"It was a great experience": Despite Champions Cup elimination, Forge proud of mentality shown against Chivas
In the face of a tough challenge, they did well to hold their own.
They may have fallen short of success in the end, but all things considered, Forge FC can be very proud of what they showed in their round one Concacaf Champions Cup tie against Chivas this past week.
Despite facing off against a historic Mexican giant, Forge wasn’t fazed by that challenge, going toe-to-toe with them for large parts of the bout. They didn’t have enough in the tank to win in the end, falling 5-2 on aggregate, but all things considered, that’s a scoreline they’ll be proud of when they look back at this.
Given that Forge was in the middle of their preseason, playing their first games since late October, while Chivas was in midseason form, that stomachs the sting of coming up short.
Especially for a Forge side who is getting set for their sixth season in their history, a sharp contrast to Chivas, who is celebrating their 117th year of existence this year, that only adds to that sentiment.
Yet, that last figure shows why this tie wasn’t always going to be about wins and results for Forge, but instead, the process in which they chased those results.
On paper, Forge was always supposed to struggle to beat Chivas - they’ve got the history, the skill, and a huge wage budget, whereas Forge are essentially a newborn baby when compared to some of the history that the top teams in Concacaf carry.
But as we’ve seen since day one, that hasn’t bothered Forge, who have already built quite the resume for themselves domestically and continentally in their short existence.
Since day one, they’ve chased their goals the Forge way, and they once again stayed true to that in this tie in the way that they played.
“I think it just shows how dedicated we are to trying and getting the job done while following the tactics that our coach puts together,” veteran Forge defender, Dominic Samuel, explained this week. “And we're very motivated to do it our way, we don’t just go there to get results. Yeah, unfortunately, sometimes it just doesn't go our way, that's football, but being able to go down to Mexico and produce some goals is a big thing, and it just shows how tough we are.”
Another incredible run in @TheChampions 📚
— Forge FC (@ForgeFCHamilton) February 14, 2024
Thank you to our fans for supporting us at home and in Mexico 🧡
Thank you also to the @Chivas fans who made the trip to Hamilton and welcomed us with open arms in Guadalajara. We hope that you now have a CPL team to support! 😉 pic.twitter.com/Rj6XhioB8I
Just look at the goals they scored, for example.
It’s not as if Forge’s goals were some sort of fluke, as they were full value for both of their markers.
First, in leg one, Terran Campbell got on the end of a lovely attacking move, one that saw Forge sweep up the field, before Tristan Borges put in the perfect ball for Campbell to slot home.
GOAL 🔨#CANPL. BANGERS. ONLY. (IN #CONCACHAMPIONS 🏆)
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) February 8, 2024
Terran Campbell smashes home a PERFECT shot off an equally perfect cross by Tristan Borges and @ForgeFCHamilton are now 1-1 vs. Chivas Guadalajara 😎
🔴 Watch @TheChampions on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/P8s2lIY9mi
Then, in leg two, 17-year-old Kevaughn Tavernier did well to put his boot through a loose ball in the box, scoring on the half-volley, giving Forge a due reward after not putting away earlier chances in that game.
GOAL 🔨
A consolation? Sure, but for 17-year-old Kevaughn Tavernier,@ForgeFCHamilton, a HUGE goal kicks off what hopes to be a promising career in #CanPL! 🇨🇦
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) February 14, 2024
🔴 POST-GAME SHOW now airing on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/TX9W51EbAU
So even though Forge will be thinking about some of those missed opportunities, as well as that they gave up some preventable goals, they can look back fondly on their goals, as they’re an example of what this Forge team can do at their best.
Plus, they can take solace in the fact that they did well to grow from their first experience in this competition, too. Having qualified back in 2022, becoming the first Canadian Premier League team at the time to do so, they did well against fellow Mexican giants Cruz Azul in that first experience, falling 4-1 on aggregate but scoring in the road leg at the famed Estadio Azteca.
Based on this scoreline, they’ve made progress from that, and that’s a positive that they’ll look to now take in stride going forward.
“Yeah, it was a great experience for the team,” Campbell explained. “It was our second time being in the competition, so I think we were a bit more prepared coming into this one, obviously, it was not the result we were looking for, but it was still a good experience to play in this.”
Speaking of going forward, however, that’ll be the next step for Forge, who has some big goals to chase in the CPL this season.
Naturally, a big one will be to return to this tournament for the third time, which they can do with a regular season or playoff title under the new Champions Cup format implemented last year, something they’ve achieved in each of their five seasons in the league, sitting with one regular season title and four playoff crowns.
Then, from there, they’ll also look to become the first CPL team to achieve a double by winning both of those trophies, something that has nearly happened in each full season in the league, but has always finished with the regular season winners coming up short.
Lastly, they’ll look to win their third straight playoff title, something they came up short of doing in 2021, where they narrowly lost 1-0 to Pacific in the final after winning in 2019 and 2020.
Those are all tough tasks to achieve, as they’ll have to attempt this while going up against seven teams that have all improved significantly this offseason with the intention of stopping them, but they’ll welcome that pressure.
A team that has thrived on the idea of setting the standard in the CPL, achieving all of those goals despite having that target on their backs is the sort of motivation that this team loves.
“It's massive,” Samuel said. “We've set that standard for us (to chase the threepeat). Everybody says that we’ve already set a legacy, but I feel like that was our goal to do that from the beginning. Yeah, we fell short to Pacific in 2021, that was an incredible battle and a great game, but it was tough to end that way.”
“So we've always had that chip on our shoulder to think about the next year, to be “Okay, now that we’ve won, we have that target on our back, we're going to win again”. We have to take it one level up, so to be able to do that again this year, it would be an incredible achievement for the club, so we’re striving for that.”
If they’re to do all of that, however, Forge will need to do so without some familiar faces, as they’ve lost some key pieces this offseason, with Manjrekar James, Woobens Pacius, Aboubacar Sissoko and Rezart Rama all gone, and two-time goalkeeper of the year Triston Henry set to join them.
As a result, Forge could lean on a few younger players to fill those gaps that are left behind, such as Tavernier, Kwasi Poku, Khadim Kane and Malik-Owalabi Belewu.
But while