Inside pro soccer's long-awaited return to the Maritimes - Sportsnet.ca

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Professional soccer is back in Halifax after a three-decade absence, and the city's sports scene will never be the same. (by JohnMolinaro)

The CPL wasn’t sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association until 2017, but Beirne and others were well into the process of courting prospective team owners by that point. It was at El Catrin over beers during the spring of 2016 that Beirne told Martin about the prospective league and floated the idea of Martin bringing a team to Halifax. Although not a soccer fan, Martin was immediately hooked on the idea.

Another key part of the narrative is the quirkiness of the team’s home — what it lacks in modern convenience, it more than makes up for with charm. The modular stadium boasts a 3,500-seat grandstand stretching from corner flag to corner flag on the north side, and The Kitchen’s 1,000 seats on the east. In a move that is so Halifax, Martin used repurposed shipping containers along the south and west sides to build luxury suites, a press box and locker rooms.

Other candidates were interviewed for the job, and Hart admits he needed to be convinced by Martin, as he had never previously coached a pro club. But as the best-known personality in Nova Scotian soccer, he seemed predestined to take the reins of the new CPL franchise. “I had lots of people tell me ‘He’s the guy you have to get. He’s the guy you want.’ But they also said ‘He’s the guy you probably can’t afford’ and ‘He probably doesn’t want to do it, so good luck,’” Martin says.

The CPL’s rules mandate that Canadians make up 51 per cent of every roster , and that teams field a minimum of six Canadian starters per game. Also, at least three Canadians on each team must be under the age of 21, and those U-21 players must combine to play a minimum of 1,000 minutes in each 28-game regular season. “Those are pretty aggressive quotas, and I’m not sure there’s another league in the world that has those kinds of numbers when it comes to domestic players,” Clanachan stated.

Wanderers’ hard work paid off in the 82nd minute, when Colombian striker Luis Alberto Perea pounced on a defensive miscue inside Forge FC’s 18-yard box and hammered home the game-winner in front of The Kitchen. Wild celebrations erupted in the stands and on the field, where Perea was mobbed by his teammates, including the most famous name in the entire league.

 

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JohnMolinaro good article. now hire John back

JohnMolinaro Hire him back

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