Welcome to CPL5x5. In preparation for the 2023 Canadian Premier League season — the fifth since the league’s inception in 2019 — CanPL.ca will provide full, in-depth preview coverage for each of the eight clubs.
In this series, we’ll break down all you need to know about each team within five sections: Five stats, five key players, five fixtures to circle, five storylines to watch, and five quotes.
To check out the rest of CanPL.ca’s 2023 season preview coverage, click here. To see the other seven clubs’ CPL5x5 breakdowns, click here.
Forge FC confirmed their status as the Canadian Premier League’s first dynasty last year, reaching their fourth CPL Final and winning their third North Star Shield in just the fourth season in league history.
Going into 2023 with a nearly unchanged roster, the Hammers will be looking to make it four from five, as well as win the regular season title as a trophy is handed out for that for the first time. Forge were the first CPL team to qualify for the Concacaf Champions League when they did so for the 2022 edition of the competition, so they will be looking to get back to that stage once again.
5 STATS
4 CPL Finals:
Four years, four finals. No team has been as successful over the first four Canadian Premier League seasons than Forge FC – who have three North Star Shields to show for it. They have played four different opponents across those four finals – beating Cavalry FC in 2019 and the Halifax Wanderers in 2020, losing to Pacific FC in 2021, and then beating Atlético Ottawa last year.
They’ll be looking to go five-for-five this year, and you’d be unwise to bet against them.
+22 goal difference:
Last season, Forge FC scored the most goals of any team (47) and also conceded the fewest (25), finishing second in the CPL standings. Those numbers are good for a +22 goal difference, 15 goals better than second-place Atlético Ottawa, who had a +7 differential. The +22 differential remarkably isn’t the best in CPL history, however, as Cavalry FC had a +32 differential across their 2019 season.
2 hat-tricks:
There have only been five hat-tricks scored in Canadian Premier League history, and Forge FC players had two of them last season. On May 31, Tristan Borges scored three goals in a wild back-and-forth match in Edmonton that ended 4-3 to Forge, including a game-winning 80th-minute penalty.
Woobens Pacius also scored a hat-trick against the Eddies, this time at Tim Hortons Field on July 19. That match was less nerve-wracking for the Hammers, as they put five past Edmonton on the day.
14 wins:
Forge won 14 games last season, finishing with a 14-5-9 record overall and 47 points. Their 14 wins were tied for the most in the league in 2022, with Cavalry FC, who had an identical record but a worse goal difference, putting Forge in second place at the end of the season. The 14 wins were down from the 16 they had in 2021 to lead the league, and five shy of Cavalry’s league-record 19 wins in 2019.
19 assists:
Tristan Borges finished second in the Canadian Premier League last season with eight assists, one back of Sean Rea’s nine. With those, Borges is the league’s all-time record holder in the category, with 19.
Despite not being with the club for the 2020 season, he has a significant margin ahead of any other active CPLer, with teammate Kyle Bekker second among active players with 13. It will take something special to catch up to Borges this year, especially if he builds on what was a good season for the Canadian midfielder, and Forge have another strong campaign.
5 KEY PLAYERS
Manjrekar James
Forge’s big splash of the off-season, Canadian international defender Manjrekar James, will be a crucial addition to a backline that struggled with injuries a season ago. Forge still conceded less than one goal per game, but with midfielder Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson spending the season covering for other players at the back.
James could slot in beside the Swede, or he could partner with Dom Samuel or one of Forge’s young centre-back options – Malik Owolabi-Belewu and Garven Metusala.
Kyle Bekker
After four seasons of unparalleled success as Forge FC’s captain, Kyle Bekker signed a new contract this off-season, keeping him at the club for the foreseeable future. Bekker, who has been nominated for the league’s Player of the Year award three times – winning it in 2020 – is still the centrepiece of the club’s midfield and you can expect to see him pulling strings for the club again in 2023.
David Choinière
“Mr. Concacaf,” “Captain Clutch”… whatever you choose to call David Choinière, one thing is certain: he performs when the pressure is on. The 26-year-old is another Forge FC original, and has constantly stepped up when his team needs him most – scoring in both the 2019 and 2022 CPL Finals, and adding goals in the Concacaf Champions League, Concacaf League and Canadian Championship over the years.
He is a crucial part of Forge’s attack on the right flank, and took a step forward in 2022 in terms of his consistency throughout the season, leading to him being rewarded with a multi-year contract extension. If he can make another leap forward in 2023, teams from higher divisions will start enquiring about his services, if they haven’t already.
Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson
Last season, out of necessity due to injuries in the squad, Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson was transitioned from his natural defensive midfield role to centre-back for the entire season. What happened as a result was Forge unearthing the league’s best defender – Achinioti-Jönsson won the inaugural Defender of the Year award, and was a finalist for the Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year awards.
It was a remarkable season for Forge’s Swedish superstar – one of the club’s original players who still remains one of their most important going into season five. Achinioti-Jönsson still sees himself as a midfielder, but might just be asked to play centre-back again. Forge’s midfield is crowded, and the 26-year-old was rock solid a season ago.
Woobens Pacius
One of the brightest young stars in the Canadian Premier League, Woobens Pacius scored 13 goals in all competitions last season, including ten in the CPL regular season and a goal in each of Forge’s playoff semifinal legs against Cavalry FC.
When he gets red-hot, the 21-year-old from Terrebonne, Quebec is one of the best strikers in the league, and in July and early August 2022, he scored seven goals in six games, being named the league’s July Player of the Month. The challenge now for Pacius is being more consistent throughout the season – he can be prone to scoring in bursts and then having a bit of a dry spell, but there is no doubt that he’s an elite striker capable of winning the Golden Boot in the CPL and moving to bigger and better things.
5 FIXTURES TO CIRCLE
April 15: Forge FC vs. Cavalry FC
The most exciting rivalry in the Canadian Premier League reignites on the opening day of the season as Forge FC host Cavalry FC at Tim Hortons Field. A rematch of the 2019 CPL Final and last year’s playoff semifinal, this match is always a feisty one, and a match that both teams always get up for.
Last year the rivalry between Cavalry left winger Jose Escalante and Forge right back Rezart Rama was worth tuning in for itself, but these teams never disappoint.
May 5: York United FC vs. Forge FC
The first 905 Derby of the season will take place on May 5, when the Hammers visit York United at York Lions Stadium. The two closest teams to each other in the Canadian Premier League, there are local bragging rights on the line when these two meet. Forge have won 10 of the 17 all-time meetings between the two sides, with York winning six and one draw as well – in the first ever CPL match back in April 2019.
Former Forge star Mo Babouli joined the Nine Stripes toward the end of last season and was arguably the best player in the league for the short time he was there. He’ll be motivated this year, and keen to get one over on his former teammates when they meet each other in May.
May 27: Atlético Ottawa vs. Forge FC
The first rematch of the 2022 CPL Final will happen on May 27, as Forge travel east across Ontario to take on Atlético Ottawa at TD Place. The two sides went head-to-head all year in the regular season before meeting in the final at that very same venue – a match that ended 2-0 to Forge after goals from Alessandro Hojabrpour and David Choinière.
Ottawa will be trying to make a statement when they meet for the first time since then, at the quarter mark of the 2023 regular season.
June 20: Vancouver FC vs. Forge FC
Forge FC will visit the CPL’s newest stadium, Willoughby Community Park at the Langley Events Centre, for the first time in late June as they head to the west coast to play expansion side Vancouver FC.
It won’t be the first meeting between the clubs, as Vancouver visit Hamilton on May 19, but the three-time champions facing a team that at that point will have only played about a dozen competitive matches is always an exciting prospect.
September 23: Forge FC vs. Pacific FC
In their third-last match of the regular season, Forge FC will host Pacific FC at Tim Hortons Field. It could be a match with playoff, or playoff seeding, implications if both teams are in and around the playoff positions as they have been in recent seasons. The most famous night in Pacific FC history happened at the stadium in late 2021, as the Tridents won the North Star Shield – the only final Forge haven’t won – so the Hammers will always get up for that match as well.
5 STORYLINES TO WATCH
Will preseason trip to Costa Rica give Forge an early boost?
Forge FC were one of several teams to spend time abroad during preseason, taking their squad down to Alajuela, Costa Rica for a few weeks.
While there they played two teams who have recently won the now-defunct Concacaf League competition, taking on LD Alajuelense – who won it in 2020 and were a finalist in 2022 – and Deportivo Saprissa, who won in 2019 and lost to Alajuelense in the 2020 final. They also took on another Primera División side in Cartaginés as well as the Costa Rican U-20 national team while down there, in addition to a handful of friendlies at Tim Hortons Field that they’ll play in the lead-up to the season.
While the team didn’t publicly share the results of those friendlies, playing such strong opponents can only be a positive for a team with Forge’s ambitions, and should serve the now-match-ready squad well in the opening stages of the season.
