2020 Forge FC season

Last updated

Forge FC
2020 season
Chairman Bob Young
Head coach Bobby Smyrniotis
Canadian Premier League Champions
CONCACAF League Quarter-finals
Top goalscorerLeague: Kyle Bekker
Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson
(3 goals each)

All: Daniel Krutzen (4 goals)
  2019
2021  

The 2020 Forge FC season was the second season in the history of Forge FC. Forge were the defending league champions, having defeated Cavalry FC in the 2019 Canadian Premier League Finals. In addition to the domestic league, the club competed in the CONCACAF League, advancing to the quarter-finals for the first time.

Contents

On September 19, Forge defeated HFX Wanderers FC 2–0 in the 2020 Canadian Premier League Final to win their second consecutive league title. As champions, they qualified for the 2020 Canadian Championship Final and the 2021 CONCACAF League.

Review

On January 22, Forge FC announced they had transferred reigning CPL golden boot winner and player of the year Tristan Borges to Belgian First Division B side Oud-Heverlee Leuven for a fee reported to be close to $300,000. [1] [2] Before the start of the new season, the club supplemented their roster with several new signings including K.R.C. Genk academy product Paolo Sabak, former Montreal Impact and Canada men's national soccer team fullback Maxim Tissot, and former Toronto FC attacker Molham Babouli. [3] [4] [5]

Canadian Premier League: The Island Games

The Canadian Premier League originally announced its schedule on February 21. The season would have begun on April 11 and concluded on October 4 with a balanced, 28-match schedule. [6] In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CPL paused all pre-season training on March 13 before later postponing the start of the season on March 20. [7] [8]

On July 29, the CPL announced a revised, shortened season format to be played exclusively at the University of Prince Edward Island from August 13 to September 19 in a bio-secure bubble. Dubbed The Island Games, the season would begin with a round-robin preliminary round. The top four teams would qualify for a round-robin group stage; the top two teams from the group stage would qualify for a single match final. [9] [10]

Soccer Field Transparant.svg

Forge FC's opening day starting lineup against Cavalry FC

Forge opened their season on August 13 with a 2–2 draw against rival club Cavalry FC in the opening match of The Island Games. [11] Over the following weeks, Forge completed the CPL's preliminary round, ending with 2–2 draw against Valour FC to qualify for the second round group stage with a record of 3 wins, 3 draws, and 1 loss. [12] [13]

In the group stage, Forge opened with a 1–1 draw against HFX Wanderers FC before defeating Pacific FC 2–0 to put them on the verge of qualifying for the final. [14] [15] Needing just a draw in their final group stage match, [16] Forge defeated Cavalry FC 1–0 to qualify for their second consecutive CPL final. [17] [18]

Forge faced HFX Wanderers FC in the 2020 Canadian Premier League final. This was the third match between the two clubs at The Island Games with both previous matches ending in 1–1 draws. [19] Forge won the final 2–0 to repeat as CPL champions and qualify the club for the 2021 CONCACAF League and the 2020 Canadian Championship Final. [20]

Following the season, captain Kyle Bekker was named the CPL's Player of the Year and goalkeeper Triston Henry was awarded the Golden Glove. [21]

CONCACAF League

Forge qualified for the 2020 CONCACAF League by winning the 2019 Canadian Premier League finals to become CPL champions. This was their second consecutive season in the CONCACAF League after making it to the round of 16 in 2019. [22]

The competition was originally scheduled to begin on July 28, but this was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On August 7, CONCACAF announced they had rescheduled the tournament to begin play on October 20 and conclude on January 28, 2021. [23]

CONCACAF conducted the tournament draw on September 21. [24] Due to travel restrictions introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, all rounds of the tournament were played as single leg ties hosted by the higher seeded team. [25] As the lowest seeded team, this guaranteed that Forge would not play any home games. [26]

Forge opened its CONCACAF League run in the preliminary round away at Salvadoran club C.D. Municipal Limeño on October 22. David Choinière struck first for the Hammers, opening the scoring in the 21st minute before the Salvadorans tied the game later in the first half. [27] Overcoming a 64th minute red card to Jonathan Grant, Forge won 2–1 to advance to the round of 16 thanks to an 83rd minute goal by Anthony Novak. [27] After the match, Forge travelled directly to Panama City to prepare for their next match. [27]

In the round of 16, Forge faced Panamanian side Tauro F.C. on November 3. Forge took an early lead once again, this time from a goal by Molham Babouli, before Tauro equalized in the 18th minute. [28] Late in the second half, Novak drew a penalty for Forge which Daniël Krutzen converted in stoppage time to secure another 2–1 win for Forge. [28] The win propelled Forge into the quarter-finals, a new best result for a CPL team. [29]

Following a break when the team was able to return home, [30] Forge returned to action on December 1 for a quarter-final matchup against Haitian club Arcahaie FC with a chance to qualify for the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League. The match was played in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic as Arcahaie did not have a suitable venue. [31] [32] David Choinière drew a penalty just before halftime which Daniel Krutzen scored to give Forge the lead, however Arcahaie capitalized on a Triston Henry error in the 57th minute to tie the game. [33] Despite outplaying their opponents, the game ended tied 1–1 and headed straight to penalties. [33] [34] Arcahaie's goalkeeper made two saves while their penalty takers converted all of their kicks to defeat Forge 4–2, knocking the Hammers out of the CONCACAF League. [34] [35]

Despite their elimination, Forge then travelled to Tegucigalpa, Honduras to face C.D. Marathón in a play-in match to qualify for one of the CONCACAF League's final two spots in the CONCACAF Champions League. [36] This was centre-back David Edgar's final professional match as he had announced that he would retire at the end of the year. [37] [38] Marathón took the lead 18th minute from a header off of a free kick which proved to be the only goal in a 1–0 final, qualifying the Hondurans for the Champions League at Forge's expense. [38] The match was "ill-tempered" with four yellow cards shown to Forge, three to Marathón, and both Kyle Bekker and coach Bobby Smyrniotis sent off late in the match. [38]

Squad

As of December 8, 2020 [39]
No.NameNationalityPosition(s)Date of birth (age)Previous club
Goalkeepers
1 Triston Henry Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg GK September 8, 1993 (aged 27) Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Sigma FC
31 Baj Maan Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg GK July 12, 2000 (aged 20) Flag of the United States.svg NKU Norse
Defenders
2 Jonathan Grant Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg DF October 15, 1993 (aged 27) Flag of Sweden.svg Nyköpings BIS
4 Dominic Samuel Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg DF September 29, 1994 (aged 26) Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Sigma FC
5 Daniel Krutzen Flag of Belgium (civil).svg DF September 19, 1996 (aged 24) Flag of the United States.svg Reading United
6 Kwame Awuah Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg DF December 2, 1995 (aged 25) Flag of the United States.svg New York City FC
14 David Edgar Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg DF May 19, 1987 (aged 33) Flag of England.svg Hartlepool United
15 Maxim Tissot Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg DF April 13, 1992 (aged 28) Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Ottawa Fury
16 Klaidi Cela Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg DF July 16, 1999 (aged 21) Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Sigma FC
21 Jordan Dunstan Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg DF March 21, 1993 (aged 27) Flag of the United States.svg Chattanooga FC
22 Monti Mohsen Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg DF June 13, 2000 (aged 20) Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Sigma FC
Midfielders
8 Elimane Oumar Cissé Flag of Senegal.svg MF March 12, 1995 (aged 25) Flag of Senegal.svg Diambars FC
10 Kyle Bekker Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg MF September 2, 1990 (aged 30) Flag of the United States.svg North Carolina FC
13 Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson Flag of Sweden.svg MF April 17, 1996 (aged 24) Flag of Sweden.svg IFK Värnamo
Forwards
7 David Choinière Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg FW February 7, 1997 (aged 23) Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Montreal Impact
9 Marcel Zajac Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg FW April 29, 1998 (aged 22) Flag of the United States.svg Akron Zips
11 Chris Nanco Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg FW February 15, 1995 (aged 25) Flag of the United States.svg Bethlehem Steel
17 Kadell Thomas Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg FW November 26, 1996 (aged 24) Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Sigma FC
19 Molham Babouli Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg FW January 2, 1993 (aged 27) Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg FC Ukraine United
20 Gabriel Balbinotti Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg FW April 12, 1998 (aged 22) Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg UQTR Patriotes
23 Anthony Novak Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg FW March 27, 1994 (aged 26) Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Oakville Blue Devils
24 Paolo Sabak Flag of Belgium (civil).svg FW February 10, 1999 (aged 21) Flag of the Netherlands.svg NEC Nijmegen

