Final Score: Forge FC 2-1 Pacific FC
Goalscorers: Poku 47′, 85′; Sellouf (pen.) 33′
Game of the 2024 season: 54
CPL match: 538

Match in a minute or less

Forge FC added to their excellent record at Tim Hortons Field on Sunday with another home win, this time a come-from-behind effort against Pacific FC.

The Tridents opened the scoring in the 33rd minute from the penalty spot, where Ayman Sellouf converted his league-leading third spot kick of the season. Forge, however, responded in the second half as Kwasi Poku scored his fifth and sixth of the season — and in his past five matches, to give the hosts a 2-1 victory.

Now holding a 5-1-1 record through seven league matches at home in CPL action, Forge FC are up into third in the table, leaping over Pacific who drop to fifth — just two points above the playoff line.

Three Observations

Kwasi Poku’s persistence and patience in front of goal leads Forge to second-half comeback

The first 45 minutes on Sunday were especially frustrating for a Forge team that had 46 final third entries and 59.1 per cent of the ball, but lacked the tempo to pick apart a resolute Pacific backline. But early in the second half, they finally broke open the game thanks to a player who has been their difference maker in front of goal time and time again of late, Kwasi Poku.

With Canadian men’s national team head coach Jesse Marsch in attendance, the 21-year-old Brampton native Poku certainly caught the eye as one for the future. Knowing that such a prestigious figure was in the building could have easily weighed on the mind of the young striker. But, instead, he was once again clinical when the Hamilton side needed him to be, equalizing the match in the 47th minute, and then scoring an 85th minute winner.

“You look at the degree of difficulty on that first goal, and it’s fabulous,” said Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis. “You don’t see this too much. It’s rare, and some people look at it and say ‘oh he just got his foot on it’. But if you go and watch the goal, it’s absolutely excellent how he’s opened up his body and made contact with the ball.”

Kwasi Poku nets the equalizer 🤩

What a season he's having 👏 It's 1-1 at Tim Hortons Field 👀#CanPL | 📺 @onesoccer pic.twitter.com/BuvfeEdfXh

— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) July 15, 2024

What was perhaps most impressive, much like his team, was Poku’s persistence. Even when a few chances went begging, like when he scored, but was offside a few minutes after his opener, and was denied on a diving header on an excellent save from Emil Gazdov in the 71st.

But he kept putting himself in good positions, and got his reward in the 85th minute when Daniel Parra deflected a loose ball in the box from a corner kick into his path. He again stretched to push the ball past Gazdov, scoring his eighth goal in all competitions this season.

“I owe that all to my teammates, they’re supporting me despite missing two or three good chances this game they said ‘stay calm, it will come again’, and it did,” said Poku. “So that’s what I have to do in the future as well.”

The past three matches in all competitions have then seen Forge give up late goals. That wasn’t the case on Sunday, however, as they held on for their fifth home victory of the season — tied with York United for the most in the league.

They have now scored in all eleven matches at Tim Hortons Field in all competitions this year, further proof that their home form has taken a big step forward this season after just four home wins last year in the regular season.

Forge FC’s persistence on right flank overload eventually produces

From kickoff on Sunday, there was a clear directive from Forge to try to use the wide areas in order to get in behind and around Pacific’s incredibly compact defensive 4-4-2. Knowing that Pacific are used to playing on a smaller pitch at Starlight Stadium, Forge felt they could use the width of Tim Hortons Field as a home advantage on Sunday.

In particular, Forge continually looked to find David Choinière down the right flank with Tristan Borges then shifting over to create added numbers. Playing as a right fullback, Garven Metusala trailed them, looking to pick up any loose balls that came free.

Attacking opportunities came from this almost immediately, as Choinière found himself free on that side on multiple occasions, but could not connect with Poku in the middle, or with the net when he decided to cut inside and have a shot himself. In the second half, Choinière often moved inside into the half-space, which created a pocket out wide in which Borges thrived — creating three chances and picking up an assist on Sunday.

It was from this pocket that Borges created Forge’s opening goal in the 47th minute. Choinière controlled the ball out wide and played it back to Metusala. The fullback then played a perfect pass down the line into the vacated space for Borges who cut inside and fired a perfect cross into the path of Poku who finished the movement brilliantly.

Kwasi Poku nets the equalizer 🤩

What a season he's having 👏 It's 1-1 at Tim Hortons Field 👀#CanPL | 📺 @onesoccer pic.twitter.com/BuvfeEdfXh

— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) July 15, 2024

Over the years, Forge have been known to ruthlessly look to exploit a perceived weakness in an opponent and that was certainly the case on Sunday. In the end, 46.8 per cent of their attacks went down the right side, with Smyrniotis saying he would have liked to have seen Forge use that side of the field even more, feeling the space was there.

“If something’s working, we’ve gotta go [there],” said Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis. “It’s up to the opponent to try and correct that, and then we go somewhere else. That’s something we got better at in the second half, and I think that’s given us the opportunity to score these goals and really put a lot more pressure on the opponent.”

Here is a look at Forge’s attacking percentages during the match, demonstrating how often they looked to use the flanks — particularly the right.

‘Fatigued’ Pacific FC show fight, but inability to build on leads costs them again

Pacific FC played a solid first road half on Sunday, frustrating Forge in attack and picking their moments to go forward, winning a penalty in the 33rd minute which put them up 1-0 after the first 45.

Things unravelled quickly in the second half, however, as less than two minutes in Forge had already scored an equalizer through Kwasi Poku. Pacific looked as if they had done enough to at least earn what would have still been a valuable road point, but in the 85th minute the Forge striker struck again and they left Tim Hortons Field empty-handed.

Coming off a week where they played in the nation’s capital, flew home to face Vancouver Whitecaps in the Canadian Championship, and then came back to Ontario to take on Forge on Sunday, however, Pacific FC head coach James Merriman was still proud of his team’s effort.

“It was always going to be tough, we take a goal and we go up here 1-0 away, and then we lose our focus, concentration at the beginning of the second half, which is really disappointing,” said Merriman. “But I have to give the players a lot of credit for the work that they are putting in, what we are asking them to do in this back-and-forth [road trip].”

Pacific FC now have dropped 11 points from winning positions in 14 matches, the most in the Canadian Premier League. The underlying issue in that has been the team’s inability to build on leads this year. The Tridents have now scored more than a single goal in a match just once in their past ten matches in CPL action.

The good news for Pacific, however, is the fact that they get a weekend off as they return to Vancouver Island to prepare for their next match, which isn’t until Sunday, July 28. A team that has been carrying a lot of injuries and tired legs recently, they will use this time to rest up and integrate new players.

One such player made his debut on Sunday night, Guatemalan international midfielder Marco Dominguez, who looked solid in 55 minutes of action, winning all four of his duels in the centre of the park.

“It’s timely for us, and comes at a great time for to recover and regroup and focus on the second half of the season, which I think we have a lot of quality,” said Merriman. “And when everyone is fit and competing we’re going to be very good, and in a good way to attack the second half of the season.”

CanPL.ca Player of the Match

Kwasi Poku, Forge FC

Poku scored twice on three excellent shots on target on Sunday, and could have had more as the focal point once again in this lethal Forge attack. Despite only having 19 touches in the match, he was clinical and decisive with basically all of them.

What’s next?

Forge FC are on the road next week for a clash with rivals Cavalry FC on Sunday, July 21 (5:00 p.m. ET). Pacific FC, meanwhile, have a bit of a break now before their next match, which will be played on Sunday, July 28 against Valour FC at Starlight Stadium.

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