2024 Concacaf Champions Cup — Round 1 (Leg 1)
Forge FC vs. C.D. Guadalajara
February 7, 2024 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT 
Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario
Watch Live: OneSoccer // Tickets available here

Forge FC spent all of last season playing with Wednesday’s match at Tim Hortons Field in mind.

The Hamilton club made it a main goal of the 2023 Canadian Premier League season to return to the Concacaf Champions Cup, something they accomplished as winners of the 2023 CPL Final, and once again measure themselves against the best clubs on the continent.

What a test it will be, coming face to face in round one of the 2024 tournament with the regional goliath that is C.D. Guadalajara — otherwise known as Chivas — one of the most popular clubs in Mexico with a 117-year history full of trophies and accolades. Wednesday will open the two-legged round one matchup between Forge and Chivas, with the second leg set for next Tuesday, Feb. 13 at Estadio Akron (10 p.m. ET).

RELATED: 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup Guide: Who’s playing, how does it work and what’s on the line?

Chivas won the inaugural Concacaf Champions Cup, back in 1962. They have made eight appearances in total, winning again in 2018 in a penalty shootout over Toronto FC. Add in 12 Liga MX titles, the second most all-time, and a squad full of Mexican internationals and Chivas are the heavy favourites in this matchup.

“First of all, you know that the team from Mexico is much more prepared,” said Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis. “They are in midseason form right now, this will be their sixth game after taking a few weeks off from Apertura to Clausura, so it’s a team that’s in full stride. If you think you’re going to walk onto the pitch and you’re going to match them on the fitness level, you’re wrong. So you have to be very methodical as a team, you have to really plan well, try to get the tactics done as best as possible.

“I lean on the players, the experience of the players that they’ve had in the past, to guide themselves through the good moments in the game, and through the tough moments in the game.”

Despite only five seasons of history, however, Forge actually have more recent experience with continental competition than their opponents on Wednesday, whose last appearance came in that 2018 triumph. The Hamilton club, meanwhile, participated in the round of 16 of the 2022 Concacaf Champions Cup, losing 4-1 on aggregate to Liga MX side Cruz Azul. Prior to that, the club has 16 matches of experience in the now-defunct Concacaf League, appearing in the 2019 and 2020 editions, before making the semifinals in 2021.

Forge have earned those opportunities on the back of their incredible domestic success, with four victories in the league’s five CPL finals to date. That included this past season’s stunning extra-time epic over rivals Cavalry FC. Nine of the eleven players who started that final are back for 2024, although Triston Henry is unavailable as he is on leave to deal with personal matters.

Henry has played every minute of Forge’s 18 previous matches in 18 Concacaf matches, and his experience will undoubtedly be missed by the Hamilton side.

Success has been a little bit harder to come by recently for Chivas, who have made ten managerial swaps, including interim hires, since that 2018 Concacaf Champions Cup final under Matias Almeyda. A 3-2 extra-time loss to Tigres in the 2023 Clausura Final, with runner-up status earning them a spot in this year’s Concacaf Champions Cup, is the closest they have come to domestic success in that period.

CONCACAF CHAMPIONS CUP TEAM GUIDES: Who is Forge FC? || Who is C.D. Guadalajara?

Chivas’ latest hire, 37-year-old Fernando Gago, joined in December with an incredible resumé as a player including over 100 matches for Real Madrid in all competitions and 61 caps for Argentina. After a bit of a rocky start to his tenure, as Chivas went winless in their opening three matches of the Clausura, the club comes into Wednesday’s contest on the back of two straight victories.

The visitors, however, will be playing with a significantly rotated side from their 2-0 victory over Atlético San Luis this past weekend as Chivas prepare for another Liga MX clash on Saturday. Key midfielders Víctor Guzmán and Erick Gutiérrez did not travel to Hamilton, along with defender Gilberto Orozco and forwards Roberto Alvarado and José Juan Macias. Striker Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández, meanwhile, is still working his way back from long-term injury.

Forge have been solid at home in continental competition, with a 1-0 loss to Cruz Azul back in 2022 the only defeat they have suffered in seven Concacaf matches at home. They spent a large part of this off-season down in Querétaro, Mexico testing themselves against Mexican opposition in anticipation of Wednesday’s contest.

From a squad perspective, Forge are still waiting on the international transfer permits for new signings Elimane Cissé and Nana Ampomah so they will not be available for Wednesday’s match.