Transfers

In

No.Pos.PlayerTransferred fromFee/notesDateSource
GK Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg David Monsalve Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Ottawa Fury Free transferMarch 2, 2020 [40]
24MF Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Paolo Sabak Flag of the Netherlands.svg NEC Nijmegen Free transferApril 23, 2020 [41]
15DF Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Maxim Tissot Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Ottawa Fury Free transferJuly 22, 2020 [42]
31GK Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Baj Maan Flag of the United States.svg NKU Norse Free transferJuly 31, 2020 [43]
21DF Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Jordan Dunstan Flag of the United States.svg Chattanooga FC Free transferJuly 31, 2020 [43]
20FW Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Gabriel Balbinotti Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg UQTR Patriotes Selected 7th overall in the 2019 CPL–U Sports Draft July 31, 2020 [43]
19FW Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Molham Babouli UnattachedFree transferAugust 4, 2020 [44]

Draft picks

Forge FC selected the following players in the 2019 CPL–U Sports Draft. Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster. Only those who are signed to a contract will be listed as transfers in.

RoundSelectionPos.PlayerNationalityUniversity
17FW Gabriel Balbinotti Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada UQTR Patriotes
28MFAlex ZisFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Guelph Gryphons

Out

No.Pos.PlayerTransferred toFee/notesDateSource
18GK Flag of Guyana.svg Quillan Roberts Contract expiredJanuary 8, 2020 [45]
21DF Flag of Cameroon.svg Bertrand Owundi Contract expiredJanuary 8, 2020 [45]
20MF Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Justin Stoddart Contract expiredJanuary 8, 2020 [45]
19MF Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Tristan Borges Flag of Belgium (civil).svg OH Leuven UndisclosedJanuary 22, 2020 [46]
8MF Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Giuliano Frano Contract terminated by mutual consentJuly 30, 2020 [47]
GK Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg David Monsalve Flag of Guatemala.svg Xelajú MC UndisclosedJuly 31, 2020 [48]

Club

Kits

Forge FC unveiled its 2020 primary kit on February 27 at an event hosted at Tim Hortons Field. [49] The kit was inspired by Hamilton's six regional municipalities and featured a gold patch signifying Forge's status as defending champions. [50]

The CPL unveiled all of its clubs' alternate kits on July 30. [51] These "City Edition" kits incorporated unique symbolism for each club, with Forge's kit drawing from the image of Hamilton's Gore Park fountain. [51] [52] Like the home kit, the alternate kit featured a gold champion patch. [52]

The kits continued to be produced by Macron and sponsored by Tim Hortons for a second consecutive season. [49] [52]

Kit left arm forge20H.png
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body forge20H.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm forge20H.png
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks forge20h.png
Kit socks long.svg
Home
Kit left arm forge20H.png
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body forge20H.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm forge20H.png
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks forge20h.png
Kit socks long.svg
Home Alt.
Kit left arm forge20A.png
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body forge20A.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm forge20A.png
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks forgefc20a.png
Kit socks long.svg
Away

Competitions

Matches are listed in Hamilton local time: Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4) from April to October and Eastern Standard Time (UTC-5) otherwise.

