Forge FC
2024 season
ChairmanBob Young
Head coachBobby Smyrniotis
StadiumTim Hortons Field
Canadian Premier LeagueMatchday 1
Canadian ChampionshipTBD
CONCACAF Champions CupRound one

The 2024 Forge FC season will be the sixth season in the history of Forge FC and the club's sixth season in the Canadian Premier League (CPL), the top flight in Canadian soccer. Forge are the defending CPL champions, having defeated Cavalry FC in the 2023 Canadian Premier League final.

In addition to the Canadian Premier League, the club will compete in the Canadian Championship and the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Review

Background

Forge FC enter the season as the reigning Canadian Premier League champions after having won the 2023 Canadian Premier League final against Cavalry FC.[1][2] This was the club's fourth CPL title and fifth finals appearance in five years,[1] continuing their dynasty.[3] They will also compete in the Canadian Championship,[4] a domestic cup organized by the Canadian Soccer Association.[5] In the 2023 edition, Forge reached the semi-final where they were knocked out by Major League Soccer club CF Montréal for the third consecutive year.[6]

Forge qualified for the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup on October 21, 2023,[7][8] returning the club to international competition after a one-year absence.[9] Their last appearance in international competition was in the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League, where Forge faced Mexican side Cruz Azul in the round of 16.[10]

Head coach and sporting director Bobby Smyrniotis is contracted to return for his sixth season with the club after signing a contract extension in 2023.[11][12]

Preseason

Striker Woobens Pacius announced his departure from Forge on Instagram on December 17, with the club confirming that he was out of contract.[13][14]

On December 22, 2023, Forge announced that fifteen players from the previous season would be returning with guaranteed contracts while other players could possibly return pending negotiations for new contracts or the club activating contract extensions before December 31.[15] This changed a week later when defender Manjrekar James, who was originally listed to return, was sold to Costa Rican side Alajuelense for an undisclosed fee.[16]

Forge announced in a release that players reported to Hamilton for preseason on January 4, with medicals taking place on January 5 and training beginning at Redeemer University on January 6.[17] The team is scheduled to travel to Querétaro, Mexico on January 16 before returning to Hamilton on January 31 in advance of their opening match in the CONCACAF Champions Cup on February 7 at Tim Hortons Field against C.D. Guadalajara.[17]

Current squad

As of December 30, 2023[15][16]
No. Name Nationality Position(s) Date of birth (age) Previous club Notes
Goalkeepers
1 Triston Henry Canada GK September 8, 1993 Canada Sigma FC
Defenders
4 Dominic Samuel Canada CB / RB September 29, 1994 Canada Sigma FC
20 Kwasi Poku Canada FB February 6, 2003 Canada Toronto FC II U21
23 Garven-Michée Metusala Haiti CB / FB December 31, 1999 Canada A.S. Blainville
81 Malik Owolabi-Belewu England DF July 3, 2002 Italy S.P.A.L. INT
Midfielders
10 Kyle Bekker Canada AM / CM September 2, 1990 United States North Carolina FC
21 Alessandro Hojabrpour Canada DM January 10, 2000 Canada Pacific FC
22 Noah Jensen Canada MF July 20, 1999 United States Oakland University
64 Khadim Kane Canada MF May 17, 2005 Canada CF Montréal U23 U21, EYT
Forwards
7 David Choinière Canada LW / RW February 7, 1997 Canada Montreal Impact
9 Jordan Hamilton Canada ST March 17, 1996 Republic of Ireland Sligo Rovers
14 Terran Campbell Canada ST / LW October 10, 1998 Canada Pacific FC
19 Tristan Borges Canada RW / LW / AM August 26, 1998 Belgium OH Leuven
39 Béni Badibanga Belgium FW February 19, 1996 Belgium RAAL La Louvière INT

Transfers

In

Draft picks

Forge FC made two selections in the 2024 CPL–U Sports Draft.[18] Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster; only those who are signed to a contract will be listed as transfers in.

Round Selection Pos. Player Nationality University
1 8 MF Mouhamed Ndiaye  Canada UQTR
2 16 FW Amadou Koné  Canada Carleton

Out

No. Pos. Player To club Fee/notes Date Source
5 DF Canada Manjrekar James Costa Rica LD Alajuelense Undisclosed December 30, 2023 [16]
17 FW Canada Woobens Pacius Contract expired December 31, 2023 [13][14]

Competitions

Matches are listed in Hamilton local time: Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4) from March 10 until November 3, and Eastern Standard Time (UTC−5) otherwise.

