Vanni Sartini's coaching debut for the Halifax Wanderers ended in victory against Vancouver FC, but it wouldn't have without the heroics of another debutant.
In his first match with the Wanderers, goalkeeper Marco Carducci stood on his head, making five saves, many of them spectacular, and keeping a clean sheet in a 1-0 victory at Willoughby Stadium.
By now, Carducci's quality isn't a surprise to those familiar with the league. He is a two-time CPL Golden Glove winner, and won a CPL title during his seven years with hometown Cavalry FC. But in his Wanderers' debut, he demonstrated just how important a piece he will be for his new club — both in winning mentality and performances.
For his efforts, Carducci was named the Canadian Premier League's Player of the Week presented by Maple Lodge Farms for the opening weekend of the CPL season.
"We knew already Marco was going to be a really important player for us," said Wanderers' midfielder Lorenzo Callegari. "He showed it today. I think he's a leader on and off the field, so we are really happy to have him on the team, and he's going to help us to win games for sure."
Callegari scored the match-winner on a breathtaking free kick in the 69th minute, but the Wanderers were only really in that position due to Carducci's heroics. Just two minutes after the goal, Carducci was called into action again, making a save on Vancouver's Mohamed Amissi from a strike out wide, before stopping Damiano Pecile's rebound.
"Marco did very well," said Sartini. "I really liked the save that he did in the first half, and then the one with the right foot he did in the second half. They were really good, very good positioning.
"But not only that, it's the leadership, it's the quality that he has with his feet, when the back three becomes a back four with him, because we can play with him."
In his debut, Carducci played 26 passes. But even more vital was his communication and organization at the back of the Wanderers' new-look back three.
"I've got to be honest, I've coached a lot of players in my life, I think Marco is in the top three in terms of natural leadership," said Sartini. "Everybody says he's a veteran, but he's like 29 years old, he's not 40. I think he has a lot of years in front of him. He has this natural charisma, this natural aura of being a little bit the dad of everyone in the locker room. That helps a lot."
That leadership will be critical once again this coming weekend, when the Wanderers look to open a season with consecutive wins for the first time in club history on Saturday against Inter Toronto at York Lions Stadium.
It will be throughout the season, as Halifax look to put themselves in the conversation for silverware this year. Carducci knows what that feels like as well as anyone, and he's setting the standard for the Wanderers as the season begins.
