2023 CPL Regular Season — Match #6
Forge FC vs. Halifax Wanderers
April 22, 2023 at 4 p.m. ET/5 p.m. AT
Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, ON
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca & TELUS Ch. 980 // Tickets available here

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In the second match of Saturday’s Canadian Premier League tripleheader, Forge FC will host the Halifax Wanderers at Tim Hortons Field.

A week after unveiling their third CPL championship banner before a 2-2 draw to open the season against Cavalry FC, the Hammers will be looking to stay undefeated at home. Halifax, meanwhile, is also looking to get into the win column before they head home to the Wanderers Grounds for their home opener next weekend against Vancouver FC.

Both sides played midweek in the preliminary round of the Canadian Championship. Forge defeated Ligue1 Québec champions FC Laval 3-0 to advance to the quarterfinals, while Halifax lost 3-1 to Atlético Ottawa at York Lions Stadium. Forge will now host Ottawa at Tim Hortons Field on May 9 in that competition, with a match against Toronto FC or CF Montréal the prize for the winner.

Forge FC vs Halifax Wanderers is a fixture that the Hammers have historically had the upper hand in. They have won eight of the 16 previous meetings — including the 2020 Canadian Premier League final on PEI– with Halifax winning twice and there being six draws as well.

There is an added excitement for both coaches ahead of this match, as it’s one that features two coaches that both coached in League1 Ontario for a long time, and know each other quite well. Speaking ahead of this match, Patrice Gheisar said that the occasion is nostalgic for him, and recalled some of those matches between his Vaughan Azzurri and Smyrniotis’ Sigma FC.

“The first game we played was with our ’91s, I had Roger Thompson, Massimo Mirabelli, Milovan Kapor and his ’91s had Kyle Bekker, Emery Welshman. Our rivalry with the Vaughan and Sigma days goes way back. I was so happy to see him start Forge and move up because there’s no one that deserved it more than him, I think he’s a guy that goes about his work without jumping up and down and saying ‘notice me’.

“I think it’s cruelty that he hasn’t got the Coach of the Year, for me he’s the Coach of the Year every year with the way that he’s been so consistent. He’s committed, but he keeps the consistency going every day. I certainly plan to come in and be the noisy neighbour that’s going to spoil his party.”

Smyrniotis also looked back fondly on their rivalry back in the League1 days, and is equally excited to see his colleague make the jump up to the professional ranks.

“I think it’s excellent to see his progression first and foremost,” Smyrniotis responded in his press conference. “Going back years we know each other very well. We’ve collaborated on a lot of things and tried to do our best part to help young players with a pathway in the game. It’s great to see him in the league right now… looking forward to the game, and I hope he has a successful season as well.”

All CPL matches are available to stream on OneSoccer, or on TELUS Optik TV Channel 980.

3 THINGS TO WATCH

• Can Noah Jensen continue red-hot form?: Forge FC midfielder Noah Jensen has had a fantastic start to his 2023 season, scoring three goals already in Forge’s first two matches. He scored a 76th-minute equalizing goal against Cavalry FC last weekend to make it 2-2, in Forge’s home opener at Tim Hortons Field. Then, midweek, he scored twice — including a goal from a free kick — leading his side to a 3-0 preliminary round victory over FC Laval in the Canadian Championship. If he plays in a third consecutive match to start the season — which he should, if he’s able to with the short turnarounds this week — it would be unwise to bet against him being a difference-maker once again in the Hammers midfield. “I’d be overly impressed if I didn’t expect it,” head coach Bobby Smyrniotis said about Jensen. “He’s a player we have high expectations about, we know what he’s capable of as a player, not only just his quality on the ball but what he can do in his productivity. I think that’s the next level of his game, making sure that good performances come with productivity.” Smyrniotis added that Jensen’s ability to score goals with both feet and be in the right place at the right time is a huge asset for the Hammers.

• Forge’s lethal attack another early-season challenge for new Wanderers backline: Halifax’s revamped backline has shown signs of promise early on this season, especially in their CPL season-opening draw with Atlético Ottawa last Saturday. Saturday’s match will be their biggest test yet, as they take on a Forge side that has scored five times in two games, and scored 47 times in 28 games in the 2022 regular season. Forge have more depth than any other club in the league as well, with players including Woobens Pacius, Terran Campbell, Jordan Hamilton, David Choinière, Tristan Borges, Kyle Bekker and Noah Jensen all among the players who could either start for Forge either from the start or off the bench. It’ll be a difficult challenge for the Wanderers away from home, but one that head coach Patrice Gheisar is ready for. “I’m super excited about it,” he said. “The way I am, and the reality is, I want us to play the best teams and I want us to be challenged, because our young group still needs to grow and adjust and mature, but they certainly play up to the opponent. I think you’re going to see a couple of guys really have their best performance in this young part of the season so far on Saturday. I’m excited about it and interested to see where we stand against them.”

• Both teams expected to rotate squads after midweek CanChamp games: After busy weeks, with the start of the Canadian Premier League last weekend, and Canadian Championship preliminary round matches midweek. Halifax played both matches against Atlético Ottawa — drawing 1-1 in their season opener before a 3-1 loss in the Canadian Championship on Wednesday — while Forge drew 2-2 with Cavalry in the CPL, before a 3-0 victory over FC Laval. Now both teams are looking to pick up their first league victory of the season at Tim Hortons Field on Saturday. Both Bobby Smyrniotis and Patrice Gheisar said in their pregame press conferences that they expect to rotate their squads a bit for this match as a result, and both have full squads available to them, with the exception of Forge captain Kyle Bekker — who may not be available for this game according to Smyrniotis.

PROJECTED STARTING XIs

Forge FC: Henry; Rama, Achinioti-Jönsson, James, Poku; Sissoko, Hojabrpour; Choinière, Borges, Campbell; Hamilton

Halifax Wanderers: Fillion; Fernandez, Omar, Loughrey, James; Callegari, Watson, Rampersad, Daniels; Collomb, Nwafornso

ALL-TIME SERIES

Forge FC wins: 8 || Halifax Wanderers wins: 2 || Draws: 6

Last meeting:

October 9, 2022 — Forge FC 1-0 Halifax Wanderers

KEY QUOTES

“It’s not the easiest thing to be a fluid, possession-based football team that builds and tries to attack and do all the good things in the game, I think it’s the toughest thing to do in football. In time it’s enjoyable — it’s enjoyable to the players, it’s enjoyable to the supporters of a club — and I think that’s the track that they’re probably on right now, as we’ve seen them play two games in league play and cup competition.” — Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis

“We’re taking a step in the right direction every day, it’s an acquired taste that we’re going to play. I think we’ve really done a good job from 0-70 yards, and we just need to put the next 30 yards together. I think we’ve worked on being a lot more dangerous, and Forge is the mighty team that has held this league for the last five years, and I think it will be a very entertaining soccer game.” — Halifax Wanderers head coach Patrice Gheisar