Final Score: Forge FC 1-1 Cavalry FC |
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Match in a minute or less
Forge FC and Cavalry FC battled to a 1-1 draw on Saturday in Hamilton -- a result which saw them remain even on points in the CPL table.
Cavalry struck almost immediately, scoring in just the second minute after some lovely work down the right flank from Fraser Aird to pick out Sergio Camargo in the middle.
After that, however, Forge responded well, and will feel a bit unlucky to not have found the net more often than the equalizer they managed in the 17th minute through Nana Ampomah.
The Hamilton club do, however, remain the league's only undefeated club this season. Cavalry, meanwhile, have still not won a regular season match at Hamilton Stadium since 2021.
Three Observations
Forge, Cavalry, trade blows but neither able to gain ground in the table
Both Forge and Cavalry came into Saturday's match looking to create some separation from one another in the table, tied on 13 points apiece. After a 1-1 draw, they remain deadlocked, now at 14, a fact that will leave neither team particularly happy.
Cavalry remain ahead of Forge on total wins. It is worth noting, that five draws through eight games is already a significant number for a Forge side who has only surpassed that amount once over an entire regular season -- when they had nine ties in 2023. They are a team that is usually willing to take risks in order to win matches, but haven't been clinical enough to do so this season -- again the case on Saturday.
While both teams displayed frustration at leaving two points behind at the final whistle, Forge will certainly feel the more aggrieved. Conceding so early in the match, they responded brilliantly, and after finding an equalizer just 15 minutes later, created more than enough chances to score a second goal.
Forge finished with 2.02 expected goals on 15 shots, had five big chances, and 30 touches in the Cavalry box -- up from their season average of marginally over 20. After a start to the season where Forge were struggling to generate chances with this frequency, there is no question that their attacking build-up has looked sharper in recent weeks. Now it is about finding the ruthlessness in front of goal that has long defined this team's attack.
Credit goes to Marco Carducci as well, who made a few outstanding saves to keep his team level throughout the match, including when Brian Wright was in alone in the 26th minute -- coming out of his net to make himself big.
Defensively, however, Forge did well to deny Cavalry a significant amount of counter-attacking opportunities, where they have been especially lethal of late. When Cavalry won the ball, multiple Forge players could be seen quickly sprinting back to help cover defensively, and the Cavs were often quickly outnumbered.
In the end, the match did little to create separation between these two sides, either in the table or in discourse around the league's elite. Their remaining two meetings this year in the regular season will be in Calgary, with the Cavs keen to gain back some ground in the head-to-head series after losing 1-0 on opening day in Hamilton.
Hoce Massunda, Nana Ampomah providing dynamic width for Forge FC
The primary driver of Forge's attack on Saturday evening came down their flanks. Hoce Massunda on the left and Nana Ampomah on the right created the vast majority of their chances, including combining for Forge's lone goal.
Coming into Saturday's match, 19-year-old Hoce Massunda had played 58 minutes of professional football, all this season with Forge FC. But after scoring his first professional goal last week against Pacific FC with a stunning 89th-minute strike, Massunda was given his first professional start on Saturday.
He took full advantage of the opportunity, providing a confident and direct approach down the left flank. In the 17th minute, his work rate was rewarded with his first professional assist. Massunda did well to get to a loose ball in the box on the second phase of a corner, and then cleverly flicked it back over his head into the middle of the box where Ampomah was waiting to equalize the match.
In 68 minutes, more than doubling his professional total, Massunda finished with two shot attempts, two chances created and a pair of successful dribbles, while completing all 13 of his passes. He could have had another assist on an excellent outside-of-the-boot pass to Brian Wright in the 26th minute, but the Forge striker was denied by Marco Carducci.
On his opposing flank, Nana Ampomah continues to be the most dangerous aspect of Forge's attack. The tricky winger seems to be full of confidence at the moment, adding his second goal of the season on a well-taken volley in the 17th minute.
Ampomah was unlucky not to finish with more, as his combination of tricky dribbling and outstanding deliveries created Forge's best chances of the evening. He finished with three shot attempts, and four chances created during another brilliant performance.
In total, 52.6 per cent of Forge's attacks came down Ampomah's right flank, showing just how vital he has been to their attacking identity of late.
Forge's width gave Cavalry fits throughout the match, and that is a good sign for a team who has been missing some key attackers. Without David Choinière, who did return to action off the bench in the second half on Saturday, and Tristan Borges, having Massunda and Ampomah step up for the Hamilton club has been vital at this juncture of the season.
"We're excited for that, because we need these weapons," said Forge FC captain Kyle Bekker. "And ultimately, we just have to do more around them to keep putting the ball in the back of the net. The positive is that we're creating these chances. It's just a matter of when we have them down, we just have to finish them off."
Cavalry start strong, but struggle with Forge's press thereafter
Cavalry FC came in Saturday's contest riding high after outscoring opponents 13-1 in their first four league games in the month of May.
After that goal, however, they managed just 0.23 expected goals, and two further shots on target, as half of their xG total in the match (0.46) came on Camargo's opener.
In particular, Cavalry struggled to play through Forge's aggressive press, which has at times been an issue for this team this season. Especially playing against a side like Vancouver FC, who deploy a similar strategy, Cavalry have failed to get their attackers into space with enough consistency.
Still, with the players they have on the pitch, they remained dangerous throughout, and could have won the match at the death if Tobias Warschewski had done a bit better with a ball that dropped to him alone in the box.
If there was anything Cavalry were particularly unhappy with, however, it was the way they conceded.
They had already given away a corner after leaving Kyle Bekker far too open and allowing him to walk in and take a shot, forcing a good save from Marco Carducci.
On the ensuing corner, they failed to clear a delivery into the box from Marko Jevremović, allowing Massunda to flick to ball to Ampomah -- who was unmarked in the centre of the box.
In the end, it just wasn't quite as dynamic a performance from Cavalry as has been seen in recent weeks, and as a result, a point, especially on the road, suited them.
What They Said
“After the fifth minute of the match, we were the dominant team on the pitch. We don't have that second goal in the game, that's what we deserve. We deserve the three points. I think that's pretty clear throughout...the effort is there, the football is there, the final finish was missing today. That's why you leave two points on the board.” -- Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis
“I think what you saw at the end was our guys dropping to their knees, disappointed not to beat their opponent. So it's a fairly evenly matched game in terms of coming in and taking a point. But keeps us undefeated through May. Do we want to win? Of course, but makes for an interesting top four right now.” — Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.
CanPL.ca Player of the Match
Nana Ampomah, Forge FC
The Forge winger is finally getting a run of games in this Hamilton team, and is fully taking his opportunity as the heart of the club's attack of late. Ampomah scored Forge's lone goal of the match, on one of three shot attempts, and also created four chances while attempting 12 crosses.
What’s next?
Cavalry are back at home next weekend, hosting York United on Sunday, June 8 (4 p.m. MT).
Forge, meanwhile, remain at Hamilton Stadium, and play the Halifax Wanderers on Sunday, June 8 (3:30 p.m. ET).
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