The Canadian Premier League’s first Goal of the Month was the kind of free-kick move pundits would call “training pitch stuff” or “a well-planned set-piece routine.”
Too bad it was neither of those things.
Forge FC Tristan Borges was awarded the first Goal of the Month honour on Friday, nearly a week removed from his second half, top of the box strike against 905 Derby rivals York9 FC at York Lions Stadium.
As Borges previously revealed, the move was improvised – an idea free-kick taker Kyle Bekker came up with on the spot.
“It’s just great thinking in the situation by Kyle [Bekker], Chris [Nanco] and all three of us, really,” Borges told CanPL.ca after hearing he had won Goal of the Month honours. “It’s exciting. To win goal of the month is something to be proud of.”
⚽️ GOAL OF THE MONTH WINNER ⚽️
?♀️ The impromptu set piece, the cool yet decisive finish…
? It's gota be @ForgeFCHamilton's one & only @tristandborges
? What are your thoughts?! Who shoulda taken it?
? https://t.co/hishXepRT3 | #CanPLxOneSoccer | #CanPL pic.twitter.com/x4BlAh3Avv
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 31, 2019
Bekker’s pass, dummied by Nanco, found an unmarked Borges at the top of the box. A snap of his left foot, a considerable bulge in the net behind Y9 goalkeeper Nathan Ingham, and Borges climbed to the top the CPL’s goalscoring charts.
Borges described the goal and how it came together on Centre Circle Live! this week.
“Bekker saw and opening and we just spoke, him, me and Chris … It worked out perfectly, I don’t think they saw that coming,” he told CCL!.
“It’s a good example of a team goal and a good example of improvisation. It wasn’t something we hadn’t really worked on in training.”
Borges added to his league-leading goal tally in Wednesday with a first-half penalty in a 2-0 win over FC Edmonton.
At 20, emerging as one of the best players in the CPL and now an indicial accolade to his name, Borges is quick to deflect attentional as his reputation grows.
“Anyone that really knows me knows I’m not really big on social media and anything like that,” Borges told CanPL.ca,
“Obviously, it’s nice to get attention from fans, this hasn’t always been my strong suit. I just kinda play the game.”