2024 CPL Regular Season — Match #54
Forge FC vs. Pacific FC
July 14, 2024 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT
Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca & TELUS Ch. 980 // Tickets available here

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Following midweek action in the first leg of the 2024 TELUS Canadian Championship semifinals, Forge FC and Pacific FC return focus to the league on Sunday night as they clash at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton.

Sitting fourth and fifth, respectively, both Pacific FC and Forge FC have won just twice in their past nine CPL matches, including drawing with each other 0-0 at Starlight Stadium back on May 11.

With just three points currently separating second-place York United, and outside of the playoffs Cavalry FC in sixth, this will be a big match for both as they look to keep pace with the pack and move up the table in the coming weeks.

Forge, in particular, will be keen to use the momentum gained from an impressive performance in a 2-1 victory against Toronto FC on Wednesday night at Tim Hortons Field. However, the last time they had a big Canadian Championship result, a win by the same scoreline against CF Montréal at Stade Saputo which saw them win their quarter-final, they fell flat in a 3-0 loss to Atlético Ottawa that weekend.

Some of the circumstances, including a significant rain delay in Montréal and that match being on the road in Ottawa, were different, but Forge know they need to do a better job of switching focus from the cup to the league.

“I think you take the lessons from before, you make sure that your concentration levels are ready,” said Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis. “You know, we’re playing a team that’s coming off the exact same thing in Pacific, them playing midweek against Vancouver. So from that end, it’s pretty even for us.”

Pacific are in slightly better form in the league, coming off a 1-0 win on the road against top of the table Atlético Ottawa in the nation’s capital last Sunday. However, that goal was just the fifth they have managed away from home in the league this season, tied for the fewest in the CPL. Their goal against Ottawa is also one of just two they have scored in their past four matches in all competitions, following a well-contested 1-0 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps on Wednesday in the Canadian Championship.

Historically, goals against Forge FC have been particularly hard to come by for the Tridents, who have scored just 13 times in 19 matches against the Hamilton club. They have scored more than a single goal in a match just twice all-time against Forge, and have never done so in seven previous trips to Tim Hortons Field.

Forge, meanwhile, have been scoring for fun lately, with 15 goals scored in their last seven matches in all competitions. The Hamilton club have been particularly lethal at home, with at least one goal scored in each of their ten matches at Tim Hortons Field this season. However, they have made things a little too entertaining at the other end in league action as well, with seven goals conceded in their past two matches, a 4-3 loss to Atlético Ottawa and 3-3 home draw with Vancouver FC last time out.

For all the talk of goals, the only meeting between the two sides this year, however, was actually goalless as they drew 0-0 back in May at Starlight Stadium. That came as part of a historic five-match run to start the season during which Pacific did not allow a goal. They have a league-leading seven clean sheets in 13 games this season.

Coming off a taxing midweek matches against MLS opposition, both sides can be expected to make some level of rotation ahead of Sunday’s match. Forge were given an exciting boost this week as midfielder Elimane Cissé has finally arrived, and according to Smyrniotis looked excellent in training. There is no rush, however, to get him into the lineup but will at least be available for selection on Sunday. After being suspended for the first leg of the Canadian Championship against Toronto FC, meanwhile, Daniel Parra will once again be available for Forge.

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

3 THINGS TO WATCH

• Can Forge FC avoid post-CanChamp drop-off?: While Forge once again showed how good they can be when they are at their best on Wednesday night against Toronto FC, consistency of results has remained an issue for this club so far this season. After winning four straight matches in all competitions to start the season, they have not won back-to-back games since. Each previous win they have managed since then has been followed by a loss. On Sunday, they will look to prove that like past Forge teams, they are capable of balancing, and succeeding in, multiple competitions at once.

• Gazdov’s return a big boost for Pacific FC: The past few weeks have been challenging for Pacific FC and James Merriman when it comes to squad selection, particularly in goal considering they have been missing both of their regular goalkeepers. Daniel Zadravec did incredibly well in their place in three straight matches as a short-term replacement, even picking up a win against Valour FC. But it must have been a relief this past weekend when Emil Gazdov stepped back between the sticks and kept a shutout in the nation’s capital, making five saves and earning a spot in the league’s Team of the Week. The 20-year-old Gazdov currently leads the Canadian Premier League in clean sheets, with five, and has been one of the league’s top goalkeepers this year when healthy.  Sean Melvin, meanwhile, was also on the bench for Pacific and could be available for selection against Forge or going forward as well.

• How will both sides rotate after a busy, emotional, week?: There is no doubt that the GPS trackers on both Forge FC and Pacific FC players who started their respective midweek Canadian Championship clashes will have some pretty impressive numbers. Both sides put in tremendous shifts against their MLS opponents, but will be left taxed energy-wise as a result. That will particularly be the case for Pacific FC, who will again travel back to Ontario after having played in Ottawa just this past Sunday, before returning to Vancouver Island for Wednesday’s Canadian Championship match. How exactly Merriman chooses to manage on Sunday, as a result, will be a fascinating side story to Sunday’s match.

PROJECTED STARTING XIs

Forge FC: Kalongo; Samuel, Achinioti-Jönsson, Metusala, Parra; Hojabrpour, Jensen, Borges; Badibanga, Ampomah, Hamilton

Pacific FC: Gazdov; Dada-Luke, Quintana, Meilleur-Giguère, Mukumbilwa; Bahous, Toussaint, Young, Yeates; Heard, Zanatta

ALL-TIME SERIES

Forge FC wins: 12 || Pacific FC wins: 4 || Draws: 3

Last meeting:

May 11, 2024 — Pacific FC 0-0 Forge FC

KEY QUOTES

“[Pacific] is a team that’s obviously switched gears a little bit from what we’ve seen in the past, and very resolute and how they defend and sit in a lower block and counter opportunities going forward. You see that in last week’s game in Ottawa.” — Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis