2023 Forge FC season

The 2023 Forge FC season will be the fifth season in the history of Forge FC. Forge are the defending league champions, having defeated Atlético Ottawa in the 2022 Canadian Premier League Final.[1] In addition to the Canadian Premier League, the club will compete in the Canadian Championship.[2]

Forge FC
2023 season
ChairmanBob Young
Head coachBobby Smyrniotis
StadiumTim Hortons Field
Canadian Premier LeagueTBD
Canadian ChampionshipTBD

Current squad
As of March 31, 2023[3]
No. Name Nationality Position(s) Date of birth (age) Previous club
Goalkeepers
1 Triston Henry Canada GK (1993-09-08) September 8, 1993 Canada Sigma FC
29 Christopher Kalongo Canada GK (2002-01-07) January 7, 2002 Canada Sigma FC
Defenders
3 Ashtone Morgan Canada LB (1991-02-09) February 9, 1991 United States Real Salt Lake
4 Dominic Samuel Canada CB / RB (1994-09-29) September 29, 1994 Canada Sigma FC
5 Manjrekar James Canada CB (1993-08-05) August 5, 1993 Ukraine Chornomorets Odesa
23 Garven-Michée Metusala Haiti CB / FB (1999-12-31) December 31, 1999 Canada A.S. Blainville
24 Rezart Rama Albania CB (2000-12-04) December 4, 2000 England Nottingham Forest
81 Malik Owolabi-Belewu England DF (2002-07-03) July 3, 2002 Italy S.P.A.L.
Midfielders
10 Kyle Bekker Canada AM / CM (1990-09-02) September 2, 1990 United States North Carolina FC
12 Sebastian Castello Canada MF (2003-10-08) October 8, 2003 Canada Sigma FC
13 Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson Sweden DM / CB (1996-04-17) April 17, 1996 Sweden IFK Värnamo
20 Kwasi Poku Canada MF (2003-02-06) February 6, 2003 Canada Toronto FC II
21 Alessandro Hojabrpour Canada DM (2000-01-10) January 10, 2000 Canada Pacific FC
22 Noah Jensen Canada MF (1999-07-20) July 20, 1999 United States Oakland University
33 Aboubacar Sissoko Mali MF (1995-10-09) October 9, 1995 United States Indy Eleven
Forwards
7 David Choinière Canada LW / RW (1997-02-07) February 7, 1997 Canada Montreal Impact
9 Terran Campbell Canada ST / LW (1998-10-10) October 10, 1998 Canada Pacific FC
17 Woobens Pacius Canada FW (2001-05-11) May 11, 2001 Canada CF Montréal Academy
19 Tristan Borges Canada RW / LW / AM (1998-08-26) August 26, 1998 Belgium OH Leuven
77 Jordan Hamilton Canada ST (1996-03-17) March 17, 1996 Republic of Ireland Sligo Rovers

Transfers

In
No. Pos. Player From club Fee/notes Date Source
DF Canada Manjrekar James Ukraine Chornomorets Odesa Free March 10, 2023 [4]

Draft picks

Forge FC made the following selections in the 2023 CPL–U Sports Draft.[5][6] 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 9 FW Miles Green  Canada McMaster
2 16 DF Milo Djuricic  Canada York

Out
No. Pos. Player To club Fee/notes Date Source
MF Canada Shamit Shome Canada Cavalry FC Option declined January 18, 2023 [7]
5 DF Netherlands Daniel Krutzen United States Phoenix Rising Contract expired January 22, 2023 [8][9]
2 DF Canada Jonathan Grant Canada York United Option declined January 25, 2023 [10][11]
16 DF Canada Cale Loughrey Canada HFX Wanderers FC Option declined January 25, 2023 [10][12]

Club

On March 31, Forge announced Hamilton United Elite as an official Forge FC Development Club, joining Sigma FC in the club's youth structure. As part of the agreement, Forge will provide technical leadership and guidance to Hamilton United’s coaching staff as well as season passes to their youth players. Hamilton United has also changed its logo and colours to match Forge's orange, grey, and white.[13]

Kits

Forge FC unveiled its 2023 primary and alternate kits at a supporters event on March 14 hosted at Tim Hortons Field. Both kits draw inspiration from Hamilton’s city flag by featuring a six-link chain that represents the communities of Hamilton, Ancaster, Dundas, Flamborough, Glanbrook, and Stoney Creek. The kits continue to be produced by Macron and sponsored by Tim Hortons for a fifth consecutive season and for the first time feature sponsorship from CIBC on the left sleeve.[14][15]

