Forge FC’s squad is packed with stars — players who show up routinely in highlight reels, and whose names are never a surprise when they’re mentioned in awards conversations.

Kyle Bekker. Tristan Borges. David Choinière. Béni Badibanga. All of them would be first to mind when listing Forge’s best players, and all have their fair share of viral moments.

So, too, has Alessandro Hojabrpour — look no further than two championship-winning goals in the 2021 and 2022 CPL Finals. However, just how important he has been to Forge’s success, particularly in 2024, might go a little unnoticed sometimes — leading some to be unsure why he was nominated for Player of the Year.

As Forge now face the prospect of another CPL Final against Cavalry FC, Hojabrpour will yet again have a crucial role to play as he vies to win his fourth consecutive championship (one of them with Pacific FC).

Earlier this year, Forge head coach Bobby Smyrniotis pointed out that Hojabrpour’s holding midfield position is the most important role in football. He compared Hojabrpour’s job in the Forge team to that of Manchester City’s Rodri, who recently won the Ballon d’Or. Hojabrpour occupies a space that’s entirely his own on the pitch, in front of the centre-backs and just behind the dual number eights — usually two of Bekker, Borges or Noah Jensen.

Hojabrpour’s Forge teammate Jordan Hamilton has similarly spoken about how important the 24-year-old is, adding that perhaps he doesn’t get enough credit.

“He plays every game, he’s an unsung hero of this team,” Hamilton said. “It’s a guy that you don’t really think about when you see Forge FC but he’s the machine in the middle. Without him, a lot of what we do doesn’t happen.”

In the 2024 regular season, Hojabrpour racked up 2,259 minutes for Forge — behind only Alex Achinioti-Jönsson — and appeared in all but one game. He landed near the top of the CPL in a litany of statistical categories, too; he was first in passes into the final third (230), third in ball recoveries (157), and fourth among outfield players in successful long passes (125 — also first among midfielders).

What makes Hojabrpour so special in the CPL is the diversity of his skillset. He makes himself available all over the pitch as a passing outlet, distributing the ball and then moving into a new position where he can receive it.

The following sequence isn’t a flashy highlight nor even a particularly significant part of Forge’s game in Halifax on June 15. Rather, it’s the type of thing Hojabrpour does throughout every game when Forge are in possession: finding space all over the field, presenting himself as an outlet to build a rhythm and continue progressing the ball. This play comes to nothing, but it illustrates how inter-connected Hojabrpour is, weaving between teammates.

Of course, not all of Hojabrpour’s distribution is so simple.

There are few players in the CPL who can strike a long pass as cleanly — or as intelligently — as he can. Hojabrpour is a master of spotting wingers making dangerous runs and spraying the ball out to them to launch an attack. It’s a clear tactical tenet with Forge for Hojabrpour to always be aware of those attacking runs; many of these are deliberate attempts to bypass an opposing team’s block.

Here’s a sample of some of Hojabrpour’s long distribution from last week’s semi-final against Atlético Ottawa, as well as his outrageous assist to Elimane Cissé (also against Ottawa) from earlier in the season.

Note, in particular, that he’s able to do this with both feet.

All of that and more is why Hojabrpour is so important to Forge’s possession play. He’s the ticking heart of the midfield with his distribution, and his consistently excellent positioning and awareness of where teammates are on the pitch is what allows other players, particularly Bekker and Borges, to play with freedom and get into dangerous areas.

That’s only half of his role though — or rather, 56.1 per cent of his role, as that’s how much possession Forge have on average with Hojabrpour on the pitch.

The Burnaby, B.C. native also has tremendous defensive responsibility. The majority of that goes unnoticed; the simple fact that he occupies the right spaces to deter teams from playing through the middle is a major piece of Forge’s defensive system.

When he is called into action, though, Hojabrpour is able to deliver.

He’s good at reading an attacker, and getting his timing right when he slides into a tackle or jumps to try and win the ball or intercept a pass. There’s the odd occasion where he gets it wrong and earns a booking, but only conceding 18 fouls in 29 CPL games this season is an excellent record for a player with as many minutes as him.

Finally, when things get dicier for Forge, Hojabrpour still seems to have a knack for showing up in the right places. Several times this year, Hojabrpour has shown off his ability to read the play and get his body in front of the ball.

He has made a handful of crucial blocks this season, as seen below in matches against Halifax and York United. He also does a great job of winning the ball by intercepting passes.

And of course, who can forget his double heroics against Ottawa in the semi-final? Twice within a few seconds, Hojabrpour cleared the ball off the goal line — both times identifying quickly that he should retreat to cover one of the posts. The first clearance is a particularly impressive one, considering his momentum carrying him toward the goal; it wouldn’t be easy to ensure he directed the ball away from danger, rather than into his own goal.

Hojabrpour has long been considered a good player in the CPL. He won the Best U-21 Canadian award back in 2021 after scoring Pacific’s winner in the final, and the following year he became entrenched in the Forge midfield after a shocking winter transfer.

This year, however, his star has shone brighter than ever. Hojabrpour, at age 24, was arguably Forge’s best and most consistent player in 2024, and that rightly earned him recognition as a Player of the Year nominee and landed him in the top 10 of voting for Players’ Player of the Year.

He has a goal and an assist in 2024, but it’s the moments you might not even notice that truly make him one of the best players in the Canadian Premier League.

Hojabrpour and Terran Campbell (who also swapped to Forge after winning that 2021 title with Pacific) have a chance this weekend to be the first players to be CPL champions four times in a row.

That’s not a fluke. Hojabrpour will be at the centre of the action once again this weekend, and if he’s holding the North Star Cup at the end of it, he will have played a starring role.

The 2024 Canadian Premier League Final between Cavalry FC and Forge FC will be played Saturday, Nov. 9 at ATCO Field, kicking off at 1 p.m. MT/3 p.m. ET. Watch the match live on CBC or OneSoccer.