2023 Forge FC season

Forge FC
2023 season
OwnerHamilton Sports Group
ChairmanBob Young
Head coachBobby Smyrniotis
StadiumTim Hortons Field
Canadian Premier League2nd
CPL PlayoffsChampions
Canadian ChampionshipSemi-finals
Top goalscorerLeague: Terran Campbell
Woobens Pacius (10 each)

All: Woobens Pacius (11)
Highest home attendance13,925 vs. Cavalry FC
(October 28, CPL Final)
Lowest home attendance2,117 vs. FC Laval
(April 18, Canadian Championship)
Average home league attendance5,318
Biggest win4–0 vs. York United FC
(Away, July 9, CPL)
Biggest defeat0–3 vs. Cavalry FC
(Away, August 4, CPL)
← 2022
2024 →

The 2023 Forge FC season was the fifth season in the history of Forge FC and the club's fifth season in the Canadian Premier League (CPL), the top flight in Canadian soccer. Forge were the defending CPL champions, having defeated Atlético Ottawa in the 2022 Canadian Premier League final. The club was managed by Bobby Smyrniotis in his fifth season as head coach and first season as sporting director. This was Forge FC's first season without any matches in international competitions after having failed to qualify for the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League.

Forge won a record-extending fourth CPL championship, defeating regular-season champions Cavalry FC 2–1 at home in the 2023 Canadian Premier League final. As champions, they qualified for the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup,[1] returning the club to international competition in 2024 after a one-year absence.[2] In addition, Forge finished second in the CPL season and reached the semi-finals of the Canadian Championship.

Review[edit]

Background[edit]

Forge FC entered the season as the reigning Canadian Premier League champions after having won the 2022 Canadian Premier League final against Atlético Ottawa.[3] This was the club's third CPL title and fourth finals appearance in four years, leading to the Canadian Premier League and several pundits to declare Forge FC to be a dynasty.[3][4]

Beginning this season, the top five CPL teams will qualify for the playoffs and both the Canadian Premier League champion and regular season winner will qualify for the newly reorganized and expanded CONCACAF Champions Cup.[5][6] Along with the Champions Cup spot awarded to the winner of the Canadian Championship, Forge has three qualification paths to the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup.[6] As a result of the reorganization, the 2022 CPL champions were not given a spot in any CONCACAF competitions, making this the first season in Forge's history not to include any international competitive matches.[7][8] The club's goal entering the 2023 season was to return to international competition and qualify for the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup.[8][9]

Forge retained most of its roster from the previous season;[8][10] the club's highest profile off-season move was to add Canadian international Manjrekar James to replace outgoing cenre-back Daniël Krutzen in defence.[11][12] Entering the season, Forge FC were favoured to repeat as Canadian Premier League champions.[13][14]

April[edit]

Forge began its season on April 15 at home against rivals Cavalry FC.[15][16] This was a rematch of the 2022 playoff semifinal where Forge defeated Cavalry 3–2 on aggregate on their way to the championship.[15][17] Club captain Kyle Bekker served the second game of a two-match suspension following his red card in the second leg of that semifinal, while midfielder Sebastian Castello missed the match due to injury.[17][18] Manjrekar James made his debut for the club in an entertaining match where Forge came back from 1–0 and 2–1 deficits to secure a 2–2 draw.[19][20] Forge's first goal came from a Jordan Hamilton penalty in the 41st minute after he was hauled down by Cavalry goalkeeper Marco Carducci.[21] Noah Jensen scored on a volley in the 76th minute to tie the match 2–2, helping to earn himself Player of the Match honours and a spot in the CPL Team of the Week.[21][22][23] For the fifth consecutive year, Forge were unable to win on opening day; this draw brought their record in season openers to three draws and two losses.[20]

Three days later, Forge entered the Canadian Championship in the preliminary round with a home match against FC Laval, making this the second year in a row that the Hammers hosted a PLSQ side.[24][25] Entering the match, Forge coach Bobby Smyrniotis highlighted the importance of this cup tournament for the club, describing it as "a competition that we want" and the Voyageurs Cup as "a trophy that we don’t have in our cabinet."[26][27] Heavily favoured against their semi-pro opponent, Forge delivered with a 3–0 win.[25][28] Noah Jensen was the star again, scoring a brace, while Woobens Pacius scored a penalty.[29][30] The match was Tristan Borges's 100th for Forge in all competitions, making him the fifth player in club history to achieve this milestone.[31] The win advanced Forge to the Canadian Championship quarter-finals where they would face Atlético Ottawa.[32][33]