Preseason and friendlies

On February 13, Forge took to the field to begin its preseason.[16] The club travelled to Costa Rica on March 16 for two weeks of training in Alajuela where they played friendlies against Primera División sides Cartaginés, LD Alajuelense, and Deportivo Saprissa, as well as the Costa Rica national under-20 football team.[17][18][19] The team then returned home where they will play preseason friendlies against League1 Ontario side Sigma FC, NCAA Division I's Syracuse Orange and Akron Zips, U Sports's York Lions, and fellow CPL side and 905 Derby rival York United.[20][21]

Friendlies

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

March 22 Friendly C.S. Cartaginés Costa Rica v Forge FC Cartago, Costa Rica
Stadium: Estadio José Rafael Fello Meza Ivankovich
March 27 Friendly Costa Rica U20 Costa Rica v Forge FC Alajuela, Costa Rica
April 1 Friendly York United FC v Forge FC Hamilton, Ontario
Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
Referee: Marie-Soleil Beaudoin

Competitions

Matches are listed in Hamilton local time: Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4)

Overview
Competition First match Last match Starting round Record
Pld W D L GF GA GD Win %
Canadian Premier League April 15 October 7 Matchday 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 !—
Canadian Championship April 18 First Round 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 !—
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 !—

Source: Competitions

Canadian Premier League
Main article: 2023 Canadian Premier League season

Table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Playoff qualification
1 Atlético Ottawa 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 First semifinal
2 Cavalry 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 Forge 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Quarterfinal
4 HFX Wanderers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Play-in round
5 Pacific 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 Valour 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 Vancouver 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
8 York United 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played on April 15, 2023. Source: CPL
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Total wins; 3) Goal difference; 4) Goals scored; 5) Away goal differential; 6) Away goals scored; 7) Home goal differential; 8) Home goals scored; 9) Total minutes played by U-21 players; 10) Coin toss (2 teams tied) or drawing of lots (3+ teams tied).[22]

Results by match
Match12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728
Result
Position
Source: #Matches
W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches
April 15 1 Forge FC v Cavalry FC Hamilton, Ontario
4:00pm Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
April 22 2 Forge FC v HFX Wanderers FC Hamilton, Ontario
4:00pm Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
April 30 3 Pacific FC v Forge FC Langford, British Columbia
8:00pm Stadium: Starlight Stadium
May 5 4 York United FC v Forge FC Toronto, Ontario
7:30pm Stadium: York Lions Stadium
May 13 5 Forge FC v Valour FC Hamilton, Ontario
4:00pm Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
May 19 6 Forge FC v Vancouver FC Hamilton, Ontario
7:00pm Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
May 27 7 Atlético Ottawa v Forge FC Ottawa, Ontario
7:00pm Stadium: TD Place Stadium
May 31 8 Forge FC v York United FC Hamilton, Ontario
7:00pm Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
June 3 9 Cavalry FC v Forge FC Foothills County, Alberta
4:00pm Stadium: ATCO Field
June 10 10 Forge FC v Pacific FC Hamilton, Ontario
7:00pm Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
June 16 11 Valour FC v Forge FC Winnipeg, Manitoba
8:00pm Stadium: IG Field
June 20 12 Vancouver FC v Forge FC Langley, British Columbia
10:00pm Stadium: Willoughby Community Park
June 25 13 Forge FC v Atlético Ottawa Hamilton, Ontario
6:00pm Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
June 30 14 HFX Wanderers FC v Forge FC Halifax, Nova Scotia
6:00pm Stadium: Wanderers Grounds
July 9 15 York United FC v Forge FC Toronto, Ontario
7:00pm Stadium: York Lions Stadium
July 15 16 Forge FC v Valour FC Hamilton, Ontario
7:00pm Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
July 21 17 Pacific FC v Forge FC Langford, British Columbia
10:00pm Stadium: Starlight Stadium
July 28 18 Forge FC v Vancouver FC Hamilton, Ontario
7:00pm Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
August 4 19 Cavalry FC v Forge FC Foothills County
9:00pm Stadium: ATCO Field
August 12 20 Forge FC v York United FC Hamilton, Ontario
7:00pm Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
August 19 21 Forge FC v HFX Wanderers FC Hamilton, Ontario
7:00pm Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
August 26 22 Atlético Ottawa v Forge FC Ottawa, Ontario
7:00pm Stadium: TD Place Stadium
September 3 23 Vancouver FC v Forge FC Langley, British Columbia
5:00pm Stadium: Willoughby Community Park
September 9 24 Forge FC v Cavalry FC Hamilton, Ontario
7:00pm Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
September 17 25 Valour FC v Forge FC Winnipeg, Manitoba
2:00pm Stadium: IG Field
September 23 26 Forge FC v Pacific FC Hamilton, Ontario
7:00pm Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
September 30 27 HFX Wanderers FC v Forge FC Halifax, Nova Scotia
2:00pm Stadium: Wanderers Grounds
October 7 28 Forge FC v Atlético Ottawa Hamilton, Ontario
4:00pm Stadium: Tim Hortons Field

