Final Score: Forge FC 4-0 Pacific FC
Goalscorers: Massunda 3', Jensen 22', Cisse 88', Wright 90+5'
Game of the 2025 season: 98
CPL Match: 693
Match in a minute or less
Forge FC remained in first place on Saturday, as they scored early and often against Pacific FC en route to a 4-0 win at Hamilton Stadium.
Hoce Massunda got things started early with a wonderful long-range strike in the third minute, and Noah Jensen made it 2-0 just 20 minutes later.
Although Pacific adjusted well early in the second half and had a few chances to get a foothold on the game, they let their guard down somewhat in the closing stages, as Elimane Cisse and Brian Wright both found the net late to make the scoreline lopsided.
With the defeat, Pacific have officially been eliminated from playoff contention with three weeks left in the regular season.
Three Observations
Forge stroll to victory despite wholesale changes up front
It was a reasonably comfortable afternoon at home for Forge, who remain in pole position for the CPL Shield with just three weeks left to go.
Coach Bobby Smyrniotis opted to start an entirely different front three to what he played last week at Atlético Ottawa, this time going with Viktor Klonaridis through the middle, and Hoce Massunda and David Choinière on the wings. Massunda and Klonaridis, in particular, earned the reward after both helped change last week's game off the bench, leading to Massunda's 82nd-minute equalizer about 20 minutes after he'd come on.
This week, Massunda needed even less time to find the net, scoring in the third minute with a brilliant strike from distance.
Forge's depth is exceptional, which was particularly clear in last week's game against Ottawa but was evident again here. Smyrniotis was able to make five impactful changes in the second half, and four of the players he brought on had either a goal or an assist in the last few minutes — Mo Babouli linked up with Elimane Cisse for the third goal, and Harry Paton assisted Brian Wright for the fourth.
It was important for Forge to put pressure on Pacific early in this match, which they did exceptionally well, and they killed the game off effectively in the second half as well.
"We wanted to be aggressive and create, if it wasn't a goal just to make sure we were playing in the opponent's final third and be a little bit more in control of the ball," Smyrniotis said of the performance postmatch. "The guys executed that well, obviously the early goal helps with that. ... I thought our width between [Massunda] and Choinière, although we were playing against a back five, we had a lot of success, and it came down to the patience and ball circulation of the team, and that's what you need in those moments."
With 53 points now, Forge could still tie the CPL's all-time points record of 62 (Cavalry, 2019) if they win out. Judging by how Ottawa played against the Cavs on Saturday, they might have to.
"The title race is one that I think will go down to be one of the best ever in this league, in my opinion," Forge's Noah Jensen said after the game. "In the past, you've seen teams win the league with 50 points, and this year it will take a lot more. I think we're all appreciating this level of competition and hoping that we can see this through to the end of the year."
Forge know that if they win their last three games, they'll win the Shield. However, Ottawa are breathing down their necks, and any stumble could give Atleti a path back to the top.
Pacific give minutes to youngsters, struggle to get a foothold in match
This was an afternoon to forget for Pacific, who have had a few of those this season. They're now officially eliminated from playoff contention, and won't participate in the postseason for the first time since 2019.
Ahead of this match, Pacific's starting XI offered a few intriguing surprises, as James Merriman chose to play a very young side with four U-21 players. He handed 16-year-old Veniamin Chernyshev and 17-year-old Mattias Vales their first professional starts, while also including 19-year-old Vancouver Island native Sami Keshavarz and 20-year-old defender Christian Greco-Taylor.
This would not, however, be a successful developmental experience for the youngsters. Pacific could barely get on the ball in the first half, and Vales in particular had a tough assignment against Massunda. The Forge winger was able to beat Vales on the dribble on several occasions, including before the opening goal. Meanwhile, Pacific couldn't get the ball to Chernyshev in any meaningful way; the Ukrainian forward was limited to just 19 touches and only completed three passes.
Keshavarz had even fewer touches with 15, though he did create Pacific's only chance of the first half, as the Tridents struggled mightily to establish any control in midfield.
Vales, Chernyshev and Keshavarz all were substituted out at halftime, bringing their frustrating day to an early end. That may have been a merciful gesture from Merriman, who acknowledged postmatch that it had been a tough game for the youngsters.