On April 22, Forge hosted HFX Wanderers FC for the first time under their new head coach, Patrice Gheisar.[34][35] Gheisar and Bobby Smyrniotis had previously coached against each other in League1 Ontario where Gheisar coached Vaughan Azzurri and Smyrniotis coached Sigma FC.[34][35] After the Wanderers took a 1–0 first half lead, Woobens Pacius scored a late 89th minute equaliser to lift the Hammers to a 1–1 draw.[31][36][37] He was the beneficiary of a favourable deflection that came off of a shot from Aboubacar Sissoko.[31][36][37] Notwithstanding the equalizer, Forge struggled to convert their scoring chances into goals, leading Smyrniotis to comment after the match that the team needed to "be a little more clinical in the final third [of the field]."[36][38] For midfielder Alessandro Hojabrpour, the match was his 100th in all competitions for CPL clubs, split between Pacific FC and Forge.[39]

In their next match, Forge played away from home at Starlight Stadium against Pacific FC in a battle of the only ever CPL champions.[40][41] Goalkeeper Christopher Kalongo picked up an injury before the match, joining the still-injured Sebastian Castello as unavailable.[40] Returning from injury was Kyle Bekker who made his season debut in the match.[42][43] Woobens Pacius headed in an Ashtone Morgan cross in the 17th minute that stood up as the match winner as Forge won 1–0 in Langford.[43][44] It was Pacius's third goal in three games, tying him with Tristan Borges for first all-time in goals in all competitions for Forge FC.[45][46][47] After the match, Bobby Smyrniotis drew attention to Pacius by comparing him and his scoring ability to that of Canadian international Cyle Larin, Smyrniotis's former protégé.[47][48] Manjrekar James was dominant in defence to help stymie Pacific and secure the clean sheet, earning him Player of the Match.[43][44] He was joined by Ashtone Morgan and Aboubacar Sissoko in being named to the CPL Team of the Week, and he was honoured as the CPL Player of the Week.[49][50]

Forge ended April undefeated, tied with Valour FC atop the CPL standings.[51] For the team's success, Bobby Smyrniotis was named the CPL Manager of the Month.[51]

May[edit]

Forge continued their winning ways with a 1–0 road win on May 5 against 905 Derby rival York United FC.[52][53] Terran Campbell scored the match's only goal in the 21st minute in an intense match that included a red card to Ashtone Morgan.[52][53][i] Khadim Kane made his professional debut for Forge in the match as a substitute.[55]

On May 9, Forge returned to Canadian Championship action in a quarter-final matchup against Atlético Ottawa in Hamilton.[56] This was the first meeting between these two teams since the 2022 CPL Final.[56] Kyle Bekker scored the game's opening goal in the 76th minute, only to have Atlético's Ollie Bassett score an equalizing penalty in the 87th minute to force the match to a penalty shoot-out.[57][58] Noah Jensen, Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson, and Aboubacar Sissoko scored for Forge while Triston Henry made two saves to lead Forge to a 3–2 win.[58] This was the Hammers' first ever win in a penalty shoot-out and qualified the team for the Canadian Championship semi-finals.[57]

Returning to CPL play, Forge defeated Valour 3–2 on May 13 for their third consecutive league win.[59] Kwasi Poku broke the deadlock with a 77th-minute winner while Jordan Hamilton scored the 200th goal in Forge's history.[59][60] Forge then hosted expansion side Vancouver FC on May 19 in the first ever match between the two clubs.[61] Christopher Kalongo secured his first clean sheet for Forge in a 0–0 draw.[62] This was Forge's first ever scoreless draw at home in league play.[62][ii]

Triston Henry in 2022

Forge then travelled to Montreal's Saputo Stadium to face CF Montréal on May 24 in the semi-final of the Canadian Championship.[63] This was Forge's third consecutive year facing CF Montréal in the tournament after losing to them in penalties following a 0–0 draw in 2021 and losing 3–0 thanks to a Sunusi Ibrahim hat-trick in 2022.[64] Forge held their own for a large stretch of the match before ultimately falling 2–0, eliminating them from the competition.[65][66] Ariel Lassiter opened the scoring for Montreal in the 53rd minute with a goal that deflected in off of Alessandro Hojabrpour and Sunisi Imbrahim put the match away with a powerful shot from inside the penalty box in the 78th minute.[67][68]

