| 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup — Round 1 Tigres UANL vs. Forge FC (Leg 2) Feb. 10 at 10 p.m. ET Estadio Universitario in Nuevo León, Mexico Watch Live: OneSoccer |
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Forge FC walk into the heart of the volcano on Tuesday night, with their eyes on history.
Leg two of this Concacaf Champions Cup tie at Estadio Universitario — more familiarly known as 'El Volcán' — will see Forge battle Tigres UANL with a chance to become the first ever Canadian Premier League side to advance from the first round of this competition.
After last week's frigid fixture at Hamilton Stadium ended 0-0, the sides are deadlocked heading into this deciding match. The fact that Forge held the Mexican giants off the scoresheet in leg one was a triumph in itself, making them the first CPL team to keep a clean sheet in a Champions Cup match. Now, they'll try to do one better and win the tie down in Mexico.
Working in Forge's favour is the away goals rule. Because Tigres failed to score in Hamilton, any draw other than 0-0 would be enough for the Canadian team to advance. Even a scoreless draw would send them to extra time.
That said, it'll be much harder to keep Tigres at bay this time. They'll be playing in warmer conditions — about 20 degrees Celsius at kickoff — on their own home turf, where they have a 9-4-2 record over the past seven months. Their stadium, a steep-rising bowl decked out in blue and gold, is home to one of the most fearsome atmospheres in the Americas.
On Friday night, Tigres perhaps took out some of their frustration from the draw in Hamilton by smashing Santos Laguna 5-0, improving them to 3-1-1 early in this Liga MX Clausura campaign.
Head coach Guido Pizarro rotated his squad somewhat for that game, making three changes to his starting XI. He also pulled some key players — Marcelo Flores, Iván López and Rômulo Zwarg — off the pitch in the 66th minute, and revealed postmatch he wanted to keep them fresh for the Concacaf match.
Forge can expect all of Tigres' marquee names to play some role on Tuesday. Flores, the Canadian international, will of course feature, and it's likely that veteran French star Andre-Pierre Gignac will play after coming close to scoring several times in leg one. The main question is whether Ángel Correa, a 2022 World Cup champion with Argentina, will start; he came on as a substitute last week, but with Tigres under more pressure this time he might be in the XI.
Another new wrinkle for Forge to contend with is the arrival of reinforcements for Tigres. Pizarro has announced that the club's three new winter signings — César Araújo from Orlando City, Francisco Reyes from Atlante, and high-profile Uruguayan striker Rodrigo Aguirre — could all be in line to appear on Tuesday.
Forge, for their part, aren't all that likely to change much after a resilient showing last Tuesday. That was their first competitive match since Nov. 2, 2025, so coach Bobby Smyrniotis probably won't shake things up again so quickly.
They looked composed and confident playing in a 5-3-2 defensive formation, and most of their brightest attacking moments came from avoiding Tigres' midfield. They played a lot of balls either over the top or down the flanks, and wing-backs Rezart Rama and Ben Paton would both have been up for man of the match honours were it not for debutant goalkeeper Dimitry Bertaud's outstanding seven-save performance.
If Forge do alter their lineup, it's most likely to be in attack. Striker Brian Wright came off the bench last week, but he could slot back in ahead of youngster Ismael Oketokoun.
Smyrniotis told the media on Monday that he doesn't expect to change much, but that regardless of how exactly Forge line up, the principles don't change.
"We're playing a technically proficient team," he said. "They're going to be good on the ball, whether they're playing Forge or whether they're playing Santos Laguna. They're a team that's going to be good, so we have to be prepared. We have to be compact in those moments, and when we're on the ball, we have to be our better self.
"As the game grew in last Tuesday we saw that more and more; that's what I want to see earlier in the match from the guys, just to make sure we're in possession, we're keeping the ball, we're keeping our lines condensed on the ball, off the ball. It's the principles of Forge. Doesn't matter what shape you take on the field."
This is, undeniably, a battle between David and Goliath: a team from Hamilton, Ontario taking on a stacked giant of Liga MX with a full trophy cabinet and plenty of international experience.
In the story, though, David won.
Forge will do all in their power to give themselves a chance on Tuesday night in El Volcán.
And really, all they need is one goal.
NEWS & NOTES
- Tigres announced Friday the club has signed Uruguayan forward Rodrigo Aguirre from Club América, and could make his debut against Forge.
- Forge remain without winger Nana Ampomah, who has not yet joined the team due to visa issues.
- The away goals rule is in effect on Tuesday. If the match finishes 0-0, however, the teams will proceed to extra time and penalties, if required.
PROJECTED STARTING XIs
Forge FC: Bertaud; Nimick, Batisse, Jevremović; Rama, Babouli, Bekker, Paton; Wright, Borges, Massunda
Tigres UANL: Guzmán; Garza, Zwarg, León, Loroña; Gorriarán, Brunetta; Lainez, Correa, Flores; López
KEY QUOTES
"These are games that, after 90 minutes, don't exist again. It's not a league match where you get it back. It's not three points, it's not one point. You either go to the next round or you go home, and you're happy you're sad, all that fun stuff that's involved in sports. I think the biggest thing beyond all the tactics, tomorrow needs heart. Heart, desire, willingness to compete and willingness to suffer. And I think we've got a group that can do that." — Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis
“This competition is not guaranteed. You don't take it for granted. We do have a good history of being in big games and big competitions; for us, we're just taking the experience. For the new guys it's enjoying it, understanding that we've put in a lot of work to be part of the competition, and we want to be getting results." — Forge FC midfielder Tristan Borges
"It’s a difficult match. They have very distinct characteristics. We’ll have to dominate the game, then build from there and try to gain the advantage, focused on being the protagonists and trying to win the match." — Tigres UANL head coach Guido Pizarro (translated from Spanish)