Overview

CompetitionFirst matchLast matchStarting roundFinal positionRecord
PldWDLGFGAGDWin %
Canadian Premier League August 13September 19 First stage Winners116411910+9054.55
CONCACAF League October 22December 8 Preliminary round Quarterfinals421154+1050.00
Total158522414+10053.33

Last updated: December 8, 2020
Source: Competitions

Canadian Premier League

First stage

Table

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1 Cavalry 7412107+313Advance to group stage
2 HFX Wanderers 7331127+512 [lower-alpha 1]
3 Forge 7331139+412 [lower-alpha 1]
4 Pacific 7322108+211
5 York9 724187+110
6 Valour 72238918 [lower-alpha 2]
7 Atlético Ottawa 722371258 [lower-alpha 2]
8 FC Edmonton 701651491
Source: CanPL.ca
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) goal differential; 4) goals for; 5) total wins; 6) U-21 minutes; 7) coin toss or drawing of lots. [53]
Notes:
  1. 1 2 Head-to-head points: HFX Wanderers 1, Forge 1. Goal differential: HFX Wanderers +5, Forge +4
  2. 1 2 Head-to-head points: Valour 3, Atlético Ottawa 0.
Results by match
Match1234567
ResultDWDWLWD
Position1111212
Source: #Matches
W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
Matches

Forge FC's opening match against Cavalry FC was announced on July 29. [9] The rest of the first stage schedule was announced on August 10. [54] [55]

August 131 Forge FC 2–2 Cavalry FC Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
8:00pm
Report
Stadium: Alumni Field
Referee: Yusri Rudolf
August 162 Forge FC 2–0 FC Edmonton Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
3:00pm
Report Stadium: Alumni Field
Referee: Carly Shaw-MacLaren
August 193 HFX Wanderers FC 1–1 Forge FC Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
8:00pm
Report
Stadium: Alumni Field
Referee: David Barrie
August 224 Forge FC 2–1 Pacific FC Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
4:00pm
Report
Stadium: Alumni Field
Referee: Matthew Souaré
August 265 York9 FC 3–2 Forge FC Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
1:00pm
Report
Stadium: Alumni Field
Referee: Juan Marquez
August 306 Atlético Ottawa 0–2 Forge FC Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
3:00pm
Report
Stadium: Alumni Field
Referee: Carly Shaw-MacLaren
September 57 Forge FC 2–2 Valour FC Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
12:00pm Report
Stadium: Alumni Field
Referee: David Barrie

Group stage

Table

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1 Forge 321041+37Advance to final
2 HFX Wanderers 31113744
3 Cavalry 31024403 [lower-alpha 1]
4 Pacific 310265+13 [lower-alpha 1]
Source: CanPL.ca
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) goal differential; 4) goals for; 5) total wins; 6) U-21 minutes; 7) coin toss or drawing of lots. [56]
Notes:
  1. 1 2 Head-to-head points: Cavalry 3, Pacific 0.
Results by round
Round123
ResultDWW
Position211
Source: #Matches
W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
Matches

The group stage schedule was announced on September 6. [57]

September 91 HFX Wanderers FC 1–1 Forge FC Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
1:00pm
Report
Stadium: Alumni Field
Referee: Myriam Marcotte
September 122 Forge FC 2–0 Pacific FC Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
12:00pm
Report
Stadium: Alumni Field
Referee: Juan Marquez
September 153 Cavalry FC 0–1 Forge FC Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
1:00pm Hernández Yellow card.svg 90+2' Report
Stadium: Alumni Field
Referee: Filip Dujic

Final

September 19 2020 CPL Final Forge FC 2–0 HFX Wanderers FC Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
3:00pm
Report Stadium: Alumni Field
Referee: Juan Marquez

CONCACAF League

CONCACAF conducted the CONCACAF League draw on September 21. [24]

Preliminary round

The preliminary round schedule was announced on September 29. [58]

Round of 16

The round of 16 schedule was announced on October 27. [59]

November 3 Tauro Flag of Panama.svg 1–2 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Forge FC Panama City, Panama
8:00 pm
Report
Stadium: Estadio Rommel Fernández
Referee: Nima Saghafi (United States)

Quarterfinals

The quarterfinals schedule was announced on November 5. [60]

Play-in round

The play-in round schedule was announced on December 4. [61]

December 8 Marathón Flag of Honduras (1949-2022).svg 1–0 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Forge FC Tegucigalpa, Honduras
10:00 pm
Report
Stadium: Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino
Referee: Bryan López (Guatemala)

