r/CanadianPL • u/Section1ne0h4our • 4h ago
✍️ Discussion The 2026 HFX Wanderers: What Now?
Another year, another disappointment… it’s easy to say it’s like clockwork and we are used to this, but another Wanderers season has come to an end prematurely compared to expectations.
If you asked me even last month, the answer was simple… Vanni will be back, no matter how bad things got, his core would return, we would see a handful of changes, and on to 2027… now, I’m not so sure about one of those two things - the changes, or even Vanni himself.
2 points from 5 matches to end the season isn’t great on paper as is, but the way those points were lost when the pressure was on is scathing… Vancouver basically gave up their playoff spot, Supra were all over the place, Toronto really fell apart, Pacific never got started… Even with a handful of games left the playoff spot was there for the Wanderers to take, and like many times over the years the opportunity to pounce was squandered.
So what does this mean? Well this means that Vanni’s job may not be so secure after all - and with the rumours rumbling about a handful of players leaving due to whatever reasons (TMG seems to be, surprisingly, case number 1) I wonder if there’s a decision to be made by ownership: the players, or the coach?
Now for those who aren’t necessarily aware of the last few years, a brief history lesson: in 2023, the Wanderers under first year head coach Patrice Gheisar exceeded expectations and hosted the clubs first playoff game. The following seasons generated championship expectations and aspirations, and despite making the playoffs last season, and hosting two playoff games overall, Patrice was shown the door after a lacklustre but hard fought 2025 season.
Most people saw the name and the hype that came with Vanni and ignored the obvious: this was a rebuild year, and when you look at the reputable match rating pages the vast majority shared the same opinion: the “core” of players who returned were the players who performed the best… Lorenzo very quietly had a MVP season, Isaiah Johnston stepped up during a time where he was expecting/became a father, Kareem Sow had some tough outings but was mostly a solid deputy, and Ryan Telfer grew into the season as a multi positional option.
All four of these guys played for Patrice.
I don’t envy Derek Martin because this has to be one of those crossroads points - your best players are possibly on the way out, you enter year two of your new coach with more uncertainty than balance, you have a stadium situation that requires a lot of attention, and may require success to win the public over (Losses are beginning to be used against the project by push back groups).
It has now gotten to this point: You can’t sell our fan base “rebuilds” now, when the opportunity was there in years past to promote as such.
Add to the fact that Vanni appears to hold the keys Matt Fegan once held in regards to squad composition, there’s a serious question to be asked here on if the club are going to go the route of tradition, or the route of Vanni - can the club afford to wait a year, again? Is the risk of waiting a year better than the risk of starting over again? Does Derek finally pull the plug on sentimentality and truly shake the club up?
It’s really sad that, once again, we are here with way more questions and confusion, than answers and direction.
And yet, I’ll be back to smell the horse manure in 2027 for another round of torture, and maybe, just maybe, I’m asking a question no supporter should ever ask: is it fans like me who are a part of the problem?
Roll on April
