Latest news with #ForgeFC
Edmonton Journal
3 days ago
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
Michael Bradley, David Edgar join Canada as guest coaches during June FIFA window
Article content Bradley will only be with Canada for the Halifax camp while Edgar, an assistant coach with the Canadian Premier League's Forge FC, will also be in Toronto. The 37-year-old Bradley, who won 151 caps for the U.S. from 2006 to 2019, retired after the 2023 MLS season, his 10th with Toronto. After retiring, he joined father Bob Bradley's coaching staff at Norway's Stabaek. The 38-year-old Edgar won 42 caps for Canada from 2011 to 2018. The defender retired at the end of the 2020 CPL season with Forge after a career that included stops in Canada with the Ottawa Fury and Vancouver Whitecaps, as well as stints in England (Newcastle, Burnley, Huddersfield Town, Sheffield United, Hartlepool), the U.S. (Nashville SC) and Wales (Swansea City). Marsch, who played for Bob Bradley at D.C. United and the Chicago Fire, has made a habit of bringing in guest coaches to Canada camps. Others previously invited included CPL coaches Mauro Eustaquio (York United) and Patrice Gheisar (Halifax Wanderers) and former Canadian internationals Dwayne De Rosario, Paul Stalteri and Martin Nash.
Toronto Star
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Star
Forge FC edges CF Montreal in first leg of Telus Canadian Championship quarterfinal
HAMILTON - Another loss for CF Montreal. But this time the struggling Major League Soccer side has a chance to dig itself out of its hole. Brian Wright's 78th-minute goal lifted Forge FC to a 1-0 win over Montreal in the first leg of their Telus Canadian Championship quarterfinal Tuesday. The teams play the second leg July 9 at Stade Saputo with the Canadian Premier League team looking to oust Montreal for the second year in a row.
CTV News
21-05-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Forge FC edges CF Montreal in first leg of Telus Canadian Championship quarterfinal
Rezart Rama (24) of Hamilton Forge FC jumps for a ball with Tom Pearce (3) of CF Montreal during first half Canadian Championship quarterfinal soccer action in Hamilton on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nick Iwanyshyn HAMILTON — Another loss for CF Montreal. But this time the struggling Major League Soccer side has a chance to dig itself out of its hole. Brian Wright's 78th-minute goal lifted Forge FC to a 1-0 win over Montreal in the first leg of their Telus Canadian Championship quarterfinal Tuesday. The teams play the second leg July 9 at Stade Saputo with the Canadian Premier League team looking to oust Montreal for the second year in a row. "It's not a great performance but it's just the first half of two games," said interim Montreal coach Marco Donadel. Still, coming on the heels of a humbling 6-1 league defeat to visiting Toronto FC, the storm clouds grow over a Montreal side that is mired in the MLS Eastern Conference basement at 1-9-4. Meanwhile Forge coach Bobby Smyrniotis liked what he saw. "Today was excellent execution from the first minute to the end," he said. "Maybe we deserved a little bit more today, too. But it's a good first result." After a lacklustre first half dominated by Forge, Montreal offered more to start the second half with spells of possession. But Forge broke the deadlock with Ghanaian winger Nana Opoku Ampomah curling a glorious ball over defender Brandan Craig's head for Wright to run onto in the Montreal penalty box. Goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois came off his line but Wright beat him to the ball, flicking it over the 'keeper before heading it into the open goal. It was a rare scoring chance on the night on the artificial turf at Hamilton Stadium. Forge outshot Montreal 11-9 (3-1 in shots on target) and finished with 51 per cent possession (down from 63 per cent in the first half). Montreal defender Joel Waterman called his team's first-half performance "unacceptable in our books." "They beat us to everything, they outworked us," he added. "So there's no excuse for that. A lot better second half, I thought. … But I think you could see they wanted it more." Injuries and a congested schedule meant that the Montreal bench consisted of four forwards, two goalkeepers, one midfielder and one defender. It marks the fifth straight year that Montreal and Forge have met in cup play. Montreal won the first three of those meetings — via penalty shootout in the 2021 semifinals (8-7 after the game ended in a scoreless draw), 3-0 in the '22 quarterfinal and 2-0 in the '23 semifinal. Forge edged Montreal 3-2 in last year's two-legged quarterfinal. After dispatching Montreal last year, Forge fell to Toronto FC on the away goals rule after the two-legged semifinal finished knotted at 2-2. In the other quarterfinal Tuesday, the defending champion Vancouver Whitecaps visited Valour FC. On Wednesday, it's CPL champion Cavalry FC at Vancouver FC. Atletico Ottawa hosts York United on June 11. Semifinal matchups will be redrawn following the conclusion of the quarterfinals. Coming off a 2-2 draw May 13 against league-leading Atletico Ottawa, Forge (2-0-4) is