The last time Patrice Gheisar was in the Canadian Championship, he was coaching Ontario's Vaughan Azzurri against the CPL's HFX Wanderers FC.
The Canadian Premier League side dispatched Gheisar's semi-pro team in the first round of the 2019 tournament, but only on the away goals rules after the Azzurri won the second leg 1-0 in Halifax to knot the aggregate score at 3-3.
Now Gheisar is back in the cup competition, this time leading Halifax. The Wanderers face Atletico Ottawa on Wednesday in the opening half of a Canadian Championship doubleheader at Toronto's York Lions Stadium with York United FC hosting CPL expansion side Vancouver FC in the nightcap.
"I'm super-excited to be on the other side," said Gheisar, who was named Halifax coach in November. "Obviously for me, there's an additional incentive playing this game in front of my family, 10 minutes away from my house in Toronto. That all gives me the extra desire and juice needed to succeed."
Adding to the storyline is the fact that Halifax and Ottawa played to a 1-1 draw in their CPL season opener Saturday at TD Place.
Ollie Bassett scored for Ottawa, last year's regular-season champion, on the stroke of halftime after Zachary Fernandez had given Halifax an early lead.
"They're a great team, super-organized, great coaches, great players," Gheisar said of Ottawa, which finished six places and 20 points ahead of Halifax last season. "But I think we look at ourselves and say 'You know? We let the game get away.' I thought we had really good spells. Credit to Ottawa for taking those spells away. So we're going to really try to take it to them and keep the game with us for 90 minutes. So long story short, a complete 90-minute consistent performance."
"The real message for our guys has been we cannot have a slow start to the game … We really need to be focused and consistent with every minute and every pass and every shot that we take," he added.
Also Wednesday, League1 B.C.'s TSS Rovers FC hosts Valour FC in a first-round game.
The 14-team, four-round Canadian Championship kicked off Tuesday with Quebec's FC Laval at Forge FC and Ontario's Vaughan SC at CF Montreal.
The first round wraps up Thursday with Pacific FC hosting Cavalry FC at Starlight Stadium in Langford, B.C. Calgary's Cavalry made it to the tournament semifinal in 2019, defeating Pacific, Forge and the Vancouver Whitecaps before losing 3-2 on aggregate to Montreal.
Cavalry, Winnipeg's Valour, Halifax and Vancouver FC are opening the tournament on the road because of stadium availability and weather conditions.
The six first-round winners advance to the May 9-11 quarterfinals where they will be joined by the defending champion Whitecaps and runner-up Toronto FC who had first-round byes. The Whitecaps won last July in a penalty shootout (5-3) after the final at B.C. Place Stadium finished tied at 1-1.
The Whitecaps will face the York-Vancouver FC winner in the quarterfinal. Toronto awaits either Montreal or Vaughan.
"It brings out the best in everyone. It's a fantastic competition," said York United coach Martin Nash. "I loved being part of it as a player and now as a coach."
The tournament winner lifts the Voyageurs Cup and earns a berth in the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League, the flagship club competition in North and Central America and the Caribbean.
The midweek games make for a busy early-season schedule for the CPL sides, with weekend league action sandwiching the cup competition.
Valour flew east to open the season in Toronto with a 2-0 win over York on Sunday before heading to the West Coast to face TSS Rovers. On Thursday, the team will return to Winnipeg to host Atletico Ottawa on Saturday.
"I think it's not ideal to start a season," said Valour coach and GM Phillip Dos Santos. "I don't think that the players are ready for that physically … But it's the schedule we were given."
Complicating matters is the fact that most CPL teams have gone through significant roster turnover since last season, presenting new challenges. Halifax gave debuts to 10 players — seven starters and three substitutes — on the weekend while Ottawa showcased eight newcomers — six starters and two off the bench.
"I think it's going to be quite a different game," Ottawa coach Carlos Gonzalez said of the cup rematch. "Now we have much more tools, much more information. Not only us, also them. Let's see who is able to do the things in the best way."
Ottawa is after its first-ever Canadian Championship win, having lost in the first round to Valour and York in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
York United FC versus Vancouver FC, at York Lions Stadium, Toronto
Expansion Vancouver lost its CPL debut 1-0 at Pacific on Saturday in a game that could have delivered a more lopsided scoreline. Pacific hit the woodwork twice and failed to convert other chances, outshooting Vancouver 15-7 but only 3-2 in shots on target.
"I thought they were really organized, tough to break down. They have some good pieces going forward as well," said York's Nash. "So they're going to be a tough side to beat for anyone. And they showed that against Pacific."
Manny Aparicio scored the winner for Pacific in the 81st minute after a Vancouver defender was dispossessed on the edge of his penalty box.
Vancouver coach Afshin Ghotbi says a one-off cup game is rousing but challenging.
"It's not an easy task for a young team like ours, but our guys are so excited to finally, after six weeks, start playing games in sequence and they're very excited about the rhythm that they're going to come in (with)," he said. "And I'm sure every game we'll improve and hopefully we can get some results on the way."
York made it to the semifinals of the 2022 Canadian Championship, beating Ottawa and Pacific in penalty shootouts before losing 2-1 to the eventual champion Whitecaps in the semifinal.
TSS Rovers versus Valour FC at Swangard Stadium, Burnaby, B.C.
Founded in 1997, the semi-pro Rovers count CF Montreal defender Joel Waterman among their alumni. Valour's Dos Santos isn't too sure what to expect other than an opponent up for the challenge of facing pro opposition.
"We don't have a lot of information about them," he said. "It's hard to gauge based on last season because things change … But what we know is we're going to find a group of players that is eager to show that they have the ability to play at higher levels, so their work rate is going to be very good. Their commitment, their passion will be very good. So we need to make sure that we match that. And if we do that, I think our quality is going to allows us to control the situation.
"But I say this in a humble way. I want our group to understand that we'll be facing an extremely motivated team."
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 18, 2023
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
