Thomas Meilleur-Giguère, the Wanderers' playoff hopes and the power of moments

The Wanderers' playoff hopes, tenuous as they may be, will be determined by moments. Much of their season to date has been defined by missed moments. A 'naïve' draw that should've been a win versus Pacific FC. A collapse against FC Supra. A tendency to let their opponents off the ground. A skied shot or shanked pass while desperate for a goal. Dropped points. Defeats.

Yet you can't deny this version of the Wanderers, led by head coach Vanni Sartini, has character. From the first kick of the ball this season, they've shown a willingness to battle. Be it versus Inter Toronto in the spring or Forge FC in the summer, Sartini's side have scrapped and scrabbled their way back into matches.

That same willingness to push, to never give up, has been on display as the Wanderers fight for the Canadian Premier League's (CPL) final playoff spot. Their season has been on life support. But they've found a way — through stubbornness, grit, and those scenes it seems only football can produce — to live another day.

It's come down, entirely, to moments.

Veteran defender Thomas Meilleur-Giguère has had his fair share of moments this season. After playing every single minute of 2025, the 28-year-old centre-back was hurt in pre-season and underwent surgery. He had to watch as his club limped through May, danced with mediocrity, and lost five of seven matches heading into the FIFA World Cup break.

Meilleur-Giguère, of course, is a winner. He won a championship with Pacific and has made playoffs every year he's been in the CPL. For him, playoff football is the floor, not the ceiling.

So, it's no surprise that Meilleur-Giguère has stood tall in Halifax's do-or-die moments of late. His assist versus Forge FC set up youngster Tavio Ciccarelli for the equalizer. And his goal on Monday, at home against Cavalry FC, again showcased his ability to make a difference in key moments, this time at the death.

Speaking to OneSoccer post-match, the Québec-born defender reflected on the emotion of the moment but also his club's habit of having to chase matches.

"It's beautiful, it's beautiful to have a chance to fight like this," Meilleur-Giguère said from the Wanderers Grounds.

"It's just annoying that it's always like this. Last game, it was 3-1, we had to come back. Now, it's 2-1 and we have to come back. It would be nice to have the lead until the end of the game and just hold it. That's what I love as a defender."

Goalkeeper Marco Carducci, too, shared his frustrations at the situations his side continually put themselves in. But the important thing is they still have a goal to play for.

"We're still alive and that's the key at this point of the season," said Carducci.

"Obviously, we are frustrated, there’s a lot of things we need to pick from that game. We did a lot and probably did enough to win but a couple moments hurt us, set pieces hurt us, which we know we need to clean up on. The fight to stay in it, the fight to keep playing, to get an equalizer, to push, to create chances, that’s the difference between staying alive and not. We’ll take the positives and keep going.”

It's no secret that the Wanderers have lacked a killer instinct this year. They've struggled to score at times, seen a bevvy of strikers shuffled in and out as Sartini searched for an answer up front. But the last few weeks have arguably seen the best of what the Wanderers have to offer, punctuated by a 4-1 thrashing of Inter Toronto in late September.

The Wanderers, however, don't control their own destiny: Vancouver FC sit fourth on the table with a six point lead. Halifax only has two matches left so can only earn a maximum of six points, with their tilt against Vancouver FC a must-win match to keep their hopes alive.

But if they beat the Eagles, and best Supra in their last contest, they can still punch their ticket to the playoffs and showcase their character once more. It'll come down to how they perform in moments.

Given the growing pains this season, it's about as much as the Wanderers could hope for.

"Listen, qualifying for the playoffs was our goal," said Carducci of his club's position.

"Obviously, this season, there's been ups and downs but we stayed alive. This is where you want to be. You want to be in a position where you're fighting for something. For us, it's qualifying for playoffs. We still have a chance to go get that fourth spot. That's going to be the driving force in these next couple of games.

"It's basically a final for us."

Editor's Note: This article is part of our free coverage.

Cover Photo Credit: Trevor MacMillan / Halifax Wanderers FC