2024 Forge FC season
2024 season | |
---|---|
Chairman | Bob Young |
Head coach | Bobby Smyrniotis |
Stadium | Tim Hortons Field |
Canadian Premier League | Matchday 1 |
Canadian Championship | TBD |
CONCACAF Champions Cup | Round one |
The 2024 Forge FC season will be the sixth season in the history of Forge FC and the club's sixth season in the Canadian Premier League (CPL), the top flight in Canadian soccer. Forge are the defending CPL champions, having defeated Cavalry FC in the 2023 Canadian Premier League final.
In addition to the Canadian Premier League, the club will compete in the Canadian Championship and the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Review
Background
Forge FC enter the season as the reigning Canadian Premier League champions after having won the 2023 Canadian Premier League final against Cavalry FC.[1][2] This was the club's fourth CPL title and fifth finals appearance in five years,[1] continuing their dynasty.[3] They will also compete in the Canadian Championship,[4] a domestic cup organized by the Canadian Soccer Association.[5] In the 2023 edition, Forge reached the semi-final where they were knocked out by Major League Soccer club CF Montréal for the third consecutive year.[6]
Forge qualified for the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup on October 21, 2023,[7][8] returning the club to international competition after a one-year absence.[9] Their last appearance in international competition was in the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League, where Forge faced Mexican side Cruz Azul in the round of 16.[10]
Head coach and sporting director Bobby Smyrniotis is contracted to return for his sixth season with the club after signing a contract extension in 2023.[11][12]
Preseason
Striker Woobens Pacius announced his departure from Forge on Instagram on December 17, with the club confirming that he was out of contract.[13][14]
On December 22, 2023, Forge announced that fifteen players from the previous season would be returning with guaranteed contracts while other players could possibly return pending negotiations for new contracts or the club activating contract extensions before December 31.[15] This changed a week later when defender Manjrekar James, who was originally listed to return, was sold to Costa Rican side Alajuelense for an undisclosed fee.[16]
Forge announced in a release that players reported to Hamilton for preseason on January 4, with medicals taking place on January 5 and training beginning at Redeemer University on January 6.[17] The team is scheduled to travel to Querétaro, Mexico on January 16 before returning to Hamilton on January 31 in advance of their opening match in the CONCACAF Champions Cup on February 7 at Tim Hortons Field against C.D. Guadalajara.[17]
Current squad
No. | Name | Nationality | Position(s) | Date of birth (age) | Previous club | Notes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Goalkeepers | |||||||||
1 | Triston Henry | GK | September 8, 1993 | Sigma FC | |||||
Defenders | |||||||||
4 | Dominic Samuel | CB / RB | September 29, 1994 | Sigma FC | |||||
20 | Kwasi Poku | FB | February 6, 2003 | Toronto FC II | U21 | ||||
23 | Garven-Michée Metusala | CB / FB | December 31, 1999 | A.S. Blainville | |||||
81 | Malik Owolabi-Belewu | DF | July 3, 2002 | S.P.A.L. | INT | ||||
Midfielders | |||||||||
10 | Kyle Bekker | AM / CM | September 2, 1990 | North Carolina FC | |||||
21 | Alessandro Hojabrpour | DM | January 10, 2000 | Pacific FC | |||||
22 | Noah Jensen | MF | July 20, 1999 | Oakland University | |||||
64 | Khadim Kane | MF | May 17, 2005 | CF Montréal U23 | U21, EYT | ||||
Forwards | |||||||||
7 | David Choinière | LW / RW | February 7, 1997 | Montreal Impact | |||||
9 | Jordan Hamilton | ST | March 17, 1996 | Sligo Rovers | |||||
14 | Terran Campbell | ST / LW | October 10, 1998 | Pacific FC | |||||
19 | Tristan Borges | RW / LW / AM | August 26, 1998 | OH Leuven | |||||
39 | Béni Badibanga | FW | February 19, 1996 | RAAL La Louvière | INT |
Transfers
In
Draft picks
Forge FC made two selections in the 2024 CPL–U Sports Draft.[18] Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster; only those who are signed to a contract will be listed as transfers in.
Round | Selection | Pos. | Player | Nationality | University |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 8 | MF | Mouhamed Ndiaye | Canada | UQTR |
2 | 16 | FW | Amadou Koné | Canada | Carleton |
Out
No. | Pos. | Player | To club | Fee/notes | Date | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5 | DF | Manjrekar James | LD Alajuelense | Undisclosed | December 30, 2023 | [16] |
17 | FW | Woobens Pacius | Contract expired | December 31, 2023 | [13][14] |
Competitions
Matches are listed in Hamilton local time: Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4) from March 10 until November 3, and Eastern Standard Time (UTC−5) otherwise.
Overview
Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Record | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
Canadian Premier League | Matchday 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | — | ||
Canadian Championship | TBD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | — | ||
CONCACAF Champions Cup | February 7 | Round one | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | — | |
Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | — |
Source: Competitions
Canadian Premier League
The Canadian Premier League schedule is expected to be released around late January to early February, 2024.[5]
Canadian Championship
CONCACAF Champions Cup
The CONCACAF Champions Cup draw was held on December 13, 2023.[19][20] Having qualified as CPL champions, Forge will enter the competition in round one and begin play in February, 2024.[21][22]
Round one
The round one schedule was announced on December 18, 2023.[23]
February 7 Leg 1 | Forge FC | v | Guadalajara | Hamilton, Ontario |
8:00 pm | Stadium: Tim Hortons Field |
February 13 Leg 2 | Guadalajara | v | Forge FC | Zapopan, Jalisco |
10:00 pm | Stadium: Estadio Akron |
References
- ^ a b Wharnsby, Tim (October 28, 2023). "Borges scores 'Olimpico' goal as Forge FC completes comeback to win 4th CPL title". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ Mitchell, Don (October 28, 2023). "Forge FC wins fourth CPL championship at home with 2-1 win over Cavalry FC". Global News. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^
- Jacques, John (October 30, 2022). "Dynasty Win: Forge FC Claims Third North Star Shield". Northern Tribune. Archived from the original on October 31, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
- Canadian Premier League [@CPLsoccer] (October 30, 2022). "Dynasty. For the third time in four seasons, @ForgeFCHamilton are the team that lifts the North Star Shield, and the celebrations are just beginning" (Tweet). Archived from the original on November 1, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2022 – via Twitter.
- Milton, Steve (October 31, 2022). "You can say it: Forge is a dynasty". The Hamilton Spectator. Archived from the original on November 1, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
- "This Just In! CPL Dynasty, EPL surprises and who manages the best style?". Toronto Star. October 31, 2022. Archived from the original on November 1, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
- Footy Prime [@footy_prime] (October 30, 2022). "Hammer it into the record books, Bobby has Forged a dynasty in Hamilton!" (Tweet). Retweeted by Craig Forrest. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Jacques, John (December 16, 2023). "Noonan Highlights CPL's Commitment To Domestic Cup As US Falters On Their Own". Northern Tribune. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
- ^ a b "2024 Season Seats". Forge FC. Archived from the original on November 10, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
- ^ Grigoriadis, Elias (May 23, 2023). "CF Montreal advances to Canadian Championship final with win over Forge FC". Global News. The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
- ^ Canadian Premier League [@CPLsoccer] (October 21, 2023). "The Concacaf Champions Cup is heading to Hamilton 🔨 As a result of @CPLCavalryFC advancing to the CPL Final, @ForgeFCHamilton join the Cavs in next year's continental competition ⚽" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ Milton, Steve (October 25, 2023). "More than 10,000 tickets already sold for CPL final". The Hamilton Spectator. Archived from the original on October 25, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ Tierney, Mitchell (December 13, 2023). "Why the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup is such a big opportunity for Cavalry and Forge". Canadian Premier League. Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
- ^ Rhodes, Benedict (February 24, 2022). "Recap: Forge FC eliminated from Concacaf Champions League with 3-1 loss to Cruz Azul". Canadian Premier League. Archived from the original on February 15, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ^ "Forge FC Announce Extension and Expanded Role For Bobby Smyrniotis" (Press release). Forge FC. May 1, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
- ^ Milton, Steve (May 1, 2023). "Forge FC locks in coach Bobby Smyrniotis for four more years". The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
- ^ a b "Forward Woobens Pacius says goodbye to CPL champions Hamilton Forge FC". Toronto Star. The Canadian Press. December 17, 2023. Archived from the original on December 18, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- ^ a b Jacques, John (December 17, 2023). "As MLS Call Beckons, Pacius Departs Forge FC". Northern Tribune. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- ^ a b "Forge FC Roster Update". Forge FC (Press release). December 22, 2023. Archived from the original on December 22, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
- ^ a b c Jacques, John (December 30, 2023). "Forge Defender Manjrekar James Sold To LD Alajuelense". Northern Tribune. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
- ^ a b "Forge FC Begins 2024 Preseason" (Press release). Forge FC. January 10, 2024. Archived from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ^ Jacques, John (December 14, 2023). "2024 CPL-U SPORTS Draft Roundup". Northern Tribune. Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
- ^ Davidson, Neil (December 13, 2023). "Whitecaps, Forge FC draw Mexican opponents in CONCACAF Champions Cup". TSN. The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
- ^ "Draw delivers Round One matchups for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup". CONCACAF. December 13, 2023. Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
- ^ "Concacaf confirms 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup pre-seeded clubs and draw pots". CONCACAF. December 11, 2023. Archived from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
- ^ O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie (October 24, 2023). "Draw procedure, dates revealed for 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup". Canadian Premier League. Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ "Concacaf announces schedule for 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup Round One and Round of 16 matches". CONCACAF. December 18, 2023. Archived from the original on December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.