one of only two unbeaten teams in the CPL. But wins have been hard to come by and the Hamilton side sits fourth in the eight-team league. Forge has played four straight league draws, rallying from deficits to tie three of them. Forge had the better of the first half with Montreal offering little more than hopeful long balls up the field. The CPL side outshot Montreal 4-2 but neither team managed a shot on target. Donadel made seven changes to the starting 11 beaten by Toronto. Waterman, sent off in the 21st minute Saturday, captained Montreal for the cup game with Sam Piette starting on the bench. Montreal won its preliminary-round cup matchup via penalty shootout after Giacomo Vrioni's 88th-minute goal tied the game at 2-2. Forge downed Halifax Wanderers 3-1 in its opener. Montreal was missing injured defender George Campbell and midfielders Bryce Duke, Fabian Herbers, Dominic Iankov and Hennadii Synchuk. Forge was without injured attackers Tristan Borges and Mathieu Choiniere and influential midfielder Alessandro Hojabrpour. Smyrniotis made just two changes to his starting lineup with defenders Marko Jevremovic and Malik Owolabi-Belewu returning from injury. Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson moved into the midfield from the backline to fill in for Hojabrpour. Both teams started five Canadians. The Canadian Championship winner hoists the Voyagers Cup, earns $50,000 and a berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Montreal has won the cup competition five times, most recently in 2021, and finished runner-up three times. Forge made the cup final in the pandemic-delayed 2020 edition, losing to Toronto via penalty shootout in a tournament reduced to a championship game. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2025. The Canadian Press
Winnipeg Free Press
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Forge FC defeats Halifax Wanderers 3-1 in Canadian Championship play
HAMILTON – Mo Babouli scored twice as Forge FC defeated Halifax Wanderers 3-1in Telus Canadian Championship preliminary-round play Wednesday. Forge also profited from a Halifax own goal. Thomas Meilleur-Giguère scored for Halifax. Forge moves on to face CF Montreal in the two-legged quarterfinals in a familiar matchup. Forge FC's David Choiniere moves the ball against the Halifax Wanderers during Canadian Championship preliminary-round soccer action in Hamilton in this Wednesday, May 7, 2025 handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Forge FC, Jojo Yanjiao Qian *MANDATORY CREDIT* Forge lost to Montreal in cup semifinals in 2021 and 2023. Montreal blanked Forge 3-0 in the 2022 quarterfinal while Forge beat Montreal 3-2 on aggregate in the 2024 quarterfinal. In the final preliminary-round game Wednesday, League1 B.C. champion TSS Rovers played at Valour FC. CF Montreal, Atletico Ottawa, Cavalry FC, York United and Vancouver FC have already won their preliminary-round games. The three-time defending champion Vancouver Whitecaps received a bye. In other quarterfinals already set, it's Vancouver FC versus Cavalry FC, Atletico Ottawa versus York United and CF Montreal versus TSS Rovers or Valour FC. Halifax and Forge played to a scoreless draw in Halifax in league play Saturday. Halifax (3-0-2) currently sits second in the Canadian Premier League standings, two points above third-place Forge (2-0-3). Forge had the better of the early action Wednesday and Choiniere missed a glorious chance in the 16th minute when, unmarked, he sent a shot just wide from close range. The home side went ahead in the 22nd minute when captain Kyle Bekker, after a give and go with Tristan Borges, found Babouli in a crowded penalty box and the former Toronto FC man hammered a close-range shot past Halifax 'keeper Yuba-Rayane Yesli. Forge added another four minutes late via a Kareem Sow own goal when the Halifax defender's attempted headed clearance of a Choiniere cross into the penalty box looped into the goal past a diving Yesli. Halifax finally began to find its footing late in the half and came on strong. An unmarked Meilleur-Giguère cut the lead in the 41st minute with a headed goal off a Giorgio Probo corner that had Forge goalkeeper Jassem Koleilat rooted to the spot. The set piece was triggered by a hard shot from Adam Pearlman that Koleilat pushed out of touch. A minute later, Koleilat made an acrobatic save to push a long-range rocket from Sean Rea over the crossbar. Both teams had five shots in the first half with Halifax holding a 3-2 edge in shots on target. The visitors had 55 per cent possession. Yesli made a fine save in the 79th minute to stop a Bekker free kick. Babouli added an insurance goal in the 91st minute, knocking home a Opoku Ampomah cross that just eluded a Halifax defender. Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Sign up for The Warm-Up Forge made the cup final in the pandemic-delayed 2020 edition, losing to Toronto FC in a tournament reduced to a championship game. Halifax has never made it past the quarterfinals and was upset in the first round last year by Ligue1 Quebec's CS St-Laurent in a penalty shootout. Halifax, meanwhile, has never won in Hamilton in any competition — This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2025
