There were mixed feelings for the Halifax Wanderers after their bubble burst in Charlottetown on the weekend.
The Canadian Premier League team's players had to deal with the devastation of losing in the championship game and also did not deny how hard it was at times to be in such close quarters for so long. The second-year national soccer league had to scramble to find a way to hold a season in a COVID-19 environment, ultimately settling on a tournament in Prince Edward Island with everyone quarantined from start to finish.
It wasn't perfect but it was the best option under the circumstances. By the end of it, the players all said they were simultaneously relieved to be set free but also wistful because they'll miss the camaraderie of being isolated together in a hotel for the past month and a half.
"We are such close friends now and we developed into brothers," Wanderers leading scorer Akeem Garcia said. "We spent so much time together that it was great for that. Now we just have to keep going and keep those relationships strong for next year.
"And we missed being in Halifax, of course. We have the best fans in the league, there's no doubt about that. We can't wait to get back to play in front of them and hopefully next season everything goes well with the virus and we can do that."
Players from all eight CPL teams reported to the Prince Edward Island capital back in mid-August, unsure about what to expect. They knew they would be playing a ton of soccer but also had to accept a drastically limited lifestyle.
No one was allowed anywhere but the hotel grounds and UPEI's Alumni Field so routines got fairly monotonous, fairly quickly.
"They kept us busy so that helped but there are definitely parts about being in a bubble for six weeks that are hard," Wanderers defender Peter Schaale said. "You really have to stay focused and all you're doing is playing football. You can't really get outside or anything like that but our staff did a great job of keeping us distracted. We had a good time in the bubble together. The team connected really well so it's been easier than I thought it would."
It was already tense enough playing so many games against a small group of opponents in such a short span but there was an extra degree of friction that could not be avoided. The league put everyone in the same hotel for the duration of what was known as The Island Games so it was sometimes a bit too close for comfort.
"No one could hide, right?" kidded championship captain Kyle Bekker from Forge FC. "But at the end of the day all we wanted to do was play games. We were absolutely buzzing that they were even able to put something together.
"Credit to the CPL for making this happen. All the players really appreciate that. It was a tough grind at times but we just wanted to build off the momentum we got last year. Credit to everyone in the league to come together and get this done."
And this was the bottom line in what has become a bizarre year in sports - getting to play at all. The NHL, NBA and MLS have all used the bubble model to cope with the challenges of the pandemic, while the NFL, tennis, golf and major league baseball have all relied on different combinations of quarantining and limited venue access.
"Going back to the quarantine in March, we were all inside and no one knew what was going to happen," Wanderers captain Andre Rampersad said. "Then we got to have these Island Games so that was great on behalf of the league. We got to play and do what we do. Now we can come back next year even stronger and have a more normal season."
Forge FC beat the Wanderers 2-0 in Saturday's championship final. It was their second straight league title.