Canadian Championship

The 2020 Canadian Championship was played as a one-game final between Forge as the CPL Champions and Toronto FC as the winner of a head-to-head series between Canadian teams from Major League Soccer. It was delayed until June 2022 due to scheduling difficulties related to the COVID-19 pandemic. [62] Forge ultimately lost the final in a penalty shoot-out following a 1–1 draw. [63]

Statistics

Squad and statistics

As of December 10,2020

No.PosNatPlayerTotal Canadian Premier League CONCACAF League
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
1 GK Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  CAN Triston Henry 14010+004+00
2 DF Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  CAN Jonathan Grant 704+003+00
4 DF Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  CAN Dominic Samuel 1408+203+10
5 DF Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  BEL Daniel Krutzen 15411+024+02
6 DF Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  CAN Kwame Awuah 1419+213+00
7 MF Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  CAN David Choinière 1526+514+01
8 MF Flag of Senegal.svg  SEN Elimane Oumar Cissé 1006+201+10
9 FW Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  CAN Marcel Zajac 404+000+00
10 MF Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  CAN Kyle Bekker 15311+034+00
11 FW Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  CAN Chris Nanco 725+020+20
13 MF Flag of Sweden.svg  SWE Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson 1539+234+00
14 DF Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  CAN David Edgar 14010+004+00
15 DF Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  CAN Maxim Tissot 1413+811+20
16 DF Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  CAN Klaidi Cela 200+200+00
17 FW Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  CAN Kadell Thomas 1301+803+10
19 FW Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  CAN Molham Babouli 1424+614+01
20 FW Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  CAN Gabriel Balbinotti 603+300+00
21 DF Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  CAN Jordan Dunstan 902+400+30
22 DF Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  CAN Monti Mohsen 403+000+10
23 FW Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  CAN Anthony Novak 1234+520+31
24 MF Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  BEL Paolo Sabak 1528+322+20
31 GK Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  CAN Baj Maan 101+000+00

Top scorers

RankNat.PlayerPos. Canadian Premier League CONCACAF League TOTAL
1 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Daniel Krutzen DF224
2 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Kyle Bekker MF303
Flag of Sweden.svg Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson MF303
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Anthony Novak FW213
5 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Chris Nanco FW202
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Paolo Sabak MF202
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg David Choinière FW112
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Molham Babouli FW112
9 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Kwame Awuah DF101
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Maxim Tissot MF101
Own goals101
Totals19524

Updated to match played December 8, 2020
Source:  Canadian Premier League

Top assists

RankNat.PlayerPos. Canadian Premier League CONCACAF League TOTAL
1 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Molham Babouli FW213
2 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Paolo Sabak MF202
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Maxim Tissot DF202
4 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg David Choinière MF101
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Kadell Thomas FW101
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Kyle Bekker MF101
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Dominic Samuel DF011
Totals9211

Updated to match played December 8, 2020
Source:  Canadian Premier League

Clean sheets

RankNat.Player Canadian Premier League CONCACAF League TOTAL
1 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Triston Henry 505
Totals505

Updated to match played December 8, 2020
Source:  Canadian Premier League

Disciplinary record

No.Pos.Nat.Player Canadian Premier League CONCACAF League TOTAL
Yellow card.svgRed card.svgYellow card.svgRed card.svgYellow card.svgRed card.svg
2DF Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Jonathan Grant 201131
4DF Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Dominic Samuel 201030
5DF Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Daniel Krutzen 100010
6DF Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Kwame Awuah 100010
9FW Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Marcel Zajac 200020
10MF Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Kyle Bekker 101121
11FW Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Chris Nanco 001010
13MF Flag of Sweden.svg Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson 100010
14DF Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg David Edgar 501060
15DF Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Maxim Tissot 101020
16DF Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Klaidi Cela 100010
17FW Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Kadell Thomas 100010
19FW Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Molham Babouli 001010
20FW Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Gabriel Balbinotti 100010
24MF Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Paolo Sabak 100010
Totals20072272

Updated to match played December 8, 2020
Source:  Canadian Premier League

Honours

Canadian Premier League Awards

NameAwardStatusSource
Kyle Bekker Player of the Year Won [64] [21]
Triston Henry Golden Glove Won [64] [21]
Bobby Smyrniotis Coach of the Year Nominated [64] [21]

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References

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Sources