A rematch of the past two CPL Finals takes place on Sunday in the Contender Semifinal between Forge and Cavalry at Hamilton Stadium. The winner books a ticket to the nation's capital for the 2025 CPL Final to take on Atlético Ottawa. Kick off is 4 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT on OneSoccer and TSN2.
Here are the highlights of what the coaches and players from both sides had to say in the pre-match media availability:
Bobby Smyrniotis — Head Coach, Forge FC
On what it has been like over the years to create a winning environment in Hamilton over the years, like the Blue Jays are doing in Toronto
"Winning is infectious. I don't watch baseball in the regular season, but obviously, in the playoffs, I've been following and with two young boys, they're following it probably the same way I followed it back in '92 and '93, at similar ages to them. So it's great to see, because you see now on the baseball side, my son's wanting to play more catch, wanting to mimic guys on the field and doing what they're doing, kids talking about it at school and on the playground, and that's great, and that's exactly what you need in sport.
"And we've seen that on our end here in Hamilton. We've been blessed to give a lot of joy to the soccer community here in Hamilton over seven years, including this one a couple of weeks ago, and it's infectious, it gives everyone something to talk about, to think about, to dream about. Eight years ago, I don't think there's kids playing soccer in Hamilton wanting to be Kyle Bekker the same way. My kids want to be like Guerrero Jr. and so on. I think six months ago, yeah, they knew who he was, but they weren't really excited about it. But that's what it does. It energizes people. It energizes not only those that play the game or follow the game, but the neutrals. And that's the fantastic thing about sport, and that's what I keep on enjoying. And when people say, 'Coach, what drives you every season?', it's usually that there's no greater feeling than winning and knowing that for us as coaches, we have joy in the moment, and then it's gone.
"You've got to keep on going, because once the off-season comes, you've to re-sign a player, get another player, think about how you're going to get ready for what's next. But for players, for fans, for the community, it's absolutely fantastic, because the discussions and the celebrations and the joy keeps on going. It's something that keeps on giving, and that's the beauty of sport."
On whether playing with their backs against the wall brings out the best in his team
"It usually does, that's for sure. But you can't take the blueprint of the past and say that's what it's going to be always. We know what the blueprint is. You've got to be at the top. The engine has to be not only full, but you've got to make sure you empty it over the period of time of the game. And that's the recipe in these games. And because I said it before, nobody will remember how things happen. It's just the result that will go down. So that's the one thing we talk about.
"We know it's going to be a battle, and we've got to make sure that we battle. And more often than not, when we've got that scenario you've talked about, we've done it very well, so let's hope that's the case again."
On where this year's Forge side sits in terms of the club's all-time history
"It's top. I mean, it's 58 points — most in a single table that we've had in CPL history. Defensively, excellent. Offensively, most goals we've scored. Just fantastic over a 28-game period, including the Canadian Championship and so on, and being able to play high-quality football. You look at the underlying statistics of this team in the year, and you can take all the fun stuff of expected goals, progressive movement, and we top the list in everything.
"So it's not that we did something that statistics don't show us. We've been consistent with what we've shown on the pitch, and that's playing high-quality football and doing it on both sides of the ball in possession, out of possession. And these guys are a special group. What makes things a little bit more special is obviously being able to do it over the next couple of games. But to do that, you need to do it on Sunday, and that's why all that stuff goes to the side. That's the beauty of playoffs. And in any realm, in our playoffs, it's not a gruelling 20-game schedule of best four out of seven or three out of five. It's one game, and you keep on going. You need to be sharp in two to three games. And that's what we have in front of us.
"Youcan'ttaketheblueprintofthepastandsaythat'swhatit'sgoingtobealways.Weknowwhattheblueprintis.You'vegottobeatthetop."
Dan Nimick — Defender, Forge FC
On how the group is feeling going into this critical match after the loss to Atleti
"I think we're very confident. We've had a lot of success at home against Cavalry and at home in general. Obviously, the result of the last game was not what we wanted, but we're confident in our performance, the game could have gone either way. We didn't play our best football, and we still feel like we did enough to get a result, but so did they, and it went their way. So I think we're fully confident going into this game that we're going to get the win."
On facing Cavalry's dangerous attack
"They've definitely got a very strong attack, and they have a habit of kicking into gear at the right time, and they've definitely kicked into gear, but I think the guys in the defensive line and the midfield are confident that we know what to do to slow them down. We're just going to try do our job, and then let our attackers do their job, and hopefully that ends in the result for us."
