2023 CPL Regular Season — Match #63
Halifax Wanderers vs. Atlético Ottawa
July 23, 2023 at 5 p.m. AT / 4 p.m. ET
Wanderers Grounds in Halifax, Nova Scotia
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The tonybet Match of the Week will take place at Wanderers Grounds this weekend, as the Halifax Wanderers and Atlético Ottawa kick off a Saturday CPL doubleheader on the east coast.

Both of these sides come into this one looking to keep streaks alive. For Ottawa, they have three wins on the bounce to start the month of July and will be looking to make it four from four against a team they have played well against over the past year-and-a-half. Halifax, meanwhile, have a club-record four-game winning streak in front of their home supporters, and will be hoping to send their fans home with smiles on their faces once again as they make Wanderers Grounds a fortress again.

Last weekend, however, the Wanderers played on the road in Calgary, and came away with a heartbreaking 1-0 loss. They had done well for the majority of the match to keep a clean sheet, and had opportunities to take all three points as well, but Cavalry FC kept knocking on the door and won the match on a 91st-minute own goal that struck Wanderers defender Dan Nimick on its way into the back of the net. It was a frustrating loss for the Wanderers, but one that their young squad will surely learn from as they now look ahead to playing the reigning regular season champions from Ottawa.

Atlético Ottawa are coming off a 3-1 win over Vancouver FC last weekend, which completed a massive nine-point week for the capital city club. Miguel Acosta scored his first goal of the season to open the scoring 12 minutes in, but his goal would be cancelled out by Alejandro Diaz’s second half header. Gabriel Antinoro and Carl Haworth came off the bench in the moments after the VFC goal, and both combined for what would be the match-winner — with Haworth battling for the ball near the goal line before lifting a cross to the back post, where Antinoro headed it home. Haworth scored himself in stoppage time to put the icing on the cake of Ottawa’s third win in three matches.

This week Halifax brought in one of the bigger signings in CPL history, adding Canadian international centre-back Doneil Henry to a young side that has been playing well defensively at times but perhaps lacks a bit of experience. Henry will provide that and be a voice on and off the pitch that his teammates listen to and respect. It is unclear whether or not he will make his debut for the club this weekend, but if he does play expect a warm reception for the 30-year-old from the Wanderers faithful.

Halifax will be hoping he can provide the kind of boost that Atlético Ottawa’s new signings — midfielder Alberto Zapater and attacker Ruben del Campo — have provided. The veteran Spanish midfielder in particular has been a revelation for Ottawa, providing added defensive cover in midfield and allowing the players around him to focus more on attacking and other areas of the pitch. Ottawa are playing freely and confidently since adding that duo, something they will look to continue to build upon in the coming weeks as they playoff race starts to heat up.

3 THINGS TO WATCH

• Could Doneil Henry make his CPL debut?: The big news in Halifax this week was that the club has signed Canadian international defender Doneil Henry to a contract for the rest of the season with an option for 2024 as well. The 30-year-old from Brampton, Ontario has been a key part of the national team for years, and had he not suffered a heartbreaking injury right before the tournament kicked off, Henry would have played for Canada at the World Cup in Qatar. He adds a lot of experience to a young Wanderers backline, and if he gets the regular minutes he’s looking for, has the potential to be one of the league’s best defenders. Head coach Patrice Gheisar said on Friday that Henry “has been incredible” in training and around his new teammates, but didn’t have a concrete answer on whether or not he will make his debut for the club at home on Saturday.

• Ottawa looking to keep perfect month going: Atlético Ottawa have played three games thus far in July, and won all three of them, a streak they will be hoping to continue on Saturday in Halifax. Two weekends ago they beat Valour FC 2-0 at home, before beating Cavalry FC by the same scoring last Wednesday, and completing a perfect nine-point week with a 3-1 victory over Vancouver FC last Sunday. It doesn’t get much better than that for Carlos Gonzalez and his side, who were sitting in last place before the Valour match but have since sprung up the table into fourth. This will be their first trip to Wanderers Grounds this season, but after winning the last time these sides met in June, and winning both of their matches in Halifax in 2022, they will feel as though they can pick up three points and keep the streak alive. “This is like the basement of a house,” Gonzalez said after the Vancouver game last weekend. “If you want to build a house you have to do it from solid pillars. Now we’re starting to be solid, starting to hold onto those pillars in certain moments that we’re suffering.” They will be looking to put together another complete performance in this match. If Pacific FC win against Forge FC on Friday night, three points for Ottawa could put them as high as second in the table by the end of the weekend.

• Halifax’s home form a source of pride: After being thumped 3-0 at home against York United in late-May, the Halifax Wanderers knew they never wanted to feel the way they did afterwards ever again. Since that game, they have made it a mission to raise their level even more at home and get up for games in front of what is among the loudest and most passionate fanbases in the Canadian Premier League. They have played four home matches since then, and they have won all of them — the longest such streak in club history for a team that has historically played better at home than on the road. That streak has seen them pick up wins against Valour FC (2-0 on June 10), Cavalry FC (3-1 on June 17), Forge FC (2-1 on June 30) and most recently Pacific FC (2-1 on July 11). Three of those four teams, with the exception of Valour, currently make up the top three in the standings — so this run from Patrice Gheisar’s side has been quite impressive. “The supporters have been excellent in really pushing them,” Gheisar said of his players on Friday. “This is one of the first things I said we wanted to do, and I think that York game really set the standard of how we felt.”

PROJECTED STARTING XIs

Halifax Wanderers: Fillion; Fernandez, Nimick, Campagna, Timoteo; Mwandwe, Callegari, Rampersad, Ferrin; Daniels; Collomb

Atlético Ottawa: Ingham; Ouimette, Espejo, Singh, Acosta; Assi, Bassett, Zapater, Verhoeven, Antinoro; del Campo

ALL-TIME SERIES

Halifax Wanderers wins: 4 || Atlético Ottawa wins: 6 || Draws: 3

Last meeting:

June 3, 2023 – Atlético Ottawa 2-0 Halifax Wanderers

KEY QUOTES

“[Ottawa have] grown into the season for sure. They’ve had some tougher games, we watched their game against Cavalry and they did great. Their new additions have certainly added some experience to the team and they’ve taken a step in the right direction. For us, being at home, we’re ready to play anyone.” — Halifax Wanderers head coach Patrice Gheisar