Overview

Competition First match Last match Starting round Record
Pld W D L GF GA GD Win %
Canadian Premier League Matchday 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 !—
Canadian Championship TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 !—
CONCACAF Champions Cup February 7 Round one 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 !—
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 !—

Source: Competitions

Canadian Premier League

The Canadian Premier League schedule is expected to be released around late January to early February, 2024.[5]

Canadian Championship

CONCACAF Champions Cup

The CONCACAF Champions Cup draw was held on December 13, 2023.[19][20] Having qualified as CPL champions, Forge will enter the competition in round one and begin play in February, 2024.[21][22]

Round one

The round one schedule was announced on December 18, 2023.[23]

February 7 Leg 1 Forge FC Canada v Mexico Guadalajara Hamilton, Ontario
8:00 pm Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
February 13 Leg 2 Guadalajara Mexico v Canada Forge FC Zapopan, Jalisco
10:00 pm Stadium: Estadio Akron

References

  1. 1 2 Wharnsby, Tim (October 28, 2023). "Borges scores 'Olimpico' goal as Forge FC completes comeback to win 4th CPL title". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  2. ↑ Mitchell, Don (October 28, 2023). "Forge FC wins fourth CPL championship at home with 2-1 win over Cavalry FC". Global News. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  3. ↑
  4. ↑ Jacques, John (December 16, 2023). "Noonan Highlights CPL's Commitment To Domestic Cup As US Falters On Their Own". Northern Tribune. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  5. 1 2 "2024 Season Seats". Forge FC. Archived from the original on November 10, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  6. ↑ Grigoriadis, Elias (May 23, 2023). "CF Montreal advances to Canadian Championship final with win over Forge FC". Global News. The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  7. ↑ Canadian Premier League [@CPLsoccer] (October 21, 2023). "The Concacaf Champions Cup is heading to Hamilton 🔨 As a result of @CPLCavalryFC advancing to the CPL Final, @ForgeFCHamilton join the Cavs in next year's continental competition ⚽" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023 – via Twitter.
  8. ↑ Milton, Steve (October 25, 2023). "More than 10,000 tickets already sold for CPL final". The Hamilton Spectator. Archived from the original on October 25, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  9. ↑ Tierney, Mitchell (December 13, 2023). "Why the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup is such a big opportunity for Cavalry and Forge". Canadian Premier League. Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  10. ↑ Rhodes, Benedict (February 24, 2022). "Recap: Forge FC eliminated from Concacaf Champions League with 3-1 loss to Cruz Azul". Canadian Premier League. Archived from the original on February 15, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Forge FC Announce Extension and Expanded Role For Bobby Smyrniotis" (Press release). Forge FC. May 1, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  12. ↑ Milton, Steve (May 1, 2023). "Forge FC locks in coach Bobby Smyrniotis for four more years". The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  13. 1 2 "Forward Woobens Pacius says goodbye to CPL champions Hamilton Forge FC". Toronto Star. The Canadian Press. December 17, 2023. Archived from the original on December 18, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  14. 1 2 Jacques, John (December 17, 2023). "As MLS Call Beckons, Pacius Departs Forge FC". Northern Tribune. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  15. 1 2 "Forge FC Roster Update". Forge FC (Press release). December 22, 2023. Archived from the original on December 22, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  16. 1 2 3 Jacques, John (December 30, 2023). "Forge Defender Manjrekar James Sold To LD Alajuelense". Northern Tribune. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  17. 1 2 "Forge FC Begins 2024 Preseason" (Press release). Forge FC. January 10, 2024. Archived from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  18. ↑ Jacques, John (December 14, 2023). "2024 CPL-U SPORTS Draft Roundup". Northern Tribune. Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  19. ↑ Davidson, Neil (December 13, 2023). "Whitecaps, Forge FC draw Mexican opponents in CONCACAF Champions Cup". TSN. The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Draw delivers Round One matchups for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup". CONCACAF. December 13, 2023. Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Concacaf confirms 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup pre-seeded clubs and draw pots". CONCACAF. December 11, 2023. Archived from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  22. ↑ O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie (October 24, 2023). "Draw procedure, dates revealed for 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup". Canadian Premier League. Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  23. ↑ "Concacaf announces schedule for 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup Round One and Round of 16 matches". CONCACAF. December 18, 2023. Archived from the original on December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
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