scored and points.

A season to remember

The offseason is a time for reflection. Going back to training camp, what do you make of the season as a whole and what can you take away from it?

Massimo Ferrin: I think, overall, it was a really fun, entertaining year to be part of. I think we're proud of the season but we're disappointed to be out now. The way the (Pacific) game went, it would have been amazing to win in front of our fans and to have the chance to progress. We've done pretty well against the top teams in the league this year. The final game felt like it was just one of those ones where the script wasn't written for you to move on. It felt like we did everything we could to get a result or force overtime but things didn't go our way.

I think you could argue it was as good as it could have been for starting from scratch for everything.

Daniel Nimick: I think it's important to put things into perspective after a season. Looking back at the start of the year, personally, looking at my decision to come here, I think if Patrice would have told me you guys will have tied for second (in the league) on points and you'll have a nomination for Defender of the Year, I think I would have jumped at it a little easier than I did. I would have loved that.

Looking back, there's a lot we can be proud of given how we started the year. But I also think, we as a team had the talent and the ability to really make a deep run in the playoffs and potentially win the whole thing. It's bittersweet. We can be proud of the journey we've come on but also we had the talent in the group to make a push in the playoffs so maybe that's a bit of a let down for us.

Mo Omar: I think the biggest thing I'm taking away is we really did achieve something special but there's still so much work to be done. Towards the end of last season, all I could hear guys in the locker room saying was I can't wait to go home, it's been such a long season. But this year, we wanted to be playing until the very end of October. Unfortunately, that didn't pan out but I'm still so proud of my team and each and every one of our guys for the immense growth that was shown. It's not easy to come into a new team, so many new players, coaching staff and all gel the way we did.

Cale Loughrey: Looking back, I think we did very well. I think the first eight games until we won made us want it even more. We were hungry. Pat always says the loss versus York United at home was a wake up call and we never wanted to feel that way again. Looking back at it, it was a good season, a memorable season with some crazy wins, late wins. I think it was a memorable season for us but also for the city as well.

Doneil Henry: I can only talk about what I've experienced over the last four months I've been here. I feel like I impacted the club in a positive way. I felt they needed a player who had a little bit more professional experience. I was able to contribute a lot in games and what not but I feel like I did a lot more mentoring and advocating for the players. I felt we played some really attractive football and we figured out the system and what best suited us.

What I can say personally, the supporters for the Halifax Wanderers showed up every single time for the boys. They were literally our twelfth man. Credit to them for coming out and sticking with us for the season. We are all feeling the same way, especially with how we played and ended the season, we felt we deserved a little more out of the game. I told the boys after the game the feeling that you have doesn't feel good but if you didn't feel anything, you shouldn't be here. Take the time you need to get over the game and know we accomplished something this year.

When we talk about next season, the standards are now at a level where it can only get better.

Zachary Fernandez: I think as a team, what we need to take away is we have the ability to have a great team in Halifax. With the staff, with the club, they put together a real project with an identity. The biggest takeaway from this season is we're there and we need to keep moving forward to win some championships; this city deserves a championship. For me, personally, the freedom and confidence the coaching staff had in me really helped. I think growth is the word for my season. Even for the team, the first 10 games, we had eight ties and we switched around the situation and went on a run. That's a team.

Lorenzo Callegari: It was a very, very good season. We would have preferred to have had a better finish against Pacific, especially with how we controlled the match, but that's how it goes. I would have liked to finish the season on a winning note, to close out the finals. But it was a season rich in emotion, energy, work and I think, as a new group, we built something really strong together. It bodes well for the future of the club and I think the fans are happy with what we did this season. For me, I'm happy to have been part of it. I don't think you could have hoped for a better first season together.

Everyone talks about how tightly knit this squad is. Given the vast majority of players have options for next year, how important is it to build off what you accomplished this season and carrying it into 2024?

Ferrin: I think it's very important. I think the beginning of the season, one of the reasons we started a bit slow, when you have a new system, new players and new staff, unfortunately you can't rush it. It doesn't matter the amount of training you do or time you spend together, it's going to take games, it's going to take time to create that cohesive unit. Understanding how each other plays can only be sped up so much.

I think for me, because of the expectations and excitement, that first quarter of the season felt like a failure. But I think if you could be a fly on the wall, and see everything that's happened, it was more than expected. It takes time to find yourself and where you fit with the team. Having the majority of the group come back next year is so big because, especially with the way we play, it's about understanding each other, understanding each others' movements.

Nimick: Just touching on how close everyone is, maybe the fact that we had all those new players meant everyone was in a similar position coming into this year. We've been able to bond over that and I think that's why people have become so close. Looking to next season, we're all excited. I think everyone really enjoyed this year and everyone who's new to Halifax got to experience the city and the fans for the first time. Anyone who experiences that wants to be back so I'm really excited for next year. I think we should have a really solid group and have a shot at that title.

Omar: I don't think there's any reason our team shouldn't be fighting for the regular season title. Being completely honest, I don't think there's any reason we shouldn't be. If you really look back on it, if we learned the lessons we learned earlier in the season, the outcome would have been different. It's about carrying those building blocks into next year and looking in the mirror and saying these are our goals for the year, we're going to do everything in our power to achieve them because they are very attainable. It's not wild for us to think we can finish top of the league.

Loughrey: We just take this, from where we left off, and this is kind of our standard now. Making playoffs is our standard. We now have to look to winning the league and coming first in the regular season like Cavalry. If all of us do come back, or most of us, we should do better than we left off.

