MENU
‘Step up and embrace the challenge’: Forge captain Bekker ready to lead team into Champions Cup vs. CF Monterrey

As Kyle Bekker grinds through his seventh preseason as the captain of Forge FC, and 13th as a professional footballer, his approach has changed over the years.

At 34 years of age, the midfielder understands that time is no longer on his side, and with fewer preseasons ahead of him than are already behind him he needs to enjoy every moment.

Down in Cancún, Mexico, where Forge have been training over the past few weeks, that has meant getting in a few more ice baths than he would have in his younger days and making time for morning meditation.

“If you told 21-year-old Kyle he’d be meditating every single morning, I think he’d laugh in your face, so things change,” he said with a chuckle in a recent interview with OneSoccer’s Jordan Wilson. 

Another reason training camp has been so unique for Bekker and Forge in recent years? Its importance. That’s because when Forge begin their 2025 season on Wednesday, Feb 5. at Hamilton Stadium, they will do so with one of their biggest games of the year.

Facing Liga MX giants CF Monterrey in Round One of the Concacaf Champions Cup, much like the ice baths that have made up Bekker’s preseason there is no time to ease into anything. Similar to plunging into cold water, Forge will need to quickly adapt to their intense circumstances in order to have any chance of a historic result.

“It’s a matter of trying to find as much chemistry and as much will and desire early and often in this season that we are about the embark on and try to come away with the biggest result in the first two games that you’re playing,” said Bekker. “It’s a challenge, but it’s exciting.”

Kyle Bekker against Cruz Azul during the 2022 Concacaf Champions Cup (Photo: Concacaf)

This will be Forge’s third foray into the Concacaf Champions Cup, and the third time they have come up against a storied Liga MX side. Falling 4-1 on aggregate to Cruz Azul in 2022, and 5-2 to Chivas Guadalajara in 2024, it won’t get any easier against five-time tournament winners Monterrey.

“Monterrey is a massive challenge,” said Bekker. “Their squad from top to bottom is just filled with [good] players. They have a ton of talent, so it’s going to be no easy feat. This year more than times in the past we’re in a little bit of a turnover phase, so we’ve got guys coming in that we know have quality, but we’re definitely asking some people to step up and embrace that challenge and make a name for themselves.” 

As Bekker mentioned, there will likely be a few new names adorning the backs of Forge’s famous orange kits on Feb. 5. This off-season the club has gone on a recruitment spree, including the signings of CPL Players’ Player of the Year Brian Wright, highly rated Halifax Wanderers defender Dan Nimick, and attacker Mo Babouli, returning to Forge after three years at York United.

The quick integration of these new players is going to be essential, because all of them will likely be called upon to play vital roles against Monterrey.


RELATED: Mo Babouli looking to create more Concacaf magic for Forge in Champions Cup: ‘Hopefully I can play my part’


“Bringing in a guy like Nimick to play in the back, he’s going to be asked to play – I mean maybe I’m wrong – but he’s going to be asked to start and be a dominant player in the biggest game of his career to date,” said Bekker. “You look across the roster you’ve got guys like Malik [Owolabi-Belewu], this is where he really needs to really step up and take an opportunity and cement his name and really take that leap forward. Noah Jensen is another one who’s going to have to step up, be a bigger player.”

Bekker in action against Chivas Guadalajara (Photo: Concacaf)

Jensen made his professional debut in this competition in 2022 at the storied Estadio Azteca against Cruz Azul, and is one of many Forge players with significant Concacaf experience now. With the club having played in 20 continental matches in their six years, including in Mexico two of the past three seasons, there are a lot of leaders within this group who know what to expect at this level.

“We just have those guys across the roster,” said Bekker. “[David] Choinière is a guy who has done it time and time again but now he’s a certified veteran on our team, a guy who has had tons of success in this league and tons of success in this competition so we’re going to have to lean on guys like him.”

As far as leadership and experience go, nobody will be leaned on more than Bekker. At 34, he remains as effective as ever, evidenced by his nomination for the league’s Player of the Year award this past season — and a strong campaign which saw him put up two goals and seven assists in all competitions.

He has captained the club in all but one of those 20 continental matches, playing every single minute of Forge’s Champions Cup history. Those experiences will help him to know just how difficult an undertaking playing against Monterrey this early in the year will be for the club, but also just how special games like this are in a player’s career.

“I’ve said it time and time again, these are the games that you want to play in,” said Bekker, “and if you’re making excuses saying, ‘oh, I wish it was halfway through the season, or I wish we were playing this game three-quarters of the way through the season,’ then you’ve already lost the battle.” 

Bekker doesn’t know how many of these battles he has left, so he doesn’t take any of them for granted. He would love nothing better than to start his seventh season with the Hamilton club by making even more history, and delivering another result that shocks the confederation.


The 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup begins Tuesday. Feb. 4. Canadian Premier League clubs Forge FC and Cavalry FC will be taking on Mexican sides CF Monterrey and Pumas UNAM, respectively, with their matchups beginning Feb. 5 and 6.

Canadian viewers can watch the tournament live on OneSoccer. For more information on the Concacaf Champions Cup, click here, and for further coverage of the tournament at CanPL.ca, click here.