On May 27, David Choinière scored in second half stoppage time secure a 1–0 road win against Atlético Ottawa at TD Place Stadium.[69] Triston Henry made eight saves to earn a clean sheet as well as a spot in the CPL Team of the Week and CPL Player of the Week honours.[70][71] At the quarter mark of the season, Forge had four wins and three draws and were off to their best start to a CPL season in club history.[72] The club's undefeated run ended in their very next match back home on May 31 with a 2–1 loss to York United.[73] Terran Campbell scored a 76th equalizer to erase an earlier own goal from Alessandro Hojabrpour, however the match was ultimately decided in York's favour with a Brem Soumaoro stoppage time screamer.[73]

Forge held first place in the CPL table for the duration of the month. At its conclusion, Triston Henry was honoured by the league as its Goalkeeper of the Month for May.[74]

Final squad[edit]

As of 28 October 2023[75]
No. Name Nationality Position(s) Date of birth (age) Previous club Notes
Goalkeepers
1 Triston Henry Canada GK (1993-09-08)September 8, 1993 (aged 30) Canada Sigma FC
29 Christopher Kalongo Canada GK (2002-01-07)January 7, 2002 (aged 21) Canada Sigma FC U21
42 Emmanuel Marmolejo Canada GK (2007-06-14)June 14, 2007 (aged 16) Canada Sigma FC U21, DEV
Defenders
2 Malcolm Duncan Canada DF (1999-09-04)September 4, 1999 (aged 24) Canada Sigma FC
4 Dominic Samuel Canada CB / RB (1994-09-29)September 29, 1994 (aged 29) Canada Sigma FC
5 Manjrekar James Canada CB (1993-08-05)August 5, 1993 (aged 30) Ukraine Chornomorets Odesa
23 Garven-Michée Metusala Haiti CB / FB (1999-12-31)December 31, 1999 (aged 23) Canada A.S. Blainville
24 Rezart Rama Albania CB (2000-12-04)December 4, 2000 (aged 22) England Nottingham Forest INT
81 Malik Owolabi-Belewu England DF (2002-07-03)July 3, 2002 (aged 21) Italy S.P.A.L. INT
Simon Guardiero Canada DF (2006-07-07)July 7, 2006 (aged 17) Canada Sigma FC U21, DEV
Midfielders
10 Kyle Bekker Canada AM / CM (1990-09-02)September 2, 1990 (aged 33) United States North Carolina FC
12 Sebastian Castello Canada MF (2003-10-08)October 8, 2003 (aged 20) Canada Sigma FC U21
13 Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson Sweden DM / CB (1996-04-17)April 17, 1996 (aged 27) Sweden IFK Värnamo INT
20 Kwasi Poku Canada MF (2003-02-06)February 6, 2003 (aged 20) Canada Toronto FC II U21
21 Alessandro Hojabrpour Canada DM (2000-01-10)January 10, 2000 (aged 23) Canada Pacific FC
22 Noah Jensen Canada MF (1999-07-20)July 20, 1999 (aged 24) United States Oakland University
33 Aboubacar Sissoko Mali MF (1995-10-09)October 9, 1995 (aged 28) United States Indy Eleven
64 Khadim Kane Canada MF (2005-05-17)May 17, 2005 (aged 18) Canada CF Montréal U23 U21, EYT
Forwards
7 David Choinière Canada LW / RW (1997-02-07)February 7, 1997 (aged 26) Canada Montreal Impact
9 Jordan Hamilton Canada ST (1996-03-17)March 17, 1996 (aged 27) Republic of Ireland Sligo Rovers
14 Terran Campbell Canada ST / LW (1998-10-10)October 10, 1998 (aged 25) Canada Pacific FC
17 Woobens Pacius Canada FW (2001-05-11)May 11, 2001 (aged 22) Canada CF Montréal Academy
19 Tristan Borges Canada RW / LW / AM (1998-08-26)August 26, 1998 (aged 25) Belgium OH Leuven
37 Kevaughn Tavernier Canada FW (2006-02-24)February 24, 2006 (aged 17) Canada Sigma FC U21, DEV
39 Béni Badibanga Belgium FW (1996-02-19)February 19, 1996 (aged 27) Belgium RAAL La Louvière INT

Roster rules[edit]

As a Canadian Premier League club, Forge FC's roster must conform to the league's roster rules and regulations.[76]

On July 20, the Canadian Premier League introduced a new Exceptional Young Talent (EYT) roster subcategory retroactive to July 14. CPL teams can name a maximum of two domestic U-18 players to this category and they do not count against the club's salary cap or 23-player main roster. On the day that the new roster subcategory was announced, Forge designated 18-year-old midfielder Khadim Kane as an EYT.[77][78]

Transfers[edit]

In[edit]

The 2023 transfer windows were open from February 10 to May 4 and from July 7 to August 4.[79] The Canadian Premier League also institutes a roster freeze; after September 1, clubs may only sign new players in cases of "extreme hardship".[79]