Henry: The great thing about the Wanderers is you have an ownership group that wants to win. They see the success we had this year and what it'll take for next season. Credit to Matt, credit to Derek, credit to Pat. They're working hard. Scouting. Facilities. Accommodations. They're going to put the players in the best position to excel. Credit to the club and obviously we had the stadium news this year; it's very, very exciting. The fact that we can host a Canadian Women's National Team game shows you the type of football culture we're building in Halifax. It's something exciting and something I want to commend the ownership group for.

Fernandez: I think for the club, having a good year, is the best thing that could happen. I think we just need to move forward as a team. And for me, too, we've got to move forward and get better.

Callegari: With what we achieved this year, our goal can only be to reach higher. If you asked Patrice, he'd say that our goal is to win the playoffs. Honestly, our minimum will be to recreate the success we had this season but I think we have the players and staff to achieve more. To start this year, we needed to build something but the core is there now. We can add to it, bit by bit. The bond we created was really important and it'll only get stronger. I really enjoyed spending time with everyone this season.

Football is a team sport where everyone has to play their role to succeed. How do you feel you played as an individual?

Ferrin: Overall, I think it was a pretty good year for me. I definitely think I can improve; there was some stints this year where I would expect more of myself and there were obviously some stints which went very well. It's just about being able to find that consistency. I know it's a word that's thrown around in sports a lot but I think it's a very important thing. You don't want a career where you bounce from hot and cold too much, you want to try and gain consistency.

I think for me, I think overall I was happy with my year but I do think there's another level that I'm confident I have and I know that I have.

Nimick: It means everything (to be named a Defender of the Year candidate). I don't think that was the goal for the year but I think it's a really nice validation for the success you've had throughout the year. But without the nomination, I had a lot to be proud of and we all did as a team. There were people on the team who had incredible years and weren't nominated for everything but that doesn't take away from the seasons they had. I'm really grateful and proud to be up for that award but it doesn't add anything to the season. It's maybe validation for the success we had as a team on the field.

Omar: I think looking back on the season, as a whole, I'm happy with the growth I had. At the same time, my mentality is never to be satisfied. I always want to be playing better than I did yesterday, helping the team better than I did. Towards the beginning of the season playing as a centre-back versus embracing my true midfield role, that's where I truly felt most comfortable. I've been a midfielder for the majority of my life and especially playing as a No. 6, I think that was when I was really able to cement myself in the team.

Loughrey: It was hard at first, having played for Patrice already. He maybe thought I wasn't ready at the start of the year. I wasn't mad but thought, okay, you're doubting me a bit. I'm going to make sure when I get my spot, it's not going to go anywhere. At the start of the year, I was more emotional but it paid off and I gained Patrice's trust to keep me in there every game. It was a great feeling because I was against Forge for my first start and the backline, with me and Dan, looked really good. I knew I could do that but I just had to show it.

At the start of the year, I remember looking at social media with expectations and lineup predictions and I remember I wasn't in a lot of them. That only gave me fuel to show everybody my worth. I wasn't mad at that stuff but I've always known what I could do.

Henry: For myself, I did the leadership (piece) and it'll always be a part of me because I just have it but I need to get myself together and get back to what makes me the best Doneil and that's playing. Going into the offseason, it won't be one where I get to rest and relax. I took a hit in the World Cup, not being a part of that team, and it affected me very deeply. I need to take the time to become the best me and get back to where I'm playing, to say the least.

Fernandez: I think last year was my first professional year and I needed to learn a lot but I always had that level. I'm a confident guy who can play with his feet. But football, it's not only you, it's a team sport. You need to have good teammates, good coaches and you got to be good but I think my teammates really helped me a lot this year. I think this year showed (my pedigree) to everybody. My plan from last year was that, yeah, I had a great season but I need to confirm again that I'm a great player.

Callegari: It's hard to believe it went as well as it did. When I signed in Canada, I didn't know the players, I didn't know the coach and I really had no idea how it was going to go. However, I think the club did everything possible to ensure once the squad got together, things would go smoothly. There was a lot of hard work on the pitch.

Honestly, for me, I think this is probably the best season I've had as a professional. I started every match other than my suspension and a rest match; I couldn't have hoped for more. It wasn't an easy year — you've got to work hard with Patrice — but it's through hard work that you get results. Like I said, I'm very happy to have signed here and made this choice. It's almost been a year since I made this decision and at that time, I had a million questions running through my mind: how will the players be? How will the city be? How will be the stadium be? Now, I'm getting ready to return to France with nothing but fantastic memories. We never know what's going to happen but when we went to Florida together, we had a really good preseason. The players had talent. Everything kind of aligned for this year to be a success.

Complete this sentence with a word or a thought: the 2023 season for the Halifax Wanderers was . . .

Ferrin: Incredible. I heard about the atmosphere here in Halifax and the fans but I truly think it's not one you'll understand until you yourself are playing in that stadium as part of the home team.

Nimick: The beginning. It was the beginning of the change we're going to see here. We really built a solid foundation this season in the new era of the Wanderers.

Omar: Memorable.

Loughrey: A great step in the right direction.

Henry: The start of something that will go on for generations.

Fernandez: A step forward.

Callegari: Incredible.

Cover Photo Credit: Trevor MacMillan / Halifax Wanderers FC