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Inter Toronto vs. Halifax Wanderers |
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The last time Inter Toronto and the Halifax Wanderers played, it was one of the wildest matches in CPL history.
Meeting in the opening match of the 2026 playoffs, Halifax twice thought they'd won it. Twice, Inter Toronto equalized, both in regulation and extra time, before advancing on penalties. Add in a pair of lightning delays, and the multi-hour marathon was a match few will soon forget.
Now they meet again in matchweek two of the 2026 Canadian Premier League season, ready to renew that bitter rivalry.
In their 2026 home, and season, opener, Inter Toronto look to begin an ambitious new chapter in their history, with a new name, new colours and a squad full of CPL and international stars.
Several could make their club debuts on Saturday, headlined by former CPL Player of the Year Ollie Bassett and CPL champion Béni Badibanga.
Inter Toronto had a club record 25 home points last season, but will want to target an even more ambitious number in 2026. The key to that is starting well, as the club had just five points, and one win, from their first five home matches last season.
The two sides actually met only once at York Lions Stadium in 2025, the other Inter Toronto 'home' match in this fixture came on May 31 at Stade TELUS-Université Laval in Québec City as part of the CPL on Tour series.
The Wanderers lost that match 2-0 on goals from Julian Altobelli and Steffen Yeates. They will be happy to be back at York Lions Stadium, where they have more points than any other CPL road venue -- with 18 (4-6-3), including a 2-1 win in their most recent trip to the stadium, almost a year ago on April 13, 2025.
Wanderers head coach Vanni Sartini, meanwhile, is a perfect 7-0-0 against clubs from Toronto in his coaching career. That included twice beating Inter Toronto in the Canadian Championship while coaching the Whitecaps,
After opening their season with a victory against Vancouver FC, the Wanderers search to set new standards in week two. Never before have they won their opening two matches of a season, and they have only won back-to-back road matches twice in club history.
While the Wanderers did pick up a 1-0 win at Willougby Stadium, it required heroics from CPL Player of the Week, presented by Maple Lodge, Marco Carducci, who made five saves, and a wonderstrike from Lorenzo Callegari.
They were significantly outshot (17-5) and outchanced (1.67 xG to 0.21). Three points are three points, especially at this stage of the season away from home, but there are many areas of their game that Sartini's men will need to improve on Saturday.
For Inter Toronto, this is a fresh slate, they weren't in action in week one, but now get a chance to play four of their first five matches of the season in all competitions at home at York Lions Stadium. It could be a strong foundation on which to build their 2026 campaign.
Can Inter Toronto open their new chapter with a victory, or will the road Wanderers continue to pick up big results to open the 2026 campaign?
NEWS & NOTES
- Inter Toronto announced the return this week of goalkeeper Diego Urtiaga on loan.
- Ariel Almagro, Raúl Lopez, and Sebastián Gonzáles are unavailable for Inter Toronto for Saturday's match, as they are not yet in the country. Captain Oswaldo León still has four matches remaining in his suspension from last season.
- For Halifax, Yohan Baï remains out through injury, while Lucas Olguin picked up a knock in the season-opening win over Vancouver and is doubtful for Saturday's match.
PROJECTED STARTING XIs
Inter Toronto: Pavela; Ferrari, Sturing, Singh, Córdova; Yeates, Kibato; Badibanga, Bassett, Jimoh; Altobelli
Halifax Wanderers: Carducci; Troisi, Meilleur-Giguère, Alphonse, Sow, Godinho; Rampersad, Callegari, Johnston; Bahamboula, Kachewele
KEY QUOTES
"I think we have brought in pieces that know what the taste of winning is, and they've brought that into the locker room during this long preseason we've had... we've been able to win every pre-season game." — Inter Toronto head coach Mauro Eustáquio
"Having games at home, you always have that slight advantage, and we need to capitalize on it. These are games where we need results, we need points, especially if we're a team that wants to compete for championships." — Inter Toronto striker Julian Altobelli
"I think what I expect is a team that's going to come at us. I think it's their first game, home opener, new rebranding of the team and everything. So I think they want to probably establish their brand of football from day one, and so we need to, for sure, match their intensity, because it's going to be an intense game." — Halifax Wanderers head coach Vanni Sartini
