Forge dominate York United to secure CPL Shield | MATCH ANALYSIS

Match in a minute or less

Forge FC clinched the CPL Shield as 2025 regular season winners on Saturday at Hamilton Stadium, when they dominated York United en route to a 3-0 win in The Outcome.

Alessandro Hojabrpour opened the scoring just over 10 minutes in, as he got a head to an excellent ball in from Tristan Borges after a well-worked corner routine.

The next two goals were good Brian Wright finishes from David Choinière assists, as Forge repeatedly broke down the Nine Stripes and gave up very little.

So, Forge finished top of the table and head into the playoffs as the top side, while York landed in fifth and will spend their whole postseason on the road. They'll take on the Halifax Wanderers in Halifax on Wednesday night.

Three Observations

CPL Shield remains in Hamilton as Forge clinch title with professional win

Forge have played in more big games than anyone in the Canadian Premier League, and they played like it on Saturday.

They knew that they entered the final matchday in the driver's seat, and a draw would secure them the CPL Shield, but they went all-in for the win against a derby rival.

This was arguably Forge's best performance in weeks; they entered the game with just one win in their last five, and had let Atlético Ottawa back into the Shield race. However, over the history of this club, they have generally been at their best in the big moments, and this final regular season match was no different.

Forge were methodical and incisive with the ball; although the two clubs had a roughly even share of possession, the Hamilton club used it more effectively. In the first half alone, they generated 13 touches in the box to York's three, won 68.8 per cent of the duels, and created 1.44 expected goals while York had 0.03.

By the end of the match, Forge outshot York 11 to five, and held the Nine Stripes to just one shot on target.

This was a remarkable, emphatic end to a Shield-winning campaign for Forge, who have been quite consistent most of the year. This is arguably the best Forge team we've seen in the CPL; they set club records for points (58), goals scored (51) and fewest goals conceded (22). They went undefeated at Hamilton Stadium, making them just the second side ever to do so (after Ottawa completed that feat last weekend).

After a performance like that on Saturday, the lacklustre results of the previous few weeks feel almost irrelevant as Forge enter the playoffs. They seem incredibly zeroed-in on their goal of being the first ever CPL team to win the double.

Interestingly, Forge's players opted not to touch the CPL Shield after winning it Saturday. The last two years, the side that has won the Shield has lost both the championship semifinal to lose home field advantage, then lost the CPL Final on the road.

This year, however, Forge go into the playoffs at full speed, because they have had to play important matches for weeks heading into the end of the season. The past two years, the Shield-winning side clinched the title several weeks before the end, and as such didn't quite have the same motivation and pressure Forge have had recently. So, momentum is with them heading into next Sunday's first-versus-second clash against Ottawa.

York can't muster enough to climb table, will start playoffs in Halifax

It was always going to be a tough task for York United, who needed a win and favourable results elsewhere to finish in third or fourth and earn themselves a home playoff game.

However, they certainly expected to put up more of a fight than they did on Saturday.

Mauro Eustáquio decided to go back to his favoured 3-4-3 formation this week, after trying out a 4-2-3-1 the past few matches. York had a lot of trouble in defence last week against Pacific FC, so it made sense to play a system with five at the back against a high-powered Forge attack,

However, they were not able to contain the Hammers. Early lapses in focus — particularly before the first Forge goal, where they stepped forward and left Hojabrpour unmarked ad onside.

It wasn't exactly a full-strength York squad; they were missing Leonel López, Massimo Ferrin and Orlando Botello. López's absence in particular was evident; York struggled to progress the ball through the middle of the pitch or create chances. Playing against a particularly good Forge midfield, York could've benefitted from an extra body in the centre to combat the Borges-Bekker-Hojabrpour trio.

At the end of the day, York are still in the playoffs, and will still prove a tough out for any opponent. That said, they have the hardest route possible, because each of their games will be on the road — where they were 3-4-7 in the regular season this year.

York have a very quick turnaround to Wednesday night, when they'll be in Nova Scotia to play the Halifax Wanderers. If they manage to win that one, then it would be straight to Calgary for a battle with Cavalry next weekend.

That said, the Nine Stripes are extremely confident in their own abilities, and their more physical, hard-nosed style of football is well-suited for the postseason.

Forge offer glimpse of playoff attack with dangerous front three

Bobby Smyrniotis has rotated his team quite regularly throughout this regular season, particularly in attack. Although Brian Wright has usually been the go-to number nine, the wingers have changed frequently, with a strong cast of attacking players to turn to. Although the likes of Mo Babouli, Nana Ampomah, Victor Klonaridis and Amadou Kone have gotten a lot of the minutes, the trio Smyrniotis used on Saturday might offer a hint at what he's thinking ahead of the playoffs.

David Choinière and Hoce Massunda were the wide options in this game, and they were both excellent. This was only the fourth time in 2025 that those two wingers have started next to Wright, but it's now two games in a row.

Of course, it's partly due to the fact that Ampomah and Babouli haven't been fully fit the past few weeks, and both would certainly be in consideration to start next Sunday's playoff game if fit. However, after this performance from Choinière and Massunda, it's hard to drop either of them.

Choinière was involved in all three goals for Forge, playing the ball to Borges who assisted the opening goal, then Choinière himself assisted the next two with clever balls. He was also very active defensively, winning possession six times and making a couple of tackles.

Also helping Choinière's case to be a starter in the playoffs is his track record in big games; he has scored in multiple CPL Finals and has contributed huge goals in several other postseason and Concacaf matches. He's proven himself to be a player who improves when it matters most.

Meanwhile, Massunda has been one of the most effective attacking players for Forge over the past few weeks, and started four matches in a row to end the season. The 20-year-old broke onto the scene in his first professional season and has looked the part. He finished the regular season with 11 goal contributions (four goals, seven assists) in all competitions, making him Forge's third-most effective attacker this year.

Smyrniotis has a lot of options when he decides how to arrange his attack in the playoffs, but considering how good they looked on Saturday (three goals on 11 shots), it's hard to imagine changing much. If Choinière and Massunda are the pairing that gets the best out of Wright in particular, then that might be the best choice.

CanPL.ca Player of the Match

Brian Wright, Forge FC

The striker scored with two great finishes on Saturday to secure the Shield for his team. He finished the regular season with 12 CPL goals, tying for second in the league and setting a new career high.

What’s next?

York United will take on the Halifax Wanderers on Wednesday, Oct. 22 in the knockout match to begin the CPL Playoffs. Forge, meanwhile, host Atlético Ottawa on Sunday, Oct. 26 in the championship semifinal, where they'll try to book their ticket to the CPL Final.

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