2024 CPL Regular Season — Match #89
Halifax Wanderers FC vs. Forge FC
September 14, 2024 at 3 p.m. AT/2 p.m. ET
Wanderers Grounds in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca & TELUS Ch. 980 // Tickets available here

With six games to go before the playoffs in this season’s Canadian Premier League, leaders Forge FC know they cannot afford to slip up at Halifax Wanderers on Saturday if they want to clinch their fifth league title.

Forge travel to Atlantic Canada with six points from their last two games, both of which were played at home: a tidy 2-0 win over Pacific, thanks to a brace from Noah Jensen, followed by a 2-1 win against Cavalry, this time with a brace from Tristan Borges.

How they perform against Halifax could impact their performances in their upcoming games: following their match in Nova Scotia, the Hammers’ next game is in Vancouver at the other end of the country – a journey that could take its toll on the players – before welcoming York United on Sept. 28, and Atlético Ottawa on Oct. 12. Both teams are just behind Forge in the league, and will be hoping they slip up this time around.

The Hammers, however, are no pushovers: their 12-5-5 record in the league this season has been most impressive. With 41 points to their name, Forge sit atop the table having scored the most goals (39), and conceded among the fewest (24) behind Cavalry (22) and Pacific (23), at the time of writing.

Forge could become the first team in the CPL this year to clinch a playoff spot on Saturday; a win or draw in Halifax would guarantee them a place in the postseason. Even a loss would be enough to clinch if Pacific lose to Vancouver this weekend.

RELATED: 2024 CPL Playoff Clinch/Elimination Scenarios: Matchweek 23

Halifax, however, have blown hot and cold all season, showing promise in games that provides their fans some signs of an uptick in form, only for those hopes to be dashed once again. Consequently, with a 5-5-11 record, Halifax find themselves at the bottom of the table, having scored among the fewest goals in the league: 26, the same as Vancouver and Valour, with only Pacific having scored fewer (17). With 35 goals conceded, Halifax also have one of the leakiest defences, alongside Vancouver, and just one goal less than Valour. 

At best, their form can be described as patchy: Halifax were resilient to pull off a 1-1 draw at home to Atlético Ottawa, before an amazing 2-1 win over York United, only to then collapse in ignominious fashion away at Pacific: centre-backs Daniel Nimick and Cale Loughrey were sent off in the first and second halves respectively, as Pacific ran out 3-0 winners. 

That being said, Halifax can take courage from Forge’s previous visit this season, when they held the Hammers to a 2-2 draw. Forge, on the other hand, will be hoping they can repeat the performances that saw them coast to 3-0 and 2-0 victories in Hamilton. 

While the Hammers will look to forge a victory in Nova Scotia, the hosts will be just as fired up to prove their mettle: no one, after all, wants to suffer the embarrassment of finishing at the bottom of the table, and Halifax will be looking to avoid another defeat on Saturday.

All CPL and Canadian Championship matches will be broadcast live on OneSoccer, available as a linear channel on Telus’ Optik TV (Channel 980) as well as online at OneSoccer.ca, through the OneSoccer app and on the fuboTV Canada platform.

3 THINGS TO WATCH

• Time for Halifax’s fringe players to show what they’re made of: With both centre-backs Daniel Nimick and Cale Loughrey  and midfielder Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé suspended, it is time for players who’ve been waiting in the wings to take centre stage. With several injuries to the Wanderers’ defensive line, head coach Patrice Gheisar has placed the onus of driving the team forward on players such as right-back Zachary Fernandez and attacker Massimo Ferrin. Surprisingly, centre-back Nimick is the hosts’ top scorer this season: he has eight goals to his name, as well as three assists, which means his absence will be felt both in defence and attack. Gheisar is also hopeful that other attackers will step in to make up for Nimick’s offensive absence. On that note, winger Ryan Telfer is available for selection after missing the previous match, but needs to be reintegrated into the squad in a manner that ensures he can deliver from the get-go.

• Halifax focused on building strong defensive foundations: While Halifax may be languishing at the bottom of the table this season, Gheisar is keen on rebuilding the foundations that saw them finish third in the 2023 regular season before reaching the quarter finals of the playoffs. Halifax have just signed 24-year-old Canadian-Algerian defender Nassim Mekideche as a free agent, following his time at Tunisian top-flight side US Monastir. The 6-2 defender has previous experience in the CPL with Valour FC, and also played for the second tier of Major League Soccer outfit Sporting Kansas City. Mekideche joins fellow Canadian defenders Jamai Royer and David Mavakala, who were signed on development contracts from Vaughan SC and CF Montréal. Gheisar is building a core of young defenders who can step in when needed, so that there are few repeats of this season’s performances, which he puts down to a swathe of defensive injuries.

• Who will ignite Forge attack? Kwasi Poku made the move to Europe this summer, having just made his debut for Belgian club RWD Molenbeek, joining a growing contingent of Canadians who have gone across the pond to grow their careers. An integral member of Forge’s 2023 title-winning squad, Poku’s conversion from left-back to striker when Forge’s other attackers were on the treatment table turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Poku contributed 10 goals in 22 games across all competitions this season, most memorably scoring a brace over Valour last June, and another over Pacific in July. Forge head coach Bobby Smyrniotis, however, is confident that other players can step in, including the new arrival, Belgian forward Victor Klonaridis. It is something he says CPL teams will need to get used to, as the league grows in strength and popularity and more clubs see their players go abroad to build their careers. Fortunately for Forge, players have stepped up in the six games since Poku left — most recently Tristan Borges, whose brace against Cavalry last weekend gave Forge a stranglehold on first place.

PROJECTED STARTING XIs

Halifax Wanderers: Fillion; Fernandez, Alphonse, Sow, Ferrazzo; Daniels, Callegari, Dias, Bayiha; Coimbra, Ferrin

Forge FC: Koleilat; Duncan, Achinioti-Jönsson, Metusala, Parra; Hojabrpour, Schiavoni, Jensen; Choinière, Badibanga, Ampomah

ALL TIME SERIES

Halifax Wanderers wins: 3 || Forge FC wins: 10 || Draws: 10

Last meeting:

Aug. 14, 2024 — Forge FC 2-0 Halifax Wanderers

KEY QUOTES

“When I watch the team, I think it’s really entertaining football, we make a lot of passes, we’re causing a lot of problems. The big difference has been that we’ve missed some chances in the 18-yard box, and we’ve given up some bad goals in our 18-yard box. I don’t want to blame injuries, I don’t want to blame confidence, I don’t want to blame pressure. I think it’s just the lack of execution and concentration from our part.” — Halifax Wanderers FC head coach Patrice Gheisar

“The spirits in the team are good. We know there is a big challenge in front of us tomorrow, as is with each and every game you play in this league and you know, you look at Halifax and their team, that’s, you know, playing for their playoff spot, playing in front of their crowd and you know, on our end, we’ve had a good trajectory over the last six weeks, and now it’s about going out and executing and keeping up with what we’ve had the last few weeks.” — Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis