When you look at Forge FC—or any other Canadian Premier League team, for that matter—it is impossible not to see the large number of heritages that have been melted together by the passionate heat of international soccer.
You will also find yourself staring directly into a cultural mirror of this country. According to Forge director of soccer operations Jelani Smith, Forge players acknowledge 18 countries, including Canada, as part of their recent heritage.
All of this is amalgamated in the FIFA men’s World Cup, which begins a mere year from today in three countries: Mexico, the U.S., and Canada, where Toronto will host six games.
“The World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world so it’s great to see a bunch of different countries bring their culture to Canada,” says Forge centre back Malik Olowabi-Belewu, who grew up and played youth soccer in England, has recent roots in Nigeria and played U-19 for SPAL in the Italian second division while also training regularly with its first team.
“Canada is a very diverse place, and that’ll be nice to see those different cultures here. Also, as a player, you always want to watch the best of the best, watch different teams, and the way different world-class players play. I’ve never gotten to experience a World Cup live, so I’d like to see it.”
Forge’s Alex Achinioti-Jönsson, the CPL 2022 Defender of the Year, has played in more CPL games than anyone else, started in the top Swedish league when he was still a teen, and is one of nine CPL players to be rewarded as a Designated Domestic player -- meaning they no longer count against import quotas—for their longtime commitment to the league.
“Canada is built on immigration and diverse cultures, trying to build something better,” Achinioti-Jönsson says. “I hope I’m contributing to that. I felt welcome from day one, and that’s Canada’s world view. I never thought I’d be here this long, but there aren’t many places where you can leave a legacy.”
It’s an important legacy: for him personally and for his league, which could be expanding soon, helped by the tailwind of World Cup fever.
It’s a big year, a big two years really, for the sport in this country and especially for the CPL, which is in its seventh year of providing growth opportunities for some internationals like Achinioti-Jönsson, Olowabi-Belewu and forward Nana Ampomah from Ghana.
But mostly, it’s all about nurturing full-time careers for Canadian players, coaches, officials, staff, scouts, administrators, athletic trainers, equipment specialists, ticket sellers, concessionaires… and we could keep going.
Pause for a moment, though, to consider this. Without the CPL, Canada would not be hosting any games in this World Cup. To qualify as a World Cup site, a country must also have an accredited Premier League, and until the CPL formally began in 2019, Canada did not have one.
And without the stadium Forge calls home, there would have been no CPL.
It was a serendipitous collision of Hamilton seeking a new stadium and Canada Soccer, then called the Canadian Soccer Association, building a pyramid of elite player development that lacked only a sustainable, fully professional league.
Old Ivor Wynne Stadium would be torn down and replaced by a new stadium to house the 2015 Pan Am Games soccer tournaments for men and women, the CFL Ticats would become the long-term tenants, and agreements also called for a soccer tenant.
Possibilities included forming a team in an existing North American men’s or women’s league, but over time and with the influence of CSA president Victor Montagliani, now president of Concacaf, Ticats owner/caretaker Bob Young, and team CEO Scott Mitchell began leaning toward the creation of a sustainable coast-to-coast Canadian pro league. And they commenced gathering like-minded prospective owners.
So the CPL was born, with Hamilton the first certified CSA member, followed immediately by Winnipeg. The official club names, created by the league, didn’t come until later.
Since 2019, Forge has been the league’s gold standard, with six consecutive appearances in the finals, four league championships, and more international fixtures than any club in the country. Forge and Cavalry FC of Calgary have crafted one of the country’s most prolific rivalries, and each has enjoyed success against MLS clubs.
Forge is well-known and admired throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America and has moved players to higher-paying, higher-rated leagues. Other clubs are also developing young Canadians for upper-level leagues and, increasingly, the national team program.
And this World Cup should only accelerate that.
“I think the more eyes there are on soccer in this country I think the better for the league and there’s no better tournament than the World Cup to get eyes on the sport here,” says stalwart Hamilton defender Dan Nimick who played youth soccer with Leeds and Harrogate in England before coming to North America and the United Soccer League, then moving into the CPL in Halifax, then transferring to Hamilton.
“So hopefully we can use some of that attention from some of the public who weren’t soccer fans before, and they fall in love with the game at the World Cup. Then the place to get their soccer after that is the CPL.”
Fellow transplanted Briton Owolabi-Belewu agrees with that assessment, “100 percent. In comparison to England, Canada doesn’t treat football like a die-hard game, but with the next generation now being tuned in and aware of soccer, I think the World Cup coming here is going to breed that not only within the current generation but, most importantly, the newer generation. They’re going to have that desire and die-hard love for the game, which is going to make a big difference in the long run for soccer in Canada.”
Ampomah, who’s spent much of his pro soccer life in Europe, says, “The World Cup excites me. It’s my sport and it’ll be nice to see them play, especially my country, Ghana, and other African countries.”
With the wider perspective afforded by witnessing and playing soccer across the ocean, Forge’s international sense is that the CPL is a greatly underrated league and will benefit from the World Cup’s global glare.
“Especially with the young players who are coming up,” offers Owolabi-Belewu. “Kwasi Poku is a great example and has gone on to do great things. I’m very close with him, so I’ve always known and believed in him, and I’m thankful that everyone gets to see that now. You’ve seen recently how Hoce (Massunda) has broken through.
And earlier in the season, you saw the likes of Khadim (Kane) and Zayne (Bruno) make their marks.
“There is a lot of talent all around Canada that kind of gets overlooked, but I think this league being here gives them the opportunity to shine on a pro level.”
Ampomah says, “I think it’s better than most of the small countries in Europe, and I think it’s going to be one of the bigger leagues.”
Nimick adds that the CPL style is more tactical than lower-level pro in England, with teams preferring to build up an attack, which makes it fun to watch, a key to attracting marginal fans. He says that there is still a lot of room for growth, “but considering how young it is, the steps we’ve made in just the three years I’ve been here are great. Getting 18,000 here for the School Day Match was a massive part of it. Any way you can get eyes on the sport, and this league has done well over its seven years.”
Those eyes could swing from the World Cup to the CPL, the league which qualified Canada as a host and which sprang, essentially, out of a stadium in the east end of Hamilton.