No. Pos. Player From club Fee/notes Date Source
5 DF Canada Manjrekar James Ukraine Chornomorets Odesa Free March 10, 2023 [11][80]
64 MF Canada Khadim Kane Canada CF Montréal U23 Free April 14, 2023 [81]
2 DF Canada Malcolm Duncan Canada Sigma FC Free April 14, 2023 [81]
42 GK Canada Emmanuel Marmolejo Canada Sigma FC Development contract April 18, 2023 [82]
30 GK Canada Rimi Olatunji United States Peoria City Short-term contract April 20, 2023 [83]
36 MF Canada Daniel Firek Canada Sigma FC Development contract June 25, 2023 [84]
37 FW Canada Kevaughn Tavernier Canada Sigma FC Development contract June 25, 2023 [84]
DF Canada Simon Guardiero Canada Sigma FC Development contract June 25, 2023 [84]
39 FW Belgium Béni Badibanga Belgium RAAL La Louvière Free July 27, 2023 [85]

Draft picks[edit]

Forge FC made the following selections in the 2023 CPL–U Sports Draft.[86][87] 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[edit]

No. Pos. Player To club Fee/notes Date Source
MF Canada Shamit Shome Canada Cavalry FC Option declined January 18, 2023 [88]
5 DF Netherlands Daniel Krutzen United States Phoenix Rising Contract expired January 22, 2023 [89][90]
2 DF Canada Jonathan Grant Canada York United Option declined January 25, 2023 [91][92]
16 DF Canada Cale Loughrey Canada HFX Wanderers FC Option declined January 25, 2023 [91][93]
11 FW Canada Chris Nanco United States Des Moines Menace Contract expired January 25, 2023 [94][95]
14 FW Guyana Emery Welshman Canada Sigma FC Contract expired January 25, 2023 [94][96]
3 DF Canada Ashtone Morgan Retired July 31, 2023 [97][98]
30 GK Canada Rimi Olatunji August 9, 2023 [99]

Loans out[edit]

Forge FC is affiliated with Sigma FC of League1 Ontario as part of the CPL's Downward Player Movement Pilot Project.[100][101] The following Forge FC players featured for Sigma FC during the 2023 League1 Ontario season.

No. Pos. Player Games Notes Source
2 DF Canada Malcolm Duncan 1 First featured for Sigma FC on April 22, 2023. [102]
20 MF Canada Kwasi Poku 1 First featured for Sigma FC on April 29, 2023. [103]
30 GK Canada Rimi Olatunji 8 First featured for Sigma FC on May 13, 2023. [104]
64 MF Canada Khadim Kane 2 First featured for Sigma FC on April 22, 2023. [105]

Club[edit]

Staff[edit]

As of 6 September 2023[106][107]
Head coach Bobby Smyrniotis in 2019
Executive
Caretaker Bob Young
Managing partner and chief executive officer Scott Mitchell[108]
President and chief operating officer Matt Afinec[109]
Vice president of business operations Nicole Demers[109][110]
Coaching staff
Head coach and sporting director Bobby Smyrniotis
Assistant coach David Edgar
Assistant coach Kyt Selaidopoulos
Assistant coach / goalkeepers coach Johan Albert
Director of soccer operations Jelani Smith
Equipment manager Joe Hanley
Strength and conditioning coach and sport scientist Jacob Miller
Athletic therapist Liam MacPherson

On April 12, Costa Smyrniotis left the club to join the CPL as Executive Vice President, Soccer. He had been the club's Director of Football and Business since 2018 and had been a key architect of the team's early success, including three CPL championships.[111][112]

On May 1, Forge announced that it had signed technical director and head coach Bobby Smyrniotis to a four-year contract extension and expanded his role as head coach and sporting director.[108][113] He had previously been linked to CF Montréal's head coaching vacancy as well as others in MLS and Europe during the preceding off-season.[113][114] Over the following days, the club also announced the promotions of Jelani Smith to director of soccer operations and Nicole Demers to vice president of business operations.[115][116][109][110]

Club partnerships[edit]

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.[117]

On April 13, Forge made another partnership announcement by revealing eight official "Forge FC Youth Partner Clubs":[118]

  • Mount Hamilton YSC
  • Saltfleet Stoney Creek SC
  • Flamborough Dundas SC
  • Force Academy
  • Oakville SC
  • Ancaster Legacy FC
  • Grimsby Town YSC
  • St. Catharines Roma Wolves

