Forge's chase for the CPL Shield continues at home on Saturday, when they host a Pacific FC side clinging to their playoff hopes.
Entering matchweek 25, the Hamilton club sat atop the CPL table with a two-point advantage over Atlético Ottawa, their closest competitors in the battle for the regular season title.
Last weekend, Forge weren't able to add any distance between them and Ottawa, though they did avoid defeat thanks to a late equalizer by Hoce Massunda. Bobby Smyrniotis' side will now be hoping to return to top form at home, where they have yet to lose this season and have won their last five matches.
Pacific, meanwhile, find themselves 12 points out of the playoff picture and would be officially eliminated from contention with a draw or loss — or even a win, if York United beat Valour on Sunday.
The Tridents' frustrating season continued last Saturday when they lost 3-0 on the road to the Halifax Wanderers, having nothing to show for a strong first half.
There's certainly a mountain to climb, then, for Pacific, who at this point are playing more for pride than a real chance at a playoff spot. Still, they'll be keen on a positive performance in Hamilton, where they have struggled over the past few years.
Pacific's last win at Hamilton Stadium was in June 2023, and since then they've lost four times away to Forge. They'd love a little redemption, particularly after a frustrating 2-0 loss to the Hammers in July of this year.
Forge have won all three meetings this season with Pacific, including two on Vancouver Island, and they won't want to give an inch now.
The Hammers are operating largely at full strength, and should have a healthy squad to pick from on Saturday. Pacific, unfortunately, can't say the same; Marco Bustos and Aly Ndom have been ruled out, adding to a lengthy list of injuries for the Tridents, particularly at the back.
Still, head coach James Merriman is calling on his side to show some fight in the last few weeks of the season, and a result in Hamilton would be an excellent way to do that.
3 THINGS TO WATCH
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Pressure on in Forge's Shield campaign: With the margin so thin in the race for the CPL Shield, Forge cannot afford to take their foot off the gas in these last four weeks. They have a chance to stretch their lead to five points if Ottawa lose at home to Cavalry, but if Atleti can beat the Cavs, they could pass Forge if the Hammers stumble and lose to Pacific. Forge haven't looked as invincible the past few weeks as they did earlier in the season, after losses in Calgary and Winnipeg, but they remain arguably the most consistent side in the league, especially at home. They do seem to play their best when there's a little pressure on, which is the case now as the season winds down.
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Pacific facing selection headache at the back: Pacific have been hit hard by injuries this year, and the area of the pitch they've been hurt the most has been in defence. With Aly Ndom out again this week, James Merriman has a very tough job choosing who to deploy in his defence. Matthew Baldisimo, a natural midfielder, will likely be one of the centre-backs, but it's unclear who will partner him. Ahmad Mansour has had a tough start to life in purple, and gave away a penalty last week in Halifax; does Merriman turn to him again, or does midfielder Roshawn Juhmi go into the backline again?
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Forge happy to be home after lengthy road swing: The Hammers have been on the road for a while, playing their last three games away from home and winning none of them (losses to Valour FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Canadian Championship, plus last week's draw with Atlético Ottawa). Now though, they get to play three of their last four regular season games in Hamilton, which will be a blessing given their 7-4-0 record at home this season. Forge have historically always been very good at home, where they can make good use of the large pitch they know so well; given how tight the title race is, it's imperative that they maximize their points at home. Bobby Smyrniotis will expect nothing less than nine points from these three home games.
PROJECTED STARTING XIs
Forge FC: Koleilat; Rama, Nimick, Achinioti-Jönsson, Jevremović; Jensen, Hojabrpour, Bekker; Ampomah, Wright, Babouli
Pacific FC: Melvin; Chung, Baldisimo, Juhmi, Greco-Taylor; Daniels, Keshavarz; Vales, Zanatta, Heard; Díaz
ALL-TIME SERIES
Forge wins: 17 || Pacific wins: 5 || Draws: 3
Last meeting:
July 17, 2025 — Forge 2-0 Pacific
KEY QUOTES
“It's nice to get back to Hamilton Stadium, where we play some of our best football. We've just got to be sharp. We've got four games ahead of us, we've done a lot of great things, but here's the thing: you do all of these good things in the season, but you've got to keep on going if you want to be at the top. That's the beauty of this game.” – Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis
“[Our team] has been incredibly resilient. There's no excuses for where we're at, at all, but we do recognize we've not been able to have the consistent lineup, especially across the back this season. The team has not accepted that, but understands we've needed to adapt and we've needed to change by necessity from many game to game situations. ... The energy has been good, the attitude is good.” – Pacific FC head coach James Merriman