Tag: HFX Wanderers FC

Stephen Hart – Halifax Wanderers FC – Tactical Analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Canadian Premier League, Data Analysis, Most Recent, Recruitment & Scouting

On October 13, 2022, Halifax Wanderers officially parted ways with Halifax Wanderers boss Stephen Hart. The former Trinidad & Tobago coach had been in charge since the Wanderers' inception in 2018, and won the Coach of the Year award for his efforts in 2020. But life inside the Canadian Premier League did not go as smoothly as planned in 2022, with the Wanderers stumbling down to a 7th place finish (in an 8 team league), as Hart's time at the club inevitably coming to an end. So with that, we examine Hart's tactics in his final season with the Wanderers, and how to fix the club moving forward!

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Picking the 2022 Canadian Premier League Team of the Season

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Canadian Premier League, Most Recent

I've spent many hours across the past eight months watching and scrutinizing over the Canadian Premier League. The 2022 campaign saw several seasoned stars move onto pastures new across Europe, and a race for first that came down to the final day. Now that the regular season has officially come to a close, it's time for me to pick my 2022 CPL Team of the Season.

A brilliant set-piece routine that will guarantee goals (ft. Cavalry FC)

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Canadian Premier League, Match Analysis, Most Recent

Even despite missing important players and shifting key figureheads out of position, Cavalry fought their way to a 1-0 victory on Saturday against HFX Wanderers. The only goal came from a set-piece (as we're becoming accustomed to when these teams play), courtesy of a wonderfully coordinated routine to steal the victory away. So with that, we break down the set-piece that resulted in Cavalry's 1-0 win over HFX, and the important steps to replicating the routine with your team.

How not to defend set-pieces (ft. HFX Wanderers & Cavalry)

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Canadian Premier League, Coach Education, Masterclasses, Match Analysis, Most Recent

I can't remember another game in my lifetime where four goals, in fact - 100% of the goals, came from set-pieces. I love analyzing team structures and shapes in traditional match analyses, and I could tell you all about Cavalry's almost 3-3-1-3-esque build-up or Halifax's stern 4-3-1-2 press. But ultimately, this game was decided by free kicks and corners. While that may be seen by some as "boring", on this occasion, all four of the goals resulted off the back of both tactical and psychological mistakes, more than worth breaking down in detail. So with that, here is our Match Analysis of Halifax's 2-2 draw with Cavalry, and our case study on how not to defend set-pieces.

Four tactical discussion points from Matchday 6 in the CANPL

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Canadian Premier League, Coach Education, Masterclasses, Match Analysis, Most Recent

Due to time restrictions, I've been unable to get my usual tactical review of the weekend that was in the Canadian Premier League up and running. But the league still delivered in its sixth round of fixtures, with plenty of intriguing tactical adaptations taking form. So with that, here is what you need to know about the sixth round of fixtures, ahead of Matchday 7.

Canadian Premier League Matchday 5 – Tactical Review

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Canadian Premier League, Match Analysis, Most Recent, World Football

This season in the Canadian Premier League, Rhys Desmond will be bringing you the tactical minutiae behind every single match, team, and moment. Here is our tactical review of the Canadian Premier League's fifth round of fixtures!

Why patterns and context are so essential to analysis in football

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Canadian Premier League, Data Analysis, Match Analysis, Most Recent, Player Analysis

If you're reading this article, chances are you love to analyze football. So allow me to help with your love for analysis with this call to action. Stop taking information from single-match occurrences, or single-match statistics, even statistics over time on their own, as a mechanism for making inferences about the wider context at hand. Recognizing patterns over time, and the wider context behind those patterns, are the essentials behind analysis in football, allowing you to more accurately assess performance, and improve upon performance problems.

Canadian Premier League Matchday 4 – Tactical Review

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Canadian Premier League, Match Analysis, Most Recent, World Football

We may be four matches in now, but the Canadian Premier League continues to show no signs of slowing down, with four goals scored in both of the weekend's fixtures so far, balancing out a dull midweek affair between Edmonton and Pacific. Ahead of the final two fixtures, here is our ongoing tactical review of Week 4 inside the Canadian Premier League.

Canadian Premier League Matchday 3 – Tactical Review

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Canadian Premier League, Match Analysis, Most Recent, World Football

The Canadian Premier League continues to entertain, with 15 goals scored across the 4 matches in Week 3, Pacific continuing their unbeaten run, Forge ending Edmonton's late equalizing steak, and Valour running riot over the previously undefeated Ottawa. Here is our tactical review of the Canadian Premier League's third round of fixtures.

Pacific FC vs. Halifax Wanderers FC – Tactical Preview

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Canadian Premier League, Coaching, Formations, Masterclasses, Match Analysis, Most Recent, World Football

No team in the Canadian Premier League has enjoyed a stronger start to the season than Pacific FC. James Merriman's team have been a well-oiled machine through and through, with a front four firing on all cylinders, and a cast and crew working behind the scenes to best support their fluidity up front. Not only have Pacific had a successful start from a team perspective, but as individuals working to serve one another within Merriman's 4-1-4-1. Here is our tactical preview of Pacific's match against HFX Wanderers FC.