On April 21, the CPL announced a "downward player movement pilot project" to allow its clubs to each have an affiliate club that they can send players to get additional game time.[100][119] That same day, Forge announced Sigma FC as their affiliate.[101][119] Forge quickly took advantage of the affiliation by sending Malcolm Duncan and Khadim Kane to Sigma to start in a match the next day.[120][121]

Community initiatives[edit]

On September 9, Forge hosted its second annual Spark Summit, an event aimed at connecting and inspiring professional women in the sports and entertainment industry.[122][123] Other club initiatives during the season included youth soccer clinics,[124] a high-performance training program,[125] a coaches clinic,[126] an international night,[127] and a food drive in support of Good Shepherd.[128]

Kits[edit]

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.[129][130]

Preseason and friendlies[edit]

On February 13, Forge took to the field to begin its preseason.[131] 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.[132][133][134][135] The team also played 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.[7][136]

Friendlies[edit]

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

March 4 Friendly Forge FC Canada v United States Syracuse Orange Hamilton, Ontario
2:00pm Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
March 5 Friendly Forge FC Canada v United States Akron Zips Hamilton, Ontario
2:00pm Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
March 20 Friendly Deportivo Saprissa Costa Rica v Canada Forge FC
March 27 Friendly Costa Rica U20 Costa Rica 0–7[137] Canada Forge FC Alajuela, Costa Rica
Stadium: Proyecto Goal
April 1 Friendly Forge FC v York United FC Hamilton, Ontario
Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
Referee: Marie-Soleil Beaudoin

Competitions[edit]

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

Overview[edit]

Competition First match Last match Starting round Final position Record
Pld W D L GF GA GD Win %
Canadian Premier League April 15 October 7 Matchday 1 2nd 28 11 9 8 39 32 +7 039.29
CPL Playoffs October 14 October 28 First semifinal Winners 2 2 0 0 4 2 +2 100.00
Canadian Championship April 18 May 24 Preliminary round Semi-finals 3 1 1 1 4 3 +1 033.33
Total 33 14 10 9 47 37 +10 042.42

Last updated: October 28
Source: Competitions

Canadian Premier League[edit]

Table[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Playoff qualification
1 Cavalry (S) 28 16 7 5 46 27 +19 55 First semifinal
2 Forge (C) 28 11 9 8 39 32 +7 42[a]
3 HFX Wanderers 28 11 9 8 39 32 +7 42[a] Quarterfinal
4 Pacific 28 11 7 10 42 35 +7 40 Play-in round
5 York United 28 11 5 12 35 44 −9 38
6 Atlético Ottawa 28 10 6 12 38 34 +4 36
7 Vancouver 28 8 5 15 28 50 −22 29
8 Valour 28 6 8 14 25 38 −13 26
Source: CanPL
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).[138]
(C) Champion (qualified to Champions Cup); (S) CPL Shield winner (qualified to Champions Cup)
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Tie resolved by away goal differential; Forge: +4, Wanderers: −2

Results by match[edit]

Match12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728
ResultDDWWWDWLDLLLWLWDWWLDDDWDWWLL
Position4521111113332323323345333222
Source: #Matches
W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches[edit]

Forge FC's opening weekend match against Cavalry FC was announced on January 27, 2023.[15][16] The rest of the schedule was announced on January 30.[139][140]

