Forge FC is playoff bound and are already guaranteed a home semifinal, but there are still two important CPL games left to play and there’s a role reversal and a “roll” reversal that the Hammers would just love to create in Calgary Friday night.
First-place Forge ventures into the foothills two points ahead of Atlético Ottawa with only the visit to Cavalry FC and next weekend’s finale against local rival York United at Hamilton Stadium remaining on the docket.
Heading into the penultimate weekend of the schedule, it’s been since the Friday of the last long weekend, a stunning 18 matches, that a visiting team has won a game in the Canadian Premier League. Sports has its “law of being due” and Forge would just love to be the posse that enforces it. They’d also like a little payback for a 4-1 loss in Calgary on Aug. 30. which cut off Forge’s CPL-record undefeated streak of 20 straight league games. So, a couple of major carrots on that stick as Forge flies westward to face the third-place Cavs, who are in a three-way battle for that No. 3 spot, and the right to host their own postseason match against the survivors of the 4 vs. 5 play-in game.
“It’s going to be a playoff atmosphere, especially for them; they know what they need to do,” says Kyt Selaidopoulos, Forge assistant coach and director of youth football.
Midfielder Ben Paton concurs, “For sure. The stakes are really high for both teams going into this so it should be a really good game.”
“We know what Cavalry brings, especially away from (Forge’s) home. It’s a different playing surface (natural grass), but we’ll be ready to go.
Forge missed an opportunity to take a stranglehold on first place when last-place but vastly improved Vancouver FC rallied for a 1-1 tie at Hamilton Stadium last Saturday after the Hammers couldn’t convert numerous first-half chances. But they also caught a break when lowly Valour shocked Ottawa with a 3-3 draw right in the National Capital.
No team is a pushover as the schedule dwindles and that result kept Atléti from leapfrogging their way into the CPL lead.
“There’s learning from that,” Selaidopoulos said of Forge’s home draw. “Learning that you’ve gotta keep playing. No matter how many goals you score, how the game goes, you’ve gotta keep pushing to get more and more goals to finish on top. And last weekend was one of those days when we took a little bit off the pedal. That sometimes doesn’t work, especially at this time of the year. Maybe earlier in the year it works. It’s not in our DNA to do that. It happens, but moving forward we had a good chat so I think everybody's ready to go.”
Forge and Cavalry have a long history, with by far more head-to-head battles – often with playoff advancement or championships at stake – in their six-plus years of existence than any other CPL rivals. This year, they’ve played to a 1-1 draw and a 1-0 Forge opening day win in Hamilton and that forgettable 4-1 Forge loss in Manitoba.
“We’ve played a lot of games and maybe the last time we went out there we might have been a bit fatigued,” says Forge midfielder Ben Paton. “But I think, going into this game, all the boys are ready, we know it means a lot and we know they’re a tough team.
“We've done a lot of video work on them, they're a really good side. They're obviously looking to get that third spot with the last two games of the season, so it'll be a really important game for them as well.
“The stakes are really high for both teams going into it so it should be a really good game.”
Paton said the team has scoured game tape looking for ways to break down the Cavs, who have seven wins, three draws and three losses in ATCO Field at Spruce Meadows.
“They bring a lot of physicality when they're playing at home,” said Selaidopoulos. “They’re a well-structured team. They like to play their kind of football. But, again, we know the importance of the games left, we know where we want to get to, and where we want to finish in the season.
“This is not our first big game.”
Cavalry is led by Ali Musse’s influential nine goals and seven assists in just 22 games and the dynamic Tobias Warschewski’s eight goals, five assists and threatening presence. He’s the CPL’s fifth-leading all-time goal scorer. Sergio Camargo is yet another goal-contribution star with seven goals and six assists. Marco Carducci has been the longtime mainstay in goal and holds the CPL career record for clean sheets with 53.
After their Calgary trip, Forge returns home for at least two more home games: next weekend against York and whichever playoff semifinal they host. Tickets are already on sale for postseason.
“We’ve been undefeated at home and our fans are incredibly supportive of us,” Paton says. “It’s a fortress for us at home.”