Final Score: Forge FC 3-0 Atlético Ottawa
Goalscorers: Borges 21′, 40′, Cissé 86′
Game of the 2024 season: 68
CPL match: 552
Match in a minute or less
Forge FC moved to just one point back of first place in the Canadian Premier League on Saturday night, as they beat league leaders Atlético Ottawa with a convincing 3-0 result at Tim Hortons Field. Tristan Borges was the main protagonist for the Hamilton side in this one, scoring twice in the first half with a pair of confident finishes to give Forge a lead they would not relinquish. Holding off the visitors throughout the second frame, Forge sealed the deal late in the contest as Elimane Cissé scored his first goal since returning to the club in style with an excellent finish to secure the 3-0 win. The Hammers thus improved to 28 points so far which brings them level with York United (before their match on Sunday) and close to 29-point Ottawa as the CPL’s regular season title race became tighter than ever.
Three Observations
Forge lethal in transition, punish mistakes in clinical performance
Billed as a game between two powerful sides jockeying for control of the Canadian Premier League table, ultimately one of these two teams looked more up for it, and it wasn’t the side currently in first place. The key difference between Forge and Atlético Ottawa on Saturday was execution, both in individual moments and in overall game plan. It’s not particularly common for Forge to cede as much possession as they did in this game, with Ottawa keeping 60 per cent of the ball, but at no point did it feel like Atleti’s possession advantage made them true aggressors. Forge still outshot their opponents 12 to 11, with nine of their shots (and just three of Ottawa’s) coming from inside the box. The Hammers produced 1.29 expected goals, while Ottawa scrounged just 0.24. The two sides were exactly level with 51 final third entries each, but clearly Forge were much more efficient at turning those into more dangerous chances, and they finished enough of those chances to win. “The game plan we put together and the way we played, defensively and offensively, it worked,” Forge assistant coach Kyt Selaidopoulos (stepping in for the suspended Bobby Smyrniotis) said postmatch. “Our chances were good and we buried them. … The guys stuck to the plan; they battled, the fatigue kicked in, but mentally they were very disciplined and that’s what it takes to win games like this, especially when you’re fighting for the number one spot.” Forge played more direct than they might normally at Tim Hortons Field, certainly hoping to exploit a weakness they’d previously identified in Ottawa’s play. They heavily favoured the wings, with 84 per cent of their possession coming in the outer thirds of the pitch. With Kyle Bekker and Tristan Borges as dual attacking midfielders each drifting toward a winger to rotate in and out of the wide areas, the home side constantly had a numerical advantage on the flanks. Kwasi Poku’s running through the middle without the ball also did a lot to help Forge exploit gaps further wide, with at least one Ottawa centre-back typically following Poku and occasionally opening a channel between himself and his fullback through which Forge could play into the box. This was one of the more comprehensive tactical victories Forge have delivered this year, and it was likely a satisfied Bobby Smyrniotis who watched his team from the press box on Saturday night. Now, the Hammers control their own fate, sitting just a point back of the league lead with a game in hand — which they’ll make up on Wednesday against Halifax.