CBC
06-02-2025
- Sport
- CBC
CF Monterrey beats Hamilton's Forge FC — and the cold — in CONCACAF cup play
Mexico's CF Monterrey, with a pair of second-half goals, survived icy cold conditions to defeat Hamilton's Forge FC 2-0 in the opening leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup first-round series Wednesday. It was minus-six (feeling like minus-11) at kickoff in at the stadium formerly known as Tim Hortons Field. Monterrey didn't fly in until Tuesday to escape the cold. The teams can expect far toastier conditions next Tuesday in the return leg at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey. "I told the guys we've got a game in a week and we've got to go get a result. That's the bottom line," said Forge coach and technical director Bobby Smyrniotis. The weather caused problems with players from both sides slipping and sliding on the slick artificial turf. Forge seemed to have fewer problems adapting, with captain Kyle Bekker wearing a short-sleeve jersey, but still had problems finding its footing. Monterrey's skill on the ball began to show through and the visitors went ahead in the 53rd minute when Colombian midfielder Nelson Deossa, from just outside the penalty box, curled a shot past diving goalkeeper Jassem Koleilat for a valuable away goal. Influential midfielder Oliver Torres, flicking the ball over a defender to himself to keep the attack flowing, and Roberto de la Rosa, with a lay-off for the shot, served as playmakers. Monterrey doubled its lead in the 66th minute on an elegant free kick that bounced in off the goalpost by Mexican international Jordi Cortizo, who had just entered the game. Monterrey outshot Forge 19-7 (7-3 in shots on target). The difference in the two teams was shown in substitutions late in the game. Monterrey brought on 33-year-old Spanish international Sergio Canales while Forge introduced 19-year-old Canadian youth international Khadim Kane. Forge FC missed chances, coach says Smyrniotis thought his players deserved a better fate on the night but lamented missed chances. The Monterrey defence was torn open midway through the first half with an unmarked Brian Wright, lacking good footing, unable to get a boot to the ball in front of goal. Tristan Borges tested Monterrey goalkeeper Luis Cardenas with a shot in the 78th minute. Five minutes later, Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson missed a sitter in the 83rd minute, firing the ball wide off a well-aimed cross by Alessandro Hojabrpour. "When you've got your opportunities, you've got to take them," said Smyrniotis. "And if you don't, you're playing a team in midseason form and they'll take theirs." Monterrey finished fifth in the Liga MX Apertura and sits 10th in the early days of the Clausura at 1-1-3. It has won the CONCACAF competition five times, most recently in 2021, and made it to last year's semifinals — knocking off Lionel Messi and Inter Miami along the way — before losing 5-2 on aggregate to the Columbus Crew. The Forge turnover since last season was shown by the fact that its starting 11 featured just five players who started the Canadian Premier League final against Cavalry FC in November: David Choiniere, Achinioti-J├╢nsson, Hojabrpour, Koleilat and Bekker. Hojabrpour's return to the team, on a new multi-year contract, was only announced Tuesday. The 25-year-old was nominated for both the CPL Player of the Year award and the league's Players' Player of the Year Award last season when he was named to the CPL's Best XI. New starters included defenders Marko Jevremovic, Dan Nimick and Rezart Rama, and forwards Mo Babouli and Brian Wright (Rama and Babouli are both in their second stints with Forge). Borges who started on the bench in the CPL final, was in Wednesday's starting lineup. Forge FC CPL season starts in early April Forge qualified for the Champions Cup by finishing atop the 2024 CPL regular-season standings at 15-8-5. It marks Forge's third appearance in the competition — and sixth in a continental tournament including the now-defunct second-tier CONCACAF League. Forge lost 5-2 on aggregate to Chivas Guadalajara in last year's Champions Cup and 4-1 to Cruz Azul in its tournament debut in 2022. Forge made it to the semifinals of the 2021 CONCACAF League, losing to Honduras' Motagua on away goals. Forge, which does not start the CPL regular season until early April, opened camp Jan. 4 and spent two weeks training in Cancun, Mexico, where it played four friendlies as part of its preparations for cup play. The 27-team CONCACAF tournament kicked off Tuesday with Mexico's Cruz Azul defeating Haiti's Real Hope FA 2-0 in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic. CPL champion Cavalry hosts Mexico's Pumas UNAM on Thursday in Langford, B.C. The Forge-Monterrey winner will face either the Vancouver Whitecaps or Costa Rica's Deportivo Saprissa in the round of 16. The Cavalry-Pumas winner moves on to play Costa Rica's Alajuelense. The 2025 champion earns a berth in the 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup and the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup.
