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The Canadian Premier League’s most successful team is coming into the 2023 season looking to continue the incredible things they’ve been able to achieve over their first four campaigns. After winning their third North Star Shield in October – a 2-0 victory over Atlético Ottawa in the nation’s capital – and being agonizingly close to winning two other trophies, the Hammers will be trying to add even more silverware to their trophy cabinet in their fifth season.

Forge have retained nearly all of their players from last season, only needing to make a handful of roster moves while other teams have made wholesale changes. They made one of the biggest additions of the off-season as well, replacing the departed Daniel Krutzen with Canadian international centre-back Manjrekar James.

With a regular season trophy being handed out for the first time, and a pair of Concacaf Champions League spots available to CPL clubs, there is more for Forge FC to achieve in their milestone fifth season.

CPL 5 x 5: Key stats, storylines & quotes for Forge FC’s 2023 season

STORY OF 2022

• 2022 CPL regular season record (W-D-L): 14-5-9 (47 pts, 2nd place)
• Goals scored: 47
• Goals against: 25
• Goal difference: +22
• Top scorer: Woobens Pacius (10)
• Canadian Championship: Lost 3-0 in quarter-finals vs. CF Montreal

For the third time in their first four years, Forge FC finished the Canadian Premier League season as North Star Shield champions. In the regular season they scored the most goals by far, and also conceded the fewest to finish with a +22 goal difference. They were two points back of Atlético Ottawa for the regular season title however, awarded for the first time in the CPL, so they just missed out on the double. 

They were also close to becoming the first CPL club to win the Canadian Championship, finally hosting Toronto FC in the rescheduled 2020 edition of the tournament. Tristan Borges scored for Forge to cancel out a goal from Alejandro Pozuelo, and penalties were required to decide the winner. Kyle Bekker and Kwasi Poku missed their penalties as TFC won 6-5 in the shootout to lift the Voyageurs Cup, but the Hammers proved once again that they, and CPL clubs in general, can go head-to-head with Major League Soccer clubs in the national cup competition.

Overall, it was a brilliant year for Forge. On an individual level, Woobens Pacius and David Choinière were among the players to stand out and show that they’re capable of moving up to a higher level at some point, while Alessandro Hojabrpour continued his emergence as an elite midfielder in this league. Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson was one of the stories of the season as well, as the natural central midfielder was forced to play centre-back all year because of an injury to Daniel Krutzen, and the Swede ended up winning the league’s inaugural Defender of the Year award.

ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES

Remarkably, nearly all of Forge FC’s 2022 roster is back for more in 2023, with just four Hammers not signed for another season. 

Many of them were already under contract heading into the off-season, but they have also re-signed several key players to new deals, including Kyle Bekker, David Choinière, Ashtone Morgan and Triston Henry. Options were also exercised on Woobens Pacius, Rezart Rama, and Noah Jensen.

The biggest move the club has made, however – perhaps the biggest signing by any team in the league – is the signing of Canadian international centre-back Manjrekar James. Reuniting with his former Sigma FC youth coach, Bobby Smyrniotis, James is back playing in Canada for the first time since leaving Sigma for Hungarian side Pécsi MFC in 2012. He played for Canada as recently as 2020, and could use the CPL and Forge’s platform to leap back into the national team conversation.

COACH’S PROFILE

Despite being the most successful coach in Canadian Premier League history, and leading Forge to Concacaf Champions League qualification in 2021, Bobby Smyrniotis is still yet to win a CPL Coach of the Year award. 

The joke online has been that the loser of the final is the coach who wins the annual award instead of Smyrniotis – something that is technically correct through four seasons – but if you take a look at the Forge boss’s trophy cabinet, you can understand why he doesn’t seem bothered by it.

Three CPL winners medals, and a silver medal from the 2021 final and 2020 Canadian Championship final. Smyrniotis has created a dynasty in Hamilton after being one of the country’s leading youth coaches for many years at Sigma FC. It’s only a matter of time before Smyrniotis himself moves on to a higher level, but as long as he’s still in the Canadian Premier League, his teams will be competitive and fun to watch.

PROJECTED STARTING XI

(4-2-3-1): Triston Henry; Rezart Rama, Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson, Manjrekar James, Ashtone Morgan; Aboubacar Sissoko, Alessandro Hojabrpour; David Choinière, Kyle Bekker, Tristan Borges; Woobens Pacius

This is pretty much exactly what Bobby Smyrniotis’ first-choice lineup was last season. The only newcomer to the starting XI is the aforementioned Manjrekar James, who will step into the backline to replace Daniel Krutzen at centre-back. One of the biggest question marks is whether Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson will play beside James as a centre-back, or in front of him in midfield, but it’s no debate about whether he’s in the best eleven.

A full season of Rezart Rama is an exciting prospect, after the Albanian youth international was one of the league’s best fullbacks after joining from Nottingham Forest in mid-May a season ago. 

Noah Jensen also emerged as an exciting talent for the future after making 26 appearances in all competitions, including a good showing in the CPL Final in the absence of Kyle Bekker. If he can start the season strong, don’t be shocked if he forces his way into the side as well – and the same can be said about Terran Campbell, who had a slightly disappointing season last year by his standards but has the potential to score 10-plus goals annually in this league.

ROSTER NOTES

MORE READING

• Forge FC sign Canadian international defender Manjrekar James
• ‘It was always going to be Forge’: Captain Kyle Bekker re-signs with champions Forge FC
• Big-game hero Choinière opts to stay at Forge: ‘So much more we can achieve’
• ‘Excited for the challenges’: Morgan looks to run it back with Forge in 2023
• ‘I’ve had four incredible years’: Daniel Krutzen reflects on his time with Forge FC
• Match Analysis: Atlético Ottawa 0-2 Forge FC — CPL Final 2022