Forge FC found out their opponent for the 2021 Concacaf League Preliminary Round on Wednesday evening.
The back-to-back Canadian Premier League champions will take on Salvadoran side Club Deportivo Futbolistas Asociados Santanecos, known as CD FAS, in the first stage of the continental competition, with the first matches set to kick off in early August.
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The first leg of the Preliminary Round is set to take place between August 3rd and 5th, with the second leg matches being played between August 17th and 19th.
Should they progress through the tournament, round of 16 ties are set for late September, quarterfinals in late October to early November, semifinals in late November/early December, and the two legs of the final in mid-December.
In the round of 16, they would face Independiente. The Panamanian club dumped Toronto FC out of the 2019 Concacaf Champions League. They won 5-1 on aggregate, thanks in part to a huge performance from Omar Browne, the same Omar Browne that Forge signed on loan from Independiente on Wednesday.
Forge FC acquires Panamanian attacker Omar Browne on loan from Club Atlético Independiente de La Chorrera (C.A.I.) of the Liga Panameña de Fútbol.
? | https://t.co/wShkemMTga#ForgeFC | #CanPL pic.twitter.com/X5BE5H8Mzr
— Forge FC (@ForgeFCHamilton) June 16, 2021
Forge has performed well in previous editions of the tournament. In 2019, they beat Guatemalan team Antigua GFC 2-1 on aggregate at this stage, before falling to Honduran side Olimpia in the round of 16.
In 2020, after lifting the North Star Shield for the second time, Forge made it to the quarterfinals after beating Salvadoran side Municipal Limeño 2-1, before downing Panamanian team Tauro by the same scoreline a few weeks later. In December they lost to Haitian club Arcahaie on penalties after a 1-1 draw, before falling 1-0 to Marathón of Honduras in a play-in round to get a second crack at Champions League qualification.
Ahead of the Preliminary Round, Forge will have only just left the CPL’s bubble in Winnipeg, Manitoba a few weeks prior to travelling again, as the initial stage of the 2021 CPL campaign, The Kickoff, will be taking place from June 26th to July 24th.