Atlético Ottawa a step behind as defensive issues persist
After an explosive start to the season vaulted Atlético Ottawa to the top of the table, they’ve fallen back to Earth considerably in the past few weeks. This was their third consecutive loss as they’ve now won just one of their last six and suddenly find their place ahead of the pack seriously threatened. The most glaring issue for Atleti seems to be at the back; they’ve conceded 11 goals in their last four games, often in frustrating fashion. In this match, all three could’ve been handled better; the first two saw Borges in far too much space, jumping on second phase balls to take a wide-open shot, and the third goal — although the product of Ottawa pushing men forward late in the game — perhaps could’ve been avoided if Cissé had been played offside. Of course, it’s equally frustrating for Ottawa that the attacking fire has sputtered in recent weeks, and Saturday was one of their more impotent performances up front as they turned such a heavy possession advantage and 11 shots into just 0.24 expected goals. However, even if they’d scored one or two, they still would have lost, as their head coach Carlos González pointed out postmatch. For him, some defensive naïveté is the current root of their problems.” “I think the main difference was the defensive side,” he said. “I think [Forge] defended really well, they were solid and they understood there were moments where they just had to be compact and try to avoid our attacks, and we didn’t understand that, mainly in the first half. We opened the game too much, we tried to press in situations that we shouldn’t press. I felt that in certain moments we should have been more compact, more solid and a stronger team in our half. “I’m seeing that in certain moments we are looking a bit fragile. With the ball, okay, we’re finding ways, we’re creating certain chances, we’re not brilliant. But off the ball, I feel that in the last few games, the other teams are not creating much, and with not so much they’re punishing us a lot. That’s the main focus we have to put on now.” The defensive fragility is an issue Ottawa will be desperate to get under control. It was a similar story last week against Cavalry, where they had more of the ball and plenty of chances, but seemed under threat every time their opponents did get into their half. Whether they end this weekend in first place or not, Ottawa remain far from panicking. However, internal pressure is mounting as they bring this three game losing streak into their next match against Pacific, where they’ll be keen on returning to the confident side that began the 2024 campaign.
Tristan Borges remains a CPL star in spotlight-grabbing performance
Not for the first time, the star of the show on Saturday night at Tim Hortons Field was Tristan Borges. The 25-year-old’s brace drew him level with Woobens Pacius for Forge FC’s all-time goalscoring lead (in all competitions) with his 32nd at the club. Of course, it’s a title Borges is reclaiming, as the player who surrendered the record to Pacius in the first place. The Borges of 2024, however, is a much different player to the 20-year-old who was the CPL’s first Player of the Year and Golden Boot winner back in 2019. After this match, he’s at six goals and five assists this season, once again one of Forge’s most consistently productive attackers. This comes after a challenging 2023 campaign where he scored just two goals all year — albeit one of them at the greatest possible moment, in extra time of the CPL Final. But in 2024, Borges has looked healthier than he has for ages, and perhaps more settled into a role. Whereas in recent years he would rotate between several positions, he has become more consistently pencilled into midfield. The spot is nominally a number 10 role, but he tends to operate more in the right half-space with Kyle Bekker stepping forward on the left, which gives Borges more opportunity to combine with David Choinière on his side, and lets him shoot toward the inside with his stronger left foot. Of course, it was actually his right foot that produced the rocket finish for Borges’ first goal, but nonetheless his midfield spot allows him to evade the attention of fullbacks more frequently and get into areas like that. When he was more of an out-and-out winger, he might have been marked more tightly. The below screenshot of Borges’ heatmap in Saturday’s game gives a good indication of his free role and how much ground he covers, with a tendency toward that right half-space in attack:
In his postmatch press conference, Borges was unaware that he had moved back to the top of Forge’s scoring leaderboard. Upon learning of the milestone, he took a moment to reflect on his five seasons (over six years) at Forge, and how they have shaped his young footballing career. “A lot of great memories at this club,” he said. “It’s been able to provide me with a platform for myself to showcase what I can do every year. I’ve taken all the good, all the bad and just learned from it as I keep growing older and older. For me, since day one, since the day I got here it’s always been about winning and it always will be; if I can get on the scoresheet, whether it’s a goal or assist, obviously it’s a positive, but for me it’s always been about winning and always will be. “It’s obviously something special to be a part of.”
CanPL.ca Player of the Match
Tristan Borges, Forge FC
With two goals, five shots, two chances created and 90.5 per cent passing accuracy, Borges was outstanding on Saturday, as was much of his team.
What’s next?
Forge are back at it on a short turnaround, as they play at home again this Wednesday, Aug. 14 against Halifax Wanderers FC (7 p.m. ET). Atleti, meanwhile, head across the country to play Pacific FC on Saturday, Aug. 17 (3 p.m. PT/6 p.m. ET). 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.