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Hamilton Spectator
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
CF Montreal looks dig out of Canadian Championship hole against Forge: ‘It's a final'
MONTREAL - CF Montreal and Forge FC enter the second leg of their Canadian Championship quarterfinal with different outlooks. Montreal hosts Forge at Stade Saputo on Wednesday night after falling behind 1-0 to the lower-tier Canadian Premier League side in the first leg at Hamilton Stadium on May 20. Mired at the bottom of Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference with a 3-13-5 record, Montreal needs a result at home to salvage any realistic chance of winning a trophy this season. 'It's a final,' interim head coach Marco Donadel said. 'It's a super important game for us, where every detail will be important. Every stop, every situation, every set piece. The first minute, the last minute, the overtime will be like a final. 'It's the perfect night here at home to show what we can do.' While Montreal treats this as a do-or-die match, Forge head coach Bobby Smyrniotis wouldn't consider it a massive disappointment if his squad can't complete the upset. 'We're not playing in a final on Wednesday,' he said. 'It's not for a trophy, it's just a round that we need to get past and nothing is guaranteed in these types of games. 'Your season is not based on this one game.' In league play, Forge ranks second in the CPL standings with a 7-0-6 record for 27 points, one less than Atletico Ottawa. The four-time league champions — and six-time finalists in six seasons — stunned Montreal with a 2-1 victory at Stade Saputo last year, advancing to the cup semifinal 3-2 on aggregate. No CPL team, however, has ever won the Canadian Championship, which guarantees a spot in next year's CONCACAF Champions League. 'It's something that Forge will win at some point, hopefully while I'm here, but if not at some time it will come and it will for a team in the Canadian Premier League, that's for sure,' Smyrniotis said. 'If that could be this year that's great, but we don't think too far ahead. 'We've got to be at our best against a team that's playing for entry in the Champions League as well … here's your quickest route to do it for all the teams involved in this competition, so we're going to get the best of CF Montreal.' The three-time defending champion Vancouver Whitecaps host Valour FC at BC Place Stadium in Wednesday's other quarterfinal after a 2-2 draw in the first leg. Montreal and Forge, despite playing in different leagues, are familiar opponents. The two sides have met in the Canadian Championship for five straight years, with Montreal winning the first three matchups before last year's disappointment. Brian Wright's 78th-minute goal gave Forge the 1-0 advantage in the first leg on a night Montreal centre back Joel Waterman described his team's first-half performance as 'unacceptable.' 'They were better on second balls, better at battles,' said Waterman on Tuesday after recently playing for Canada at the Gold Cup. 'I felt like we were second-best at everything. 'Tomorrow it can't be that way.' Not only has Waterman met Smyrniotis's squad while playing for Montreal, the 29-year-old from Langley, B.C., also witnessed the beginning of Forge's dynasty when he played for Cavalry FC in the CPL's inaugural season. Waterman became the first player to transfer from CPL to MLS in 2020, and he says the league has only grown since. 'You see the gap getting smaller and smaller every year,' he said. '(Forge have) been one of the best teams in the CPL since the very beginning. 'They still have a lot of the same core. They're very, very well coached. That's why they've had a lot of success in a lot of different tournaments and in the league, so we know what they're about.' Montreal was the heavy underdog this past weekend when Lionel Messi put on a show with two spectacular goals in a 4-1 Inter Miami win on Saturday. On Wednesday, Montreal will boast the stronger side on paper, but Donadel said that won't matter if his group doesn't treat it like a must-win game. 'At the beginning of the game, we are all 11 (versus) 11. It's a lot about desire. Desire to show and desire to win,' he said. 'Tomorrow is a game where yes, we have the quality to win, and we need to show that we want to win.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 8, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
CF Montreal looks dig out of Canadian Championship hole against Forge: ‘It's a final'
MONTREAL – CF Montreal and Forge FC enter the second leg of their Canadian Championship quarterfinal with different outlooks. Montreal hosts Forge at Stade Saputo on Wednesday night after falling behind 1-0 to the lower-tier Canadian Premier League side in the first leg at Hamilton Stadium on May 20. Mired at the bottom of Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference with a 3-13-5 record, Montreal needs a result at home to salvage any realistic chance of winning a trophy this season. 'It's a final,' interim head coach Marco Donadel said. 'It's a super important game for us, where every detail will be important. Every stop, every situation, every set piece. The first minute, the last minute, the overtime will be like a final. 'It's the perfect night here at home to show what we can do.' While Montreal treats this as a do-or-die match, Forge head coach Bobby Smyrniotis wouldn't consider it a massive disappointment if his squad can't complete the upset. 'We're not playing in a final on Wednesday,' he said. 'It's not for a trophy, it's just a round that we need to get past and nothing is guaranteed in these types of games. 'Your season is not based on this one game.' In league play, Forge ranks second in the CPL standings with a 7-0-6 record for 27 points, one less than Atletico Ottawa. The four-time league champions — and six-time finalists in six seasons — stunned Montreal with a 2-1 victory at Stade Saputo last year, advancing to the cup semifinal 3-2 on aggregate. No CPL team, however, has ever won the Canadian Championship, which guarantees a spot in next year's CONCACAF Champions League. 