"[I told them] to keep their heads up," he said when asked what he'd told the young players at halftime.
"They're learning, they're developing, they're going to develop and learn when we win games and play good football, they're going to learn and develop when they play in a situation like this. Mattias is not going to take something like that light, and [Chernyshev] too, you need to feel these experiences, feel the locker room and how it is right now, the good and the bad, and that's how you grow."
Pacific have three games left, and know their season ends on Oct. 18. Overall, it's been an incredibly frustrating season for the Tridents, who have been seriously bitten by injuries — they've lost multiple players for the whole season, and just this week they were also without Aly Ndom and Marco Bustos, two of the club's key starters. Plus, they've never quite recovered defensively since Eric Lajeunesse and Fin Tugwell left to go back to U SPORTS in August.
Still, plenty has gone wrong on the pitch as well.
"Maybe we haven't created enough chances, but when we do, we're just missing that final pass, a final shot, a bit more risk-taking," Kadin Chung suggested.
"I think we've been a bit safe this year, if I'm being honest. Maybe that comes down to guys not wanting to make mistakes. Obviously you've got a lot of young players coming in, and they want to put out good performances. But I think the message for us next year is we have to go for it a little bit more."
Chung went on to add that in these last three games — especially two at home — it's imperative that Pacific show some fight in front of their fans.
Massunda continues to dazzle as role grows with Forge
The Forge FC starting XI is a very difficult one to break into, and players know that any opportunity must be seized because a subpar performance can mean dropping right back to the bench.
Hoce Massunda has appeared in all but one of Forge's league matches this year, but only started 13. Recently though, he's become more of a staple in the lineup, starting five of the last seven games. When he didn't start last week in Ottawa, he still made an impact by scoring the equalizer off the bench.
The 20-year-old Toronto native is now up to four goals and five assists this year, meaning he's tied with Nana Ampomah for the most goal contributions for Forge (and ninth in the entire CPL).
In Saturday's match, Massunda had 10 touches in the box, created two chances and had a 94.4 per cent passing accuracy on 18 passes in the final third, also winning possession six times. He has become an extremely important option for Bobby Smyrniotis because of his ability to stretch the pitch and provide width, and he offers a different profile to someone like Mo Babouli who is the other typical left wing option.
"He's bold," Bobby Smyrniotis said of the young winger. "Doesn't care what's in front of him, and that's any defender he's had, whether it's our league or from another league in some of the games in the Canadian Championship. That's who he is. And when you have that mentality, over time you'll continue to succeed."
Though Massunda went through something of a midseason lull after bursting onto the scene in May and June, he is hitting his best form yet now. Given the numbers, it's starting to feel like he should be nominated for the CPL's Best U-21 Canadian Player award, which may not have seemed so likely a month ago.
The competition has been high this year, with outstanding U-21 contributions across the league, but when you put up the numbers Massunda has, especially at this crucial point of the season in a title race, it's hard to ignore.
What They Said
"The work by guys like Noah Jensen, David Choinière, who haven't played a lot in the last few matches, and you get some players in — Viktor [Klonaridis] as well — when you get some players in who haven't had a lot of minutes and they gel into the motions of the team, it was very good, very dynamic. ... The biggest thing is composure, that's something that's needed. You need to be able to control games both in possession and out of possession, I thought we did that very well today." — Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis
"There's not much we can do about the past now, and we're out of the playoffs. These last three games are for us and no one else. We've just got to show the fans that we still care the rest of the year, and then launch us into next season on a high note." — Pacific FC defender Kadin Chung
CanPL.ca Player of the Match
Hoce Massunda, Forge FC
As mentioned above, not only did Massunda get the scoring started with a wonderful solo effort, he was excellent throughout. His 10 touches in the box and six balls won are indicative of how busy he was, and he was almost perfect with his passing through the final third.
What’s next?
These teams will both be back at home next weekend, beginning with Forge taking on Vancouver FC on Saturday, Oct. 4 (4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT). The following afternoon, Pacific FC will host Cavalry FC at Starlight Stadium (6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT).
Watch all CPL and Canadian Championship matches live on OneSoccer. In addition to its website and app, OneSoccer is now available on TELUS channel 980 and on Fubo TV. Call your local cable provider to ask for OneSoccer today.