Now in his second campaign with the Wanderers, the Québec born full-back has put together an impressive campaign under the tutelage of head coach Patrice Gheisar
Zachary Fernandez couldn’t sleep.
Hours earlier, he had dazzled at the Wanderers Grounds with a run which was a mixture of skill and pure emotion; the type of moment which defines matches and sometimes, careers.
Atlético Ottawa had just equalized late thanks to a fortuitous goal from former Wanderer Sam Salter. Both sides prepared to reset but Fernandez was in a heated discussion with the referee, earning him a yellow card for argument as his emotions boiled over. Play resumed.
Undeterred, he moved up the left side of the pitch and corralled a cleared ball. He looked up and began to dribble, seizing an opening which had presented itself.
Less than 20 seconds later, his run ended with a highlight reel assist to teammate Tomas Giraldo, giving the Wanderers a stunning 3-2 lead in extra time. The Wanderers Grounds erupted.
“I just saw the ball go into the net and the noise of the crowd and, I’m not going to lie, I immediately got goosebumps,” said Fernandez during an interview last week with the Wanderers Notebook. “I had trouble sleeping after.”
His run has been celebrated for good reason; it’s the type of feat which draws people to sports and even had Wanderers president and founder Derek Martin praising his name.
“I said to (Fernandez) after the game that you took it upon yourself to will that goal into existence. To watch a young man do something like that is pretty special. I think he transformed his career in that moment,” Martin told Down the Pub podcast.
And Martin isn’t the only one who’s taken notice of the Québec born full-back.
A statement year
Heading into this season, Fernandez said he knew the club needed to show improvement from last year. The Wanderers brought in head coach Patrice Gheisar to facilitate that change, including 18 new players, a new philosophy and a set of goals ranging from reclaiming the Wanderers Grounds to the squad’s mentality.
But it was also a big year for Fernandez as he moved from being a U-21 player to one of the few holdovers from last year.
“It was a statement year for Halifax but it was a statement year for me, too. It’s only my second year and I needed to prove I can do this for multiple years,” explained Fernandez.
Fernandez said he worked hard in the offseason and prepared himself to try and be a difference maker. He credits Gheisar and the rest of the coaching staff for freeing him offensively but also for working on his defensive game, too.
“With a new coach and new philosophy, I think with Pat everybody knows he’s a coach that really likes tactic and likes an identity with his team,” he said. “I think that really suits me because it’s offensive and like you guys now, I really like being offensive.”
The proof, they say, is in the pudding as Fernandez scored Halifax’s first goal under the Gheisar regime playing as a hybrid full-back. His bombing runs and tenacious press have been a staple of Gheisar’s starting XI on the right side of the pitch. Fernandez’s assist versus Atlético Ottawa brought his total to two on the season in addition to his three goals through 23 matches.
Speaking after the Wanderers’ win on Sept. 18, Gheisar noted Fernandez thrives under pressure — thanks, in no small part, to his competitive nature — so he challenges him with defensive assignments and positional tweaks.
Against Atlético Ottawa, he tasked Fernandez with switching to the left side of the pitch to defend talented CF Montréal loanee Jean-Arniel Assi.
To say Fernandez rose to the occasion would be an understatement but coach and player haven’t been without their differences.
“Listen, Zach is a super competitive guy. At the beginning (of the season) we had our up and downs,” said Gheisar. “I think when you have two guys who are so competitive, we need to learn things from each other. Zach took a step back, I took a step back. He’s been so competitive and I think for me, in defending, he’s one of the best defending full-backs. You look at key match ups with attackers, he does such a good job.”
And Gheisar has no doubt that Fernandez’s form this season should earn him a look at the next level.
Competitive players turn heads
The Halifax Wanderers have often recruited from the province of Québec.
There’s a number of reasons for that, explained Wanderers sporting director Matt Fegan, but two of the main ones are the region’s strong talent pool and the fact that CF Montréal doesn’t have a squad in MLS Next Pro.
“They’ve got an amateur U-23 group so you get a lot of these players who, at the age of 21 or 22, aren’t going to break into the first team for CF Montréal,” he said.
The current lack of a CPL club in the province also means players who don’t crack CF Montréal’s first team need to look elsewhere for opportunities as they look to develop.
This hole in the province’s football landscape has given the Wanderers an excellent pipeline of talent and Fernandez is a prime example of a player who needed a little extra time.
“I think he’s the kind of player, from a personality standpoint, he’s beyond his years in the sense that the impact and contribution he has in the locker room. Quite often, you find a younger player comes in and maybe shies away a little bit and lets the older guys be involved in the locker room,” said Fegan of Fernandez’s development. “But Zach, it’s just his personality. You’re not often in a room without recognizing he’s there. It’s a good thing because you need personalities around but that’s also confidence, it’s desire. If he’s out of the team, he wants to be in the team.”
By his own admission, Fernandez knows his competitiveness — the trait which can drive him to succeed — can also be his downfall.
“Even in my personal life, I’m a guy who’s really emotional. Sometimes, it helps me but I’ve got to manage it so it’s not a weakness. But even in training, you can see I always want to win. I think the guys like it, I think I push them because sometimes you need a little push. I know I’m still young and I’ve got to learn but I’m enjoying that my teammates have confidence in me,” he said.
Fernandez has mostly found a way to walk the line between being competitive and combative, resulting in clubs from other leagues taking interest — people are noticing the 22-year old Canadian.
For his part, Fernandez is concentrating on preparing for the playoffs as the club competes for its first ever trophy. He’s pleased by his personal success but is glad that the Wanderers are trending at the right time.
“I’m really pleased and blessed that I was able to score those goals. For me, it’s a better year and we’re going in the right direction,” he said.
Cover Photo Credit: Raphael WC Photography
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