2023 CPL Regular Season — Match #42
Vancouver FC vs. Forge FC
June 20, 2023 at 7 p.m. PT/ 10 p.m. ET
Langley Events Centre in Langley, British Columbia
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca & TELUS Ch. 980 // Tickets available here

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Reigning Canadian Premier League champions Forge FC make their first-ever trip to Willoughby Community Park on Tuesday night, as they take on expansion side Vancouver FC for the second time this season.

The first meeting between these sides came on May 19, at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton. Despite 28 shots between the two teams, 18 from the home side and 10 from the visitors, just three of them (all from Forge) went on target. The result was a 0-0 draw, the first ever at Tim Hortons Field in CPL action.

That game was the first in a run of matches for the Hammers that is below their usual high standard. Including that match against Vancouver, Forge are 1-2-3 in their six league matches, and have scored just three goals. Bobby Smyrniotis has said, rightly, several times throughout that span that his team has been creating chances at a rate good enough to win most games, but they are just lacking a clinical shot to start putting some of those chances in the back of the net.

With that in mind, Tuesday night’s match might present an opportunity for the Hammers to get back on track, against a Vancouver FC side that will be approaching this game with exactly the same mindset. After winning their second CPL match, a 2-1 away victory against York United, the CPL newcomers are yet to win again, going 0-4-4 — including losses in each of their last three matches. Vancouver have scored the least goals (eight) and conceded the most (nineteen) in the Canadian Premier League this season, something they are looking to change before the teams ahead of them start to pull away in the table.

This past weekend Forge fell 2-0 to Valour FC in Winnipeg despite having the majority of the scoring opportunities, while Vancouver lost 1-0 to Atlético Ottawa in the nation’s capital after an early goal from Sam Salter that broke the game open early on.

VFC will have some added motivation ahead of this match, as they also look for their first home win in club history. As mentioned, their lone win came on the road at York Lions Stadium, and after two draws and two heavy defeats in front of their home fans, a home win could be the confidence-booster they need.

Both sides will be without key defenders for this match. Vancouver centre-back Pele Martinez will serve the second of a three-match ban for elbowing Roberto Alarcon in the face at ATCO Field a couple of weeks ago, while Forge’s Rezart Rama will watch this one from the sidelines after being suspended for yellow card accumulation. Forge will also be missing Garven Metusala, who is with the Haiti national team ahead of the Gold Cup, while Vancouver will be without Marcus Simmons as he is with Guyana for the same competition.

The status of Elliot Simmons is also to be determined, with Vancouver boss Afshin Ghotbi confirming to CanPL.ca on Monday that his inclusion will be a game-time decision as he deals with a minor injury.

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

3 THINGS TO WATCH

• Both sides looking to end recent slumps: Both Vancouver FC and Forge FC will be entering Tuesday’s match hoping to get back into the win column after several weeks without picking up the full three points. Forge’s last win came on May 27, a 1-0 victory over Atlético Ottawa that came as a result of a 91st minute winner from David Choinière after a match of missed opportunities, a trend that has continued in the matches since. Vancouver, meanwhile, haven’t won a match since the second matchday of the CPL season, drawing four of the next eight matches and losing the rest — including 5-0 and 6-3 losses at the hands of Atlético Ottawa and Pacific FC, respectively. Tuesday’s game presents an opportunity for either side to finally snap what have been frustrating runs, and pick up a needed victory — for Vancouver, their first ever at home if they come out on top.

• Young Vancouver squad growing as season progresses: Against Atlético on the weekend, Vancouver FC started a group of eleven players with an average age of just 22. While also doing wonders for their U-21 minutes quota, pushing them from 969 to 1,330 in just one outing, there was also a lot to like about the players that played. Youngsters like TJ Tahid and Tyler Crawford have shown real signs of promise early in the season, playing with an energy and willingness to work hard for results that is infectious among the squad. At the same time, however, their lack of experience sometimes shows. On the weekend that showed when some preventable errors allowed a strong Ottawa attack to dictate a lot of how the match played out — with poor finishing from Ottleti the primary reason the scoreline was 1-0 instead of a wider margin. Just ten games into the season, with a roster built from scratch, however, there are undoubtedly signs of growth and the promise of better things to come as the team — and the individuals within it — evolve. “[I’m] taking it one step at a time,” Crawford said to CanPL.ca on Monday. “Coming to training prepared each time, taking a game and each action one at a time is really important. I want to take that in stride for the rest of the season.”

• Defenders missing for both sides through suspension and international duty: Four players are missing out on this match, two from each side, as a result of suspensions and international duty striking at the same time. Vancouver centre-back Pele Martinez is serving the second match of a three-game ban for violent conduct after he elbowed Cavalry’s Roberto Alarcon at ATCO Field, while fullback Marcus Simmons is with the Guyana national team ahead of the Gold Cup. For the Hammers, centre-back Garven Metusala is with the Haiti national team for the Gold Cup, while Rezart Rama is serving a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation after picking up his fourth caution of the season on Friday in Winnipeg. This gives opportunities for new players to start — for VFC it was Anthony White getting his first CPL start in the middle of their backline after going first overall in the 2023 CPL U-SPORTS Draft. Malcolm Duncan is a potential option for Forge at Rama’s right back position, or Aboubacar Sissoko could be pushed into that spot, freeing up a spot in midfield for one of Forge’s many central players to step into the middle of the park.

PROJECTED STARTING XIs

Vancouver FC: Irving; Bakare, Romeo, White, Crawford; Kwak, Henry, Bitar, Tahid; Sandoval; Hundal 

Forge FC: Henry; Duncan, James, Samuel, Poku; Achinioti-Jönsson, Bekker, Sissoko; Borges, Pacius, Campbell

ALL-TIME SERIES

Vancouver FC wins: 0 || Forge FC wins: 0 || Draws: 1

Last meeting:

May 19, 2023 – Forge FC 0-0 Vancouver FC

KEY QUOTES

“With no doubt I can say [Forge FC] are one of the best teams in the league, almost in every position. On paper they have so much depth, so much quality. Even in the game we played away [against] them, they had so much of the ball, they created so many openings and opportunities that I have enormous respect for them. I think that even though they’re going through a bad run, I think it’s a team that will be there at the end and will fight for the title.” — Vancouver FC head coach Afshin Ghotbi

“I think they’re a strong offensive team, when we played them they had some good attackers in their lineup, and the subs that came on as well. We can expect a strong attacking performance from them, but we’ll be ready for that.” — Vancouver FC defender Tyler Crawford

“I think they’re a very well-coached team, a very well-organized team. They stick to their plan, they stick to a structure, and they’re a difficult team to break down. They’re a resilient group, I think they showed that in their last game against Ottawa. They may have conceded early, but they’ll have their opportunities and I think that’s the mark of a team that competes and goes after three points in each and every game.” — Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis