Football comes full-circle for Wanderers head coach Patrice Gheisar during CanMNT stint
Football, like life, is filled with special moments and Halifax Wanderers head coach Patrice Gheisar had a few of those moments while coaching with the Canadian Men’s National Team last month ahead of their two-legged tie against Suriname.
There was, of course, wearing the Canada Soccer crest. Another was getting to spend time with head coach Jesse Marsch and his staff during their pre-camp, providing insight into how they prepared their group — mentally and physically — ahead of an important Nations League clash.
But there is a photograph, simply framed, that captures the highs that football has provided Gheisar and a few of his former players.
The snap includes Gheisar between Celtic star Alistair Johnston, Portland’s Kamal Miller and Minnesota United’s Dayne St. Clair; it represents the first time all of them had been together in years. Naturally, they all have roots that go back to League1 Ontario’s Vaughan Azzurri.
And it’s that moment of being reunited, Gheisar says, that perfectly encapsulates his experience with the national team.
“The four of us literally hadn’t been together since their U-18 year. They all went to different schools. They stopped coming to play (in Ontario) in the summer and they all eventually went on their own journey,” he tells OneSoccer. “But here we are, all with different experiences, one in Scotland, one in Minnesota, one in Halifax and one in Portland. We just thought about what an amazing game it is and the journey it’s brought to all of us.”
Overall, Gheisar adds he relished the opportunity to be in that environment with Marsch and his staff. But he also freely admits he never imagined himself getting the chance to be at the highest echelons of his craft.
“All of these things, spending time with the coaches, talking to the players and seeing my former players, I couldn’t have asked for more. It was a dream come true. People say that a lot, but this really was a dream, and I mean that in the most sincere way,” he says.
📷 Patrice Gheisar 📷 CANMNT
— Halifax Wanderers FC (@HFXWanderersFC) November 6, 2024
Our head coach has joined the Canadian Men's National Team coaching staff for the squad's training hub in Toronto this week! 📷
READ MORE: https://t.co/vK5zLQlf1J pic.twitter.com/wxE8VPhjuw
There are certainly lessons to be taken from the experience. One of them, which starts with Marsch himself, is about being open and receptive, a mentality Gheisar hopes to exemplify himself moving forward. Another is about sharing his experiences — like the National Team camp — for the growth of football both in Nova Scotia and Ontario.
“I need to go away with the same kind of openness with youth coaches and U-Sports coaches when I’m in Halifax with the Wanderers and in Ontario when I’m home just like Jesse gave me,” says Gheisar.
Dwayne DeRosario and Patrice Gheisar joined #CANMNT training hub as assistant coaches 💪
— CANMNT (@CANMNT_Official) November 5, 2024
——
Dwayne DeRosario et Patrice Gheisar ont rejoint le groupe d'entraînement du #CANMNT en tant qu'entraîneurs adjoints 💪 pic.twitter.com/5U9UW493ZK
Gheisar also says he and Marsch discussed the CPL and the progress of the league.
“He’s taken an interest in CPL, taken an interest in Halifax. I’ve made jokes with him that he needs to come to Halifax to do a coaching symposium, he’s got to do a training camp here, he’s just got to come to see Halifax and he was really receptive (to that),” he says.
Marsch has publicly committed to taking the men’s national team beyond Toronto, telling reporters in September that he hoped to make it “the people’s team” by holding camps across the country leading up to the World Cup in 2026. As a result, the CanMNT even recently held a camp in Montréal ahead of their tilt against Panama in October.
But the American skipper has also shown a willingness to scout and support a progressing CPL. Gheisar is the second head coach he’s had at camps, Mauro Eustaquio — newly named head coach for York United FC — being the other. Former CPLer Kwasi Poku made his debut for Canada in October following an explosive campaign for Forge FC that saw him get sold to Belgian side RWD Molenbeek. And, more recently, York United’s 16-year-old Shola Jimoh was one of the 19 players named to the program’s pre-camp against Suriname.
Gheisar says it’s all helped further build relationships within the Canadian football community, as the connections, be it between CPL, MLS or Canadians abroad, are everywhere.
“There are no secrets in football. The real takeaway here is the way Jesse made people feel and going back to the human factor. Sure, he has a style, sure, he’s very clear in his identity, and sure, his team is committed. But the point is how he makes everyone feel, and everyone is happy,” explains Gheisar.
“More than ever, I think all of us have to work towards a common message. Now, I have a responsibility to take what Jesse’s given me and touch our community and pass it on. I think, more than ever, we need to support the program.”