'It's something that Forge will win at some point, hopefully while I'm here, but if not at some time it will come and it will for a team in the Canadian Premier League, that's for sure,' Smyrniotis said. 'If that could be this year that's great, but we don't think too far ahead. 'We've got to be at our best against a team that's playing for entry in the Champions League as well … here's your quickest route to do it for all the teams involved in this competition, so we're going to get the best of CF Montreal.' The three-time defending champion Vancouver Whitecaps host Valour FC at BC Place Stadium in Wednesday's other quarterfinal after a 2-2 draw in the first leg. Montreal and Forge, despite playing in different leagues, are familiar opponents. The two sides have met in the Canadian Championship for five straight years, with Montreal winning the first three matchups before last year's disappointment. Brian Wright's 78th-minute goal gave Forge the 1-0 advantage in the first leg on a night Montreal centre back Joel Waterman described his team's first-half performance as 'unacceptable.' 'They were better on second balls, better at battles,' said Waterman on Tuesday after recently playing for Canada at the Gold Cup. 'I felt like we were second-best at everything. 'Tomorrow it can't be that way.' Not only has Waterman met Smyrniotis's squad while playing for Montreal, the 29-year-old from Langley, B.C., also witnessed the beginning of Forge's dynasty when he played for Cavalry FC in the CPL's inaugural season. Waterman became the first player to transfer from CPL to MLS in 2020, and he says the league has only grown since. 'You see the gap getting smaller and smaller every year,' he said. '(Forge have) been one of the best teams in the CPL since the very beginning. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. 'They still have a lot of the same core. They're very, very well coached. That's why they've had a lot of success in a lot of different tournaments and in the league, so we know what they're about.' Montreal was the heavy underdog this past weekend when Lionel Messi put on a show with two spectacular goals in a 4-1 Inter Miami win on Saturday. On Wednesday, Montreal will boast the stronger side on paper, but Donadel said that won't matter if his group doesn't treat it like a must-win game. 'At the beginning of the game, we are all 11 (versus) 11. It's a lot about desire. Desire to show and desire to win,' he said. 'Tomorrow is a game where yes, we have the quality to win, and we need to show that we want to win.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 8, 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.
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Influential midfielder Alessandro Hojabrpour re-signs with CPL's Forge FC
Forge FC got a boost in advance of Wednesday's CONCACAF Champions Cup game against Mexico's CF Monterrey with news that influential midfielder Alessandro Hojabrpour is back in the fold. The 25-year-old from Vancouver has signed a multi-year contract to remain with the Canadian Premier League team. Hojabrpour's previous contract expired at the end of the 2024. Hojabrpour 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. Forge coach and technical director Bobby Smyrniotis calls Hojabrpour "the engine of our team." "He's fantastic player who's been great for our team for three years," he added. Only Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson played more league minutes for Forge last season than Hojabrpour's 2,259. Hojabrpour, who joined Forge ahead of the 2022 season from Pacific FC, has been training with the team the last few days and is "in good fitness," Smyrniotis said. "Just like he was when he left in November. He's ready to go." In other personnel news, Smyrniotis said a deal to move defender Malik Owolabi-Belew to an overseas club fell apart Monday "on their end." He offered no update on forward Beni Badibanga. 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 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 to the semifinals of the 2021 CONCACAF League, a second-tier continental competition, losing to Honduras' Motagua on away goals. Monterrey finished fifth in the Liga MX Apertura and sits 10th in the early days of the Clausura at 1-3-1. It has won the CONCACAF competition five times, most recently in 2021. "We have to neutralize what they bring," said Smyrniotis. "And they bring a lot of good things." "They're more match-ready, more prepared," he added. "That means tactically you have to be spot-on." After the opening leg at Hamilton Stadium, formerly Tim Hortons Field, the two teams will meet again Feb. 11 at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey. The forecast calls a low of minus-seven C and cloudy periods with 60 per cent chance of snow Wednesday evening in Hamilton. "That's what you get in February in Canada," said Smyrniotis. "It's cold. And the colder the better. "Is it the ideal situation for either team? No. But it's something that we're used to." In contrast, Wednesday's high in Monterrey is said to be 28 C. Forge, which opened camp Jan. 4, spent two weeks in Cancun, Mexico, where it played four friendlies as part of its preparations for cup play. 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 22-team tournament kicked off Tuesday with Haiti's Real Hope FA hosting Mexico's Cruz Azul in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic. The 2025 champion earns a berth in the 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup and the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup. --- This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 4, 2025. Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
