2024 CPL Regular Season — Match #85
Forge FC vs. Cavalry FC
September 7, 2024 at 7 p.m. ET/5 p.m. MT
Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca & TELUS Ch. 980 // Tickets available here

The Canadian Premier League’s most-played fixture returns this weekend, and as always there are major title implications as Forge FC host Cavalry FC at Tim Hortons Field.

League leaders Forge take on one of their challengers in hopes of securing their place atop the CPL. Currently, they sit in first with an 11-5-5 record and 38 points, which gives them a cushion of two over second-place Atlético Ottawa.

The Hamilton side have been in good form recently, unbeaten in five straight games (four of them wins). Most recently, they were convincing victors over Pacific FC, claiming a 2-0 result at home last Friday night thanks to a pair of goals from Noah Jensen. Forge have lost at Tim Hortons Field just once all season, a 2-1 defeat to Vancouver FC back on May 18.

However, looking to change that will be a Cavalry side that have likewise been red-hot over the summer. The Cavs are unbeaten in seven, with just three losses all year. They sit third in the table with 34 points, but they have their sights firmly set on catching up to Forge and holding onto the CPL Shield title they won last year.

Cavalry were close to completing a perfect August last weekend, but they saw a 2-0 lead in the second half against Valour evaporate in minutes, and they had to settle for a 2-2 draw with the Winnipeggers. Still, Tommy Wheeldon Jr.’s side have won five of their last seven games and look like they could be the greatest threat to Forge’s place at the top.

So far this year, there’s been little to separate Forge and Cavalry in their meetings. Forge won the first clash on opening day, winning 2-1 at Tim Hortons Field thanks to a pair of late goals to overturn a 1-0 Cavalry lead. In early June, the Cavs struck back at ATCO Field with a 1-0 win thanks to Tobias Warschewski’s goal. Finally, the two clubs met again in Calgary in mid-July, and they drew 1-1 with goals within a minute of each other — though Cavalry did also miss a penalty earlier in the second half.

There’s plenty of history between these two sides of course, including last season’s CPL Final where Forge lifted the North Star Cup after an outrageous extra time period. Both Forge and Cavalry have their eye on further silverware in 2024, and they know that a result on Saturday could go a long way toward accomplishing that.

As far as the injury report goes, Cavalry remain without a handful of players; Tobias Warschewski is still about a week away from being fit, as is Charlie Trafford. Eryk Kobza is “touch-and-go” after a knock in training, according to Tommy Wheeldon Jr., and Malcolm Shaw will need a couple of weeks after tweaking his knee against Valour. Also, Wheeldon Jr. confirmed Maël Henry will miss most if not all of the rest of the season, with a high thigh strain that typically takes two to three months for recovery.

Forge, meanwhile, are largely healthy after several players were rested last week. Béni Badibanga, Kyle Bekker and Tristan Borges should all be fit to return; Elimane Cisse’s ankle injury will be the main concern to monitor.

Nonetheless, plenty of familiar characters will make up the primary cast of this Forge-Cavalry clash, which looks set to be another classic chapter in this rivalry.

All CPL and Canadian Championship matches will be broadcast live on OneSoccer, available as a linear channel on Telus’ Optik TV (Channel 980) as well as online at OneSoccer.ca, through the OneSoccer app and on the fuboTV Canada platform.

3 THINGS TO WATCH

• Set-pieces a major factor as always: In their draw with Valour, Cavalry lived and died by the set play; both of their goals came from intricately-worked creative set-piece designs, but both Valour goals were off poorly defended corners as well. The dead ball has always been Cavalry’s bread and butter, with two of the CPL’s best delivery specialists in Ali Musse and Fraser Aird, plus plenty of strong runners and aerial threats in the box. So, Forge will undoubtedly be wary of that threat. However, Cavalry also need to ensure they’re switched on defensively when Forge have opportunities for set-pieces, knowing that the Hamilton side is also dangerous from such situations — and especially considering how vulnerable the Cavs were on Friday. “They’re good at set plays, and so are we,” Wheeldon Jr. said on Thursday. “There’s three ways to score in football: with your positional play and the way you build in possession, your transition, and your set plays. You’ve only got about four training days when you travel to actually work on it, so you have to give reminders in other ways in meetings, and the boys will execute. But we’re confident in the side we’ve got, that we can go there and get a result at Tim Hortons Field.”

• How do Forge set up in midfield? In most big games this year, Forge have set up with Alessandro Hojabrpour and Kyle Bekker in central midfield and Tristan Borges just in front as a more advanced midfielder. However, last week against Pacific, amid significant rotation after the midweek match against Toronto FC, Noah Jensen came in to command the middle of the park as Bekker got the night off. Bobby Smyrniotis was rewarded for the choice as Jensen scored two excellent goals from distance in a man-of-the-match performance. Now, the question will be how Smyrniotis chooses to set up this time; does he return to the combination that has served him well for most of this year? Or would it be wrong to drop Jensen after such an outstanding game. Perhaps it could be a slightly different 4-3-3 setup, with Jensen and Bekker both on the pitch as hybrid number 8/10 roles in front of Hojabrpour. Regardless of what Smyrniotis does, he’ll definitely have a good option to bring off his bench at some point.

• Massive title race implications in tight race: This is the epitome of a six-point game, with both Forge and Cavalry very much in contention for the CPL Shield. Forge have a four-point lead on the Cavs, so Tommy Wheeldon Jr.’s side can’t technically catch them this week, but shaving that down to one point would make things feel very different than if, for instance, Forge had a seven-point lead on Cavalry. If everything falls the Hamilton club’s way this weekend, they could be five points clear atop the table. On the flip side, if Cavalry and Atlético Ottawa win then Forge will find themselves in second behind Atleti and just one point clear of third, making their title ambitions far less secure. A draw on Saturday would probably suit Forge more than Cavalry, so perhaps the visitors will be a little more aggressive in search of a winner if the game is tied late, but Forge nonetheless would love to put their rivals firmly in the rearview mirror.

PROJECTED STARTING XIs

Forge FC: Kalongo; Duncan, Achinioti-Jönsson, Owolabi-Belewu, Parra; Jensen, Hojabrpour, Bekker; Choinière, Hamilton, Badibanga

Cavalry FC: Carducci; Aird, Kobza, Klomp, Kamdem; Gutiérrez, Shome; Musse, Camargo, Wähling; Wright

ALL-TIME SERIES

Forge wins: 13 || Cavalry wins: 8 || Draws: 8

Last meeting:

July 21, 2024 — Cavalry FC 1-1 Forge FC

KEY QUOTES

“There’s seven games to go, so you’ve got one game against each opponent. The ones that are close in the standings are very important, because those are points that swing one way or another and you don’t get them back. So a little bit, you’re in playoff football here.” — Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis

“We’ve won one, lost one, tied one, so this is the series decider. What’s great about this is if you’re going to lift any trophy this season you’re either going through them or you’re coming through us. I think that’s the beauty of the two teams here setting the standards. … Forge are the best side in the regular season; the league table never lies. They’ve also had a good run in the Canadian Championship, being able to mix with MLS sides.” — Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.