April 15 1 Forge FC 2–2 Cavalry FC Hamilton, Ontario
4:00 pm
Report
Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
Attendance: 6,892
Referee: Marie-Soleil Beaudoin
April 22 2 Forge FC 1–1 HFX Wanderers FC Hamilton, Ontario
4:00 pm
Report
Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
Attendance: 3,827
Referee: Fabrizio Stasolla
April 30 3 Pacific FC 0–1 Forge FC Langford, British Columbia
8:00 pm
Report
Stadium: Starlight Stadium
Attendance: 3,378
Referee: Renzo Villanueva
May 5 4 York United FC 0–1 Forge FC Toronto, Ontario
7:30 pm
Report
Stadium: York Lions Stadium
Attendance: 1,016
Referee: Myriam Marcotte
Note: Ashtone Morgan's red card was later rescinded.[141]
May 13 5 Forge FC 3–2 Valour FC Hamilton, Ontario
4:00 pm
Report
Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
Attendance: 4,807
Referee: David Barrie
May 19 6 Forge FC 0–0 Vancouver FC Hamilton, Ontario
7:00 pm
Report
Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
Attendance: 4,378
Referee: Myriam Marcotte
May 27 7 Atlético Ottawa 0–1 Forge FC Ottawa, Ontario
7:00 pm
Report
Stadium: TD Place Stadium
Attendance: 4,520
Referee: Renzo Villanueva
May 31 8 Forge FC 1–2 York United FC Hamilton, Ontario
7:00 pm
Report
Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
Attendance: 4,225
Referee: Mathieu Souaré
June 3 9 Cavalry FC 1–1 Forge FC Foothills County, Alberta
4:00 pm
Report Stadium: ATCO Field
Attendance: 3,503
Referee: Scott Bowman
June 10 10 Forge FC 0–1 Pacific FC Hamilton, Ontario
7:00 pm
Report
Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
Attendance: 5,013
Referee: Yusri Rudolf
June 16 11 Valour FC 2–0 Forge FC Winnipeg, Manitoba
8:00 pm
Report
Stadium: IG Field
Attendance: 3,350
Referee: Renzo Villanueva
June 20 12 Vancouver FC 2–0 Forge FC Langley, British Columbia
10:00 pm
Report
Stadium: Willoughby Community Park
Attendance: 2,149
Referee: Seyed-Mohammad Mohseni
June 25 13 Forge FC 4–3 Atlético Ottawa Hamilton, Ontario
6:00 pm
Report
Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
Attendance: 6,917
Referee: Michael Venne
June 30 14 HFX Wanderers FC 2–1 Forge FC Halifax, Nova Scotia
6:00 pm
Report
Stadium: Wanderers Grounds
Attendance: 6,145
Referee: Marie-Soleil Beaudoin
July 9 15 York United FC 0–4 Forge FC Toronto, Ontario
7:00 pm
Report
Stadium: York Lions Stadium
Attendance: 1,464
Referee: Yusri Rudolf
Note: Molham Babouli was sent off for York United FC while on the bench.[142]
July 15 16 Forge FC 1–1 Valour FC Hamilton, Ontario
7:00 pm Report
Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
Attendance: 5,179
Referee: Ben Hoskins
July 21 17 Pacific FC 0–2 Forge FC Langford, British Columbia
10:00 pm
Report Stadium: Starlight Stadium
Attendance: 3,311
Referee: Michael Venne
July 28 18 Forge FC 2–0 Vancouver FC Hamilton, Ontario
7:00 pm
Report
Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
Attendance: 5,232
Referee: Robert D'Alesio
August 4 19 Cavalry FC 3–0 Forge FC Foothills County
9:00 pm
Report Stadium: ATCO Field
Attendance: 4,106
Referee: Ben Hoskins
August 12 20 Forge FC 3–3 York United FC Hamilton, Ontario
7:00 pm
Report
Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
Attendance: 5,071
Referee: Renzo Villanueva
August 19 21 Forge FC 1–1 HFX Wanderers FC Hamilton, Ontario
7:00 pm
Report
Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
Attendance: 4,824
Referee: Carly Shaw-MacLaren
August 26 22 Atlético Ottawa 0–0 Forge FC Ottawa, Ontario
7:00 pm
Report Stadium: TD Place Stadium
Attendance: 5,211
Referee: Yusri Rudolf
September 3 23 Vancouver FC 0–3 Forge FC Langley, British Columbia
5:00 pm
Report
Stadium: Willoughby Community Park
Attendance: 2,378
Referee: Alain Ruch
September 9 24 Forge FC 0–0 Cavalry FC Hamilton, Ontario
7:00 pm Report
Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
Attendance: 6,751
Referee: Michael Venne
September 17 25 Valour FC 2–3 Forge FC Winnipeg, Manitoba
2:00 pm Report
Stadium: IG Field
Attendance: 3,311
Referee: Fabrizio Stasolla
September 23 26 Forge FC 3–1 Pacific FC Hamilton, Ontario
7:00 pm
Report
Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
Attendance: 5,327
Referee: Yusri Rudolf
September 30 27 HFX Wanderers FC 2–1 Forge FC Halifax, Nova Scotia
2:00 pm
Report
Stadium: Wanderers Grounds
Attendance: 6,254
Referee: Michael Venne
October 7 28 Forge FC 0–1 Atlético Ottawa Hamilton, Ontario
5:00 pm
Report
Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
Attendance: 6,013
Referee: Scott Bowman
Note: This match was originally scheduled for 4:00 pm.[143]

Playoff matches[edit]

Forge qualified for the CPL playoffs on September 23.[144] As the second-place finishers in the regular season, they opened the playoffs away at regular season winners Cavalry FC on October 14 in the page playoff first semifinal.[145] After defeating Cavalry 2–1 and earning the right to host the final in Hamilton at Tim Hortons Field, the league announced that the final would be played on October 28 at 6:00 pm.[146]