Canadian Championship
Main article: 2023 Canadian Championship
April 18 First round Forge FC v FC Laval Hamilton, Ontario
7:00pm Stadium: Tim Hortons Field

Notes

    References
    1. Jacques, John (October 30, 2022). "Dynasty Win: Forge FC Claims Third North Star Shield". Northern Tribune. Retrieved October 30, 2022. Forge FC has secured a dynasty win to hoist the North Star Shield for a third time after reaching four straight finals, stunning a stellar Atletico Ottawa home crowd of nearly 15,000 at TD Place.
    2. "Canadian Championship Welcomes League1 BC as New Entrant for 2023". Soccer Canada. November 3, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022. Along with every Canadian Premier League team plus Canada's three Major League Soccer teams, the 2023 Canadian Championship will feature League1 BC Men's Division Final winners TSS Rovers FC from Richmond, League1 Ontario Men's Division winners Vaughan SC Azzurri, and Québec Premier League Men's Division winners FC Laval.
    3. "Roster". Forge FC. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
    4. "Forge FC sign Canadian international defender Manjrekar James". Forge FC. March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
    5. "Canadian Premier League teams add young talent to rosters via U Sports draft". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. December 15, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
    6. Sager, Nathan (December 15, 2022). "Forge FC of Hamilton go local in CPL-U Sports draft". insauga.com. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
    7. Jacques, John (January 18, 2023). "Cavalry Adds Eddies Stalwart Shamit Shome". Northern Tribune. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
    8. Jacques, John (January 22, 2023). "Official: Daniel Krutzen Departs Forge FC". Northern Tribune. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
    9. "Rising FC adds three-time CPL title winner Daniel Krutzen". USL Championship. January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
    10. Jacques, John (January 25, 2023). "Who's In, Who's Out At Forge FC". Northern Tribune. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
    11. Jacques, John (March 8, 2023). "York United Signs Former Forge Man Jonathan Grant". Northern Tribune. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
    12. Jacques, John (February 1, 2023). "Halifax Adds Former Forge, Edmonton Defender Cale Loughrey". Northern Tribune. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
    13. "Official: Local Youth Club Hamilton United Elite Announced As Forge FC Development Club" (Press release). Hamilton, Ontario: Forge FC. March 31, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
    14. "Forge FC 2023 Macron Club Kits Unveiled". Forge FC. March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
    15. Cook, Glenn (March 15, 2023). "Chain Reaction: Hamilton Flag Inspires 2023 Kits for CanPL's Forge FC". SportsLogos.Net News. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
    16. Forge FC [@ForgeFCHamilton] (February 13, 2023). "First touches of the preseason" (Tweet). Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Twitter.
    17. Forge FC [@ForgeFCHamilton] (March 23, 2023). "Views from our friendly against @Cartagines yesterday" (Tweet). Retrieved March 23, 2023 – via Twitter.
    18. Milton, Steve (March 13, 2023). "Local synchro skaters are No. 2 in the world". The Hamilton Spectator. Forge will be a little warmer. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
    19. Forge FC [@forgefc] (March 29, 2023). "Scenes from our friendly against the Costa Rica U20 (@fedefutbolcrc) 🇨🇷 side earlier this week". Alajuela, Costa Rica – via Instagram.
    20. Milton, Steve (February 24, 2023). "Forge FC is back on the pitch". The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
    21. "Revealed! Pre-Season Fixtures Announced As Nine Stripes' Preparations Intensify". York United FC. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
    22. "2023 CPL Competition Guidelines". Canadian Premier League. March 17, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
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