On what he has learned in terms of how this Forge team has upheld their standard of excellence
"You don't have the success that Forge has had without having standards, and it's definitely lived up to what I expected with the standards. Everyone's put in 100 per cent every day. I think the most surprising thing is the lack of egos with every player. Every player here has done so much and had such a great career and won so many trophies, but everyone still shows up humble and ready to work. And I think that's an environment that fosters success.
Tommy Wheeldon Jr. — Head Coach, Cavalry FC
On what kind of Forge team he's expecting to play this weekend:
"Listen, they're pissed off, aren't they? I mean, they've lost three out of four playoff games. That's not like them. They're used to winning them and winning the North Star Cup, but I think right now they've had a great season. I say every time, the hardest trophy to win is the longer one, the regular season. And they were the best team. So absolutely, they should be favourites on their pitch. If it was our pitch, it'd be a different narrative.
"We've got to go in there humble and hungry. That's how we approached it last year, and we beat them when people said we couldn't. We're a different group, so are they, but the same competitive instincts. The same qualities are still there between both sides.
"I know Bobby doesn't like losing, and hence why he went on a rant about officials, but I think he forgets sometimes the amount of decisions he's had. Like Tristan Borges' [red card] being overturned the week before the [2019] Final, yet Joel Waterman's wasn't. The ball was in or out when Chris Nanco... I mean, the list can go on. That's the world we've had to live in. The 2019 penalty that's on Dominick Zator before Choinière's goal. I think sometimes he forgets that. But that's football, sometimes you have success, sometimes you have failures, but he's still as competitive as ever, and they're still a quality side.
On how his side will balance attacking and defending in this match:
"Sometimes you have to go with the hot hand. Our attack is exciting. So if that means that we're going to attack and put them on the back burner and create some questions... when we've scored first, we haven't lost. So with that, you also give up a little bit the other way. That's part and parcel of it. But I think our defenders can actually get better as a group. That's the beauty of it, whereas our attackers are in a good run of form. So we're still going to attack, we're still going to go there and attack and give Forge problems, but collectively, we have to defend better. We know that."
On the keys to getting another big playoff victory in Hamilton
"We had success there last year, but again, they've been the best team in the regular season this year. We've got to treat them as such. We went there, they beat us in the first game. We tied in the second game, but we obviously beat them in the playoff game last year. So you can look at those and things that worked with them, but I know Bobby and his coaching staff, they're going to try and throw something a bit different at us, as we will at them, and it's the adaptation and momentum, really, that's what ends up winning.
"They're not high-scoring games unless they're at ATCO Field. The ones at [Hamilton Stadium] have been quite cagey, but it's their home field, and we've got to go in there being humble and hungry and ready to upset them again."
On managing Tobias Warschewski through the ups and downs of this season:
"Maybe I'll tell you after the playoffs, a few more grey hairs on my head. Listen, he's an artist. I think managers are tested by their artists, and he is that. I think probably through the course of the season, we could have rested and rotated him. He always wants to play every game, though, that's the problem. And without the fitness through the summer months of Caniggia Elva, that's probably been the one thing that's just held us back a little bit.
"But he loves playoffs. He keeps reminding me. He's reminded me all season and last season, he's not a number nine, and he's also reminded me that he's undefeated in playoffs. 'Coach, you know I'm undefeated in playoffs, yes?' And so he likes to remind me of the things that work well for him. I keep telling him, 'I know you're not a number nine, Tobi, but when you do this, can you just drop into these moments?' And I use Harry Kane a lot as the reference point, so I think we've done a good job with somebody that's not a number nine."
"They'repissedoff,aren'tthey?Imean,they'velostthreeoutoffourplayoffgames.That'snotlikethem."
Ali Musse — Attacker, Cavalry FC
On what he remembers of last year's road playoff win against Forge to reach the final:
"I remember the focus of the team. I felt like the team was really, really focused. And right now, I do feel that energy. Right now, I feel that we're very focused and we have confidence in the squad. We have a very good squad, and we just have to bring that belief and focus. If we do that, we should succeed."
On being the defending champions heading into the match this time
"I would say it's ours to defend. We were the champions last year, and it's a good reminder sometimes, that we remind ourselves, and it gives us that confidence. This was our trophy, so we just need to go in and do what we have to do, and we can be on top and appreciate it.