October 14 First semifinal Cavalry FC 1–2 Forge FC Foothills County, Alberta
5:00 pm
Report
Stadium: ATCO Field
Attendance: 4,385
Referee: Scott Bowman
October 28 Final Forge FC 2–1 (a.e.t.) Cavalry FC Hamilton, Ontario
6:00 pm
Report
Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
Attendance: 13,925
Referee: Marie-Soleil Beaudoin

Canadian Championship[edit]

Canada Soccer announced the draw procedure for the Canadian Championship on January 17, 2023;[147] the draw was held on January 31.[148][149] Fixtures were announced on February 7 for the preliminary round,[150][151] April 21 for the quarter-finals,[32][152] and May 11 for the semi-finals.[153][154]

April 18 Preliminary round Forge FC 3–0 FC Laval Hamilton, Ontario
7:00 pm
Report
Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
Attendance: 2,117
Referee: Scott Bowman
May 9 Quarter-finals Forge FC 1–1
(3–2 p)
Atlético Ottawa Hamilton, Ontario
7:00 pm
Report
Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
Attendance: 2,979
Referee: Filip Dujic
Penalties
Note: Although Atlético Ottawa was drawn as the home team, this match was played in Hamilton due to Atlético opting out of hosting.[155]
May 24 Semi-finals CF Montréal 2–0 Forge FC Montreal, Quebec
7:00 pm
Report Stadium: Saputo Stadium
Attendance: 10,062
Referee: Pierre-Luc Lauziere

Statistics[edit]

As of October 28, 2023

Squad and statistics[edit]

No. Pos Nat Player Total Canadian Premier League CPL Playoffs Canadian Championship
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1 GK Canada CAN Triston Henry 32 0 27+0 0 2+0 0 3+0 0
2 DF Canada CAN Malcolm Duncan 9 0 2+7 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
4 DF Canada CAN Dominic Samuel 24 0 12+7 0 0+2 0 1+2 0
5 DF Canada CAN Manjrekar James 31 0 26+0 0 2+0 0 3+0 0
7 FW Canada CAN David Choinière 19 2 11+4 2 0+2 0 2+0 0
9 FW Canada CAN Jordan Hamilton 22 4 7+10 4 0+2 0 0+3 0
10 MF Canada CAN Kyle Bekker 30 5 24+2 3 2+0 1 2+0 1
12 MF Canada CAN Sebastian Castello 2 0 0+2 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
13 MF Sweden SWE Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson 32 0 24+3 0 2+0 0 3+0 0
14 FW Canada CAN Terran Campbell 33 10 24+4 10 2+0 0 2+1 0
17 FW Canada CAN Woobens Pacius 31 11 15+13 10 0+0 0 3+0 1
19 FW Canada CAN Tristan Borges 28 2 11+13 1 0+1 1 3+0 0
20 MF Canada CAN Kwasi Poku 24 2 16+5 2 2+0 0 0+1 0
21 MF Canada CAN Alessandro Hojabrpour 26 1 16+5 0 2+0 1 2+1 0
22 MF Canada CAN Noah Jensen 24 3 10+9 1 2+0 0 1+2 2
23 DF Haiti HAI Garven Metusala 21 0 14+3 0 2+0 0 1+1 0
24 DF Albania ALB Rezart Rama 30 1 25+1 1 2+0 0 2+0 0
29 GK Canada CAN Christopher Kalongo 2 0 1+1 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
33 MF Mali MLI Aboubacar Sissoko 30 2 16+9 2 0+2 0 2+1 0
37 FW Canada CAN Kevaughn Tavernier 2 0 1+1 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
39 FW Belgium BEL Béni Badibanga 12 3 9+1 2 2+0 1 0+0 0
64 MF Canada CAN Khadim Kane 15 0 6+9 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
81 DF England ENG Malik Owolabi-Belewu 19 0 9+7 0 0+2 0 0+1 0
Player(s) transferred out during this season
3 DF Canada CAN Ashtone Morgan 14 0 2+9 0 0+0 0 3+0 0

Goal scorers[edit]

Woobens Pacius and Terran Campbell ended the CPL season with 10 goals each, tied for third in the league's scoring race and one back of joint Golden Boot winners Ollie Bassett and Myer Bevan who each scored 11 goals.[156]

