French Forward Theo Collomb Joins Halifax Wanderers

Former PSG midfielder Lorenzo Callegari won’t be the only Frenchman situated out east this year, with the Halifax Wanderers confirming the acquisition of French centre-forward Theo Collomb.

The 22-year-old arrives to Wanderers Ground one year after being selected by the Vancouver Whitecaps in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft, scoring two goals in nine appearances before being released in November.

“Theo is a highly technical player that can score goals at a high rate with an ability to stretch the game and play between the lines,” said Wanderers head coach Patrice Gheisar, who intends to field quite an attack-minded side.

Born in Clermont, France, the forward progressed through his local side Clermont Foot 63 and was on the precipice of a first team deal when he opted to move to North America to pursue his post-secondary education.

Collomb then proved himself 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 Halifax confirming he’s now fully recovered ahead of his new chapter out east.

“I’m so excited about this project in Halifax,” said Collomb. “When it comes to signing, it’s all about feelings, and I had a great feeling about the Wanderers and the coaching staff.”

He’ll also be a familiar face to Cristian Campagna, who played alongside him during their time in BC.

Having put pen-to-paper on a one-year contract with a club option for a further year, he becomes Halifax’s twentieth player signing for the season, and its fifth of seven allowed international signings.