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Collomb Hungry For Trophies In Halifax: ‘We Know What We’re Capable Of’
By The Halifax Wanderers enter this weekend already in a playoff position, being just four points shy of first place. It’s tight at the top, but the east coast side has found its way under Patrice Gheisar and look like bona-fide title contenders.
There were a lot of unknowns at the start of the season as plenty of fresh faces arrived out east, including former Whitecaps prospect Theo Collomb and aforementioned head coach Patrice Gheisar.
With eight games left to play, things look a little clearer than they did just a few months ago – and both of them have contributed to that. Speaking to CanPL’s Quentin Perisis, Theo revealed that his ambitions have only grown as the Wanderers found their groove.
“The main objective at the start of the season was to clinch a place in the playoffs, ideally at home, and that remains the main goal,” said Theo, who firmly believes that his club’s present form could now see them clinch the title.
“We know what we’re capable of, we know that out of the last eight games, we have five at home and that we’re strong at home. It’s possible and it’s on everyone’s mind, but we don’t want to miss the boat.”
Theo Collomb has made great use of the minutes he’s had on the pitch, contributing one goal per 127 minutes of gameplay thus far. Still, the 23-year-old knows his spot on the team sheet is never guaranteed: he’s split time between the starting eleven and the bench, with hefty competition coming in as the likes of Joao Morelli and Jordan Perruzza arriving midseason.
Nobody wants to sit out. Collomb certainly doesn’t, but he recognizes the benefits that this kind of roster competition brings when it comes to results.
“If you want to be in the playoffs and in first place, it’s a good thing to have several good players competing for a place,” he says on his teammates.
Contributing to the competition is former League1 Ontario star Massimo Ferrin, who has been exceptional of late. Gheisar sees Collomb as a similar player, meaning Ferrin is his direct competition.
“It’s a big competition, but I’m enjoying it. I’m working to stay in shape, achieve my goals, and offer the maximum I can give to the team,” adds the forward.
The Frenchman has tasted goals at a variety of levels before, starting in his native France with Clermont Foot 63 before opting to move to North America to pursue his post-secondary education.
Collomb proved to be quite prolific with the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he bagged 23 goals and eight assists in just 31 NCAA appearances. He cracked the United Soccer Coaches All-Region First Team and was named the 2021 Southern Conference Player of the Year during his time stateside.
He was then invited to an MLS Combine, impressing well enough to earn his selection by the ‘Caps in the MLS SuperDraft. His season in MLS Next Pro was somewhat hampered by an injury and a heavily rotated WFC2 roster, with the French forward now in the midst of his next chapter with Halifax
It’s a city and an environment he’s enjoyed, and it’s hard not to: with over six thousand fans packing into Wanderers Grounds each home game (a site they’re hoping to expand), he feels the warm embrace the city has given him.
“We have the best fans in the league and the stadium is always full. You feel it, you have a whole people with you who are invested in the club, you want to make the effort,” adds Theo.
With eight games left to go, Collomb has his eyes on silverware, be it the regular season trophy, the North Star Shield… or both.
Source: Canadian Premier League (en francais)