Rank Nat. Player Pos. Canadian Premier League CPL Playoffs Canadian Championship TOTAL
1 Canada Woobens Pacius FW 10 0 1 11
2 Canada Terran Campbell FW 10 0 0 10
3 Canada Kyle Bekker MF 3 1 1 5
4 Canada Jordan Hamilton FW 4 0 0 4
5 Belgium Béni Badibanga FW 2 1 0 3
Canada Noah Jensen MF 1 0 2 3
6 Canada Tristan Borges FW 1 1 0 2
Canada David Choinière MF 2 0 0 2
Canada Kwasi Poku MF 2 0 0 2
Mali Aboubacar Sissoko MF 2 0 0 2
10 Canada Alessandro Hojabrpour MF 0 1 0 1
Albania Rezart Rama DF 1 0 0 1
Own goals 1 0 0 1
Totals 39 4 4 47

Clean sheets[edit]

Rank Nat. Player Canadian Premier League CPL Playoffs Canadian Championship TOTAL
1 Canada Triston Henry 9 0 1 10
2 Canada Christopher Kalongo 1 0 0 1
Totals 10 0 1 11

Disciplinary record[edit]

No. Pos. Nat. Player Canadian Premier League CPL Playoffs Canadian Championship TOTAL
Yellow card Red card Yellow card Red card Yellow card Red card Yellow card Red card
1 GK Canada Triston Henry 4 0 1 0 0 0 5 0
2 DF Canada Malcolm Duncan 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
3 DF Canada Ashtone Morgan 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
4 DF Canada Dominic Samuel 4 0 1 0 0 0 5 0
5 DF Canada Manjrekar James 3 0 2 0 1 0 6 0
7 FW Canada David Choinière 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
10 MF Canada Kyle Bekker 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
13 MF Sweden Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
17 FW Canada Woobens Pacius 5 0 0 0 1 0 6 0
19 FW Canada Tristan Borges 2 0 1 0 0 0 3 0
20 MF Canada Kwasi Poku 2 1 0 0 1 0 3 1
21 MF Canada Alessandro Hojabrpour 3 0 1 0 0 0 4 0
22 MF Canada Noah Jensen 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
23 DF Haiti Garven Metusala 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
24 DF Albania Rezart Rama 7 0 1 0 1 0 9 0
33 MF Mali Aboubacar Sissoko 5 0 1 0 0 0 6 0
39 FW Belgium Béni Badibanga 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
64 MF Canada Khadim Kane 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
81 DF England Malik Owolabi-Belewu 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
Totals 57 1 8 0 4 0 69 1

Hat-tricks[edit]

Player Against Result Date Ref
Canada Terran Campbell York United FC 4–0 (A) July 9, 2023 [157]
Canada Woobens Pacius Vancouver FC 3–0 (A) September 3, 2023 [158]

Honours[edit]

Canadian Premier League Awards[edit]

The Canadian Premier League Awards took place on October 26 in Hamilton.[146][159]

Name Award Status Source
Kyle Bekker Player of the Year Nominated [160][159]
Player's Player of the Year Nominated [161][159]
Terran Campbell Player's Player of the Year Nominated [161][159]
Triston Henry Golden Glove Won [162][159]
Manjrekar James Defender of the Year Nominated [163][159]
Kwasi Poku Best Canadian U-21 Player Nominated [164][159]
Bobby Smyrniotis Coach of the Year Nominated [165][159]

Canadian Premier League Best XI[edit]

Name Source
Béni Badibanga
Terran Campbell
Kyle Bekker
Triston Henry
Manjrekar James
[166]

Monthly Awards[edit]

Month Name Award Source
April Bobby Smyrniotis Manager of the Month [51]
May Triston Henry Goalkeeper of the Month [74]
July Kyle Bekker Player of the Month [167]
Triston Henry Goalkeeper of the Month [168]
October Triston Henry Goalkeeper of the Month [169]
Bobby Smyrniotis Manager of the Month [170]

Player of the Week[edit]

Week Name Source
3 Manjrekar James [50]
7 Triston Henry [71]
13 Terran Campbell [171]
21 Woobens Pacius [172]
24 Kwasi Poku [173]

Team of the Week[edit]

Terran Campbell has been named to four CPL Teams of the Week in 2023.

The Gatorade Team of the Week is usually selected by the CPL's Kristian Jack and OneSoccer's Oliver Platt.

Week Name Source
1 Noah Jensen [23]
3 Manjrekar James
Ashtone Morgan
Aboubacar Sissoko
[49]
4 Tristan Borges
Terran Campbell
Triston Henry
[174]
5 Jordan Hamilton [175]
7 Triston Henry (2) [70]
8 Kyle Bekker [176]
11 Terran Campbell (2) [177]
12 Kyle Bekker (2) [178]
13 Kyle Bekker (3)
Tristan Borges (2)
Terran Campbell (3)
Triston Henry (3)
[179]
14 Kyle Bekker (4)
Terran Campbell (4)
[180]
15 Kyle Bekker (5)<