3 THINGS TO WATCH

• How do Forge approach the home leg?: It goes without saying, but a positive result on Wednesday is critical to Forge winning this tie. How exactly they approach trying to obtain that result remains to be seen. Forge’s identity is to play possession-first attacking football, regardless of the opponent, but that will perhaps be tested against such a storied opponent. With away goals in play, especially, the Hamilton side will also have to be mindful of not conceding any unnecessary goals that could come back to bite them in the second leg. Chivas have lost at home just once in this competition, 2-1 to Toronto FC in the 2018 final, and they still ended up lifting a trophy after the ensuing penalty shootout having won the away leg 2-1. Forge can also likely expect a stronger Chivas squad for the second leg at the Estadio Akron. “We have to be brave, we have to go out and try to play,” said Forge captain Kyle Bekker. “We’re not necessarily going to change too much of that in our style. We want to bring that, and impose ourselves on the match as best we can.”

• Can Chris Kalongo step up to the challenge in net for Forge?: In all of the big matches that Forge have played over the past five years, one constant has been Triston Henry in net. That won’t be the case on Wednesday, however, as Forge are expected to start 22-year-old goalkeeper Chris Kalongo. The Oakville native has deputized for Henry for the past three seasons, but has made just three Canadian Premier League appearances, the most recent of which being 30 minutes of relief for Henry after the Forge starter picked up a minor injury in a match against Pacific in September. He has never faced a challenge quite like this, however, and all eyes will be on the young keeper to see what he can do on the region’s biggest stage.

• What will Chivas look like in unfavourable conditions?: If the long-term forecast is to be believed, the temperature at kickoff is expected to be -1 Celsius (and feel like -4, signature Tim Hortons Field wind aside). This sort of weather always presents a difficult challenge for visiting Concacaf sides trying to acclimatize. That isn’t the only hurdle that the visitors face, however. Immediately after Wednesday’s contest, Chivas must start preparations for Saturday’s league clash with Juárez in the league. Forge, meanwhile, can afford to put their complete preparation into this match as the 2024 CPL season doesn’t kick off until April 13. How this influences squad selections from both sides could be a significant factor in how this match plays out.

PROJECTED STARTING XIs

Forge FC: Kalongo; Samuel, Metusala, Achinioti-Jönsson, Poku; Bekker, Hojabrpour, Jensen; Choinière, Campbell, Badibanga

C.D. Guadalajara: Rangel; Mozo, Briseño, Sánchez, Chávez Garcia; Torres, Beltrán, González; Marín, Cowell, Pérez

CONCACAF CHAMPIONS CUP HISTORY

Forge FC all-time record: 0-0-2
Best finish: Round of 16 (2022)

C.D. Guadalajara all-time record: 20-9-6
Best finish: Champions (1962, 2018)

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Victor Rivas (USA)
ARs: Corey Parker, Logan Brown (USA)
4th Official: Rubiel Vazquez (USA)
VAR Official: Allen Chapman (USA)
Assistant VAR: Tristley Bassue (St. Kitts & Nevis)

KEY QUOTES

“They may be coming without some players, but this is a squad that is very deep, that’s very experienced. There are a lot of good players in the squad. The last five games there’s a little bit of a different identity than who they were in the Apertura, and I think always a team takes some time to adjust to a new coach. Each game we see that. It’s a team with a lot of energy, they have quality players across the pitch so we don’t expect a lot to change if players are out of the lineup.” — Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis

“We have to come into the game with a certain level of humility. They’re obviously a massive club that have very good players and there are going to be spurts in the game where they’re going to have the bulk of the possession, that’s just the reality. I think that’s something we’re not necessarily used to in our domestic league, we like to control the pace of the game.” — Forge FC captain Kyle Bekker

“Overconfidence would be a mistake. Whichever team we have to face, we are committed to competing for all the titles. To think that the match would be something we can regret. … We have to understand that we will play on synthetic grass, in the cold, which we are not used to, but focused on what we have to do and determine how it works to have a great game.” — Chivas head coach Fernando Gago

“We know that these tournaments make you play in all climates and we have to adapt, those who don’t have no chance of winning. The players are athletic, they are going to make the game very difficult for you and they are in this competition for a reason. … We want to win and be in the Club World Cup.” — Chivas defender Antonio Briseño

RELATED READING

2024 Concacaf Champions Cup Guide: Who’s playing, how does it work and what’s on the line? (by Charlie O’Connor-Clarke)

Tactical Breakdown: How Chivas look under Fernando Gago ahead of Concacaf tie vs. Forge (by Kristian Jack)

‘An incredible moment’: Forge FC’s Noah Jensen reflects on professional debut in the Concacaf Champions Cup (by Mitchell Tierney)

‘It still replays in my head’: Forge FC’s Jordan Hamilton on 2018 Concacaf Champions Cup Final vs. Chivas (by Mitchell Tierney)

Concacaf Champions Cup 2024: Building dream 5-a-side teams (by the CPL Newsroom team)

Four former CPL faces in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup (by Ryan Galati)