Can Forge FC make it to a fifth consecutive final?
There will be a year eventually where Forge FC doesn’t reach the Canadian Premier League final, but thus far that hasn’t been the case. The Hammers have made it to all four CPL Finals, winning three of them, and show no signs of slowing down.
They’ve brought back almost their entire 2022 roster, and added Canadian international defender Manjrekar James. They’re clearly intent on getting back to that stage again for a fifth consecutive season, and they have every chance to do so.
What position will Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson play?
For his first three seasons in the Canadian Premier League, Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson was one of the league’s top midfielders, but in 2022 he was forced to play centre-back due to a long-term injury to Daniel Krutzen. Achinioti-Jönsson didn’t let that faze him however, seamlessly stepping into the role full-time and going on to win the league’s Defender of the Year award.
While he maintains that he’s a midfielder, Bobby Smyrniotis might opt to keep him at centre-back, to play alongside Manjrekar James. Forge have a lot of very good options in midfield, and while Achinioti-Jönsson would likely start there still, Forge’s depth isn’t as strong in the middle of the backline, and that is likely where he could have the greatest impact.
He could also, of course, regularly switch between the two spots – versatility that will be incredibly useful for Smyrniotis in the case of any other players missing matches for whatever reason.
Will Terran Campbell win a spot in the starting lineup?
Terran Campbell is the CPL’s all-time leading goalscorer, but last year he struggled to find regular minutes in his first season on a deep Forge team that was scoring goals for fun at times.
Of his 29 appearances last season, including the playoffs, Campbell started just 16 times, subbed in 13 times and subbed out in 12 of those starts. In the playoffs he played a total of just 14 minutes – ten in the first leg of the semifinal against Cavalry and four minutes in the second leg – and was left watching from the bench as he won his second consecutive North Star Shield.
He scored six goals in the regular season, but all of those goals came across just three matches – scoring braces on three different occasions. Campbell is versatile, able to play up top or on either wing, and has shown before that he can be one of the best finishers in the league, so he’ll be motivated to get back to that level here in 2023.
What can Forge FC achieve in the Canadian Championship?
The Hammers came close to becoming the first Canadian Premier League team to win the Canadian Championship last summer, when they took on Toronto FC in the rescheduled 2020 final. They fell on penalties, and played with no fear against their Major League Soccer opponents, just as they didn’t in the semifinal of the 2021 tournament against CF Montreal, where they also lost on penalties.
Heading into the 2023 competition, the question is whether or not Forge can take the next step and defeat one of those teams, and potentially go all the way to lift the Voyageurs Cup. They open their tournament against FC Laval of the Première ligue de soccer du Québec, with the winner going on to face one of Atlético Ottawa or Halifax Wanderers in the quarter-finals. From there, the winner could face Toronto FC, CF Montreal or – in the case of a miraculous Cinderella run – Vaughan SC from League1 Ontario in the semifinals.
If Forge are able to progress as far as the semifinals, watch for them to give their all again, and try to progress for a second shot at the Voyageurs Cup.
5 QUOTES
“I’ve always watched Forge games because of Coach Bobby, and I know a lot of players on the team, so I’ve always tried to watch the games or at least the highlights or something like that. I know Coach Bobby’s philosophy and how he plays. I’ve played for him for a long time so I think I’ll fit in very well. I grew up playing under him as a youth, so it’s just getting back into the routine.”
– Defender Manjrekar James on choosing to play for Forge
“At the end of the day it was always going to be Forge. We have a great relationship. It’s been an incredible four years, I’m happy here. This is my home.”
— Midfielder Kyle Bekker on re-signing with Forge
“Can we be better than last season? Can we be better in certain moments throughout the season, you know? Have we learned? No season is ever the same, and that’s the exciting thing about football. I’m excited for the challenges that will arise (this season), and I can’t wait to see us prevail.”
— Defender Ashtone Morgan on how the club can improve
“I’ve been with Forge for the last four years and it’s been four great years. I feel like I’m improving every year and I want to keep going that path, still trying to improve my game, keep getting better.”
— Forward David Choinière on his own development in Hamilton
“I’ll probably sleep for two days straight. We’ve been going for a while here. If you take the end of last year into this year, short turnaround in the preseason, Champions League, what a fantastic season for the club. Today is great but you look at where we started, playing against Cruz Azul, playing in a Canadian Championship final in the middle of the season. We keep on doing great things as a club, and we want to continue.”
— Head coach Bobby Smyrniotis after the 2022 CPL Final
