T&T’s Akeem Garcia search for his first goal of the 2021 Canadian Premier League (CPL) continued after his HFX Wanderers struggled again in a 1-0 loss to FC Edmonton at IG Field, Winnipeg, Manitoba on Wednesday.
In a match between two clubs searching to climb out of the basement of the table, it was Easton Ongaro who ensured his side would take all three points with an 81st-minute strike off an assist from Fraser Aird.
Wanderers assistant coach Mesut Mert and Halifax swapped out two players from the starting XI that fell 2-1 to Cavalry on Saturday with Samuel Salter earning a start with his first professional goal against the Cavs as he came into the lineup for Pierre Lamothe, while Joao Morelli was preferred over out-of-form Garcia in the Wanderers attack to start with fellow T&T international Andre Rampersad, 26, captaining the team from midfield.
It was the Eddies that got off on the front foot as they opened the first 15 minutes of the contest with plenty of energy and forced the Wanderers into several sloppy turnovers in the early goings.
Halifax seemed to adjust to Edmonton’s pressing efforts as they pushed their fullbacks higher up the flanks to give their centre-backs more breathing room to build —a tweak that saw the momentum of the match shift their way.
Despite HFX looking the stronger of the two teams at the break, it was Ongaro who would get the best look at goal in the opening 45′ but the Eddies talisman would volley wide on his weaker right foot following a great cross from Shamit Shome in the 29th minute.
Stefan Karajovanovic would find himself in a dangerous position to open the Wanderers scoring account in the 53rd minute with a volleyed effort at the back post — once which Connor James ultimately caught comfortably.
After failing to register a shot on target in the first half, Edmonton’s hopes of finding the back of the net worsened when Tobias Warschewski was forced off through injury just ten minutes after halftime.
With little prospects of offence at either end of the pitch, Alan Koch turned to his bench and got a spark from Aird, who’d scored twice already for Edmonton this season.
After smashing a free-kick past Christian Oxner only to be denied by the crossbar with roughly 15 minutes remaining, Aird would take full advantage of some careless Halifax defending before squaring it to Ongaro for a tap in and the game’s opening goal in the 81st minute.
Mert would turn to 24-year-old Chaguanas-born Garcia off the bench with six minutes left in the match for Jamaican Alex Marshall, hoping last year’s leading scorer with six goals in ten matches could be an impact sub for Halifax.
However, Garcia who led the team to the league final last year was kept quiet over the final period as the Eddies stood firm at the back to secure an all-important victory and move to eight points from seven matches in the fifth spot, three clear of Wanderers slipped to the bottom of the standings with five points, and who were still without head coach T&T’s Stephen Hart who is on medical leave from the club since early July.
Also on Wednesday night, T&T Ryan Telfer, just back from Concacaf Gold Cup duties with the national team watched on as Atletico Ottawa stayed sixth with seven points, one ahead of York United after letting a 2-0 lead slip in a 2-4 loss to Pacific.
At the top of the table is Valour FC, the club of T&T defender, Canada-born Federico Pena with 18 points from seven matches, four more than Pacific FC who have played a match more while Forge is third with 12, followed Calvary with 11.
Over the border in the USA, national midfielder Kevin Molino, also coming off of Gold Cup duties made a 65th-minute second-half introduction for defending US Major League Soccer champions Columbus Crew in a 0-0 draw with Nashville SC to stay sixth in the Eastern Conference with 21 points from 14 matches, nine behind leaders New England Revolution who trashed the injured Joevin Jones-less Inter Miami FC 5-0.
And in another match, former national Under-20 defender Luke Singh was not used off the bench by Toronto FC in their 1-1 draw against New York Red Bulls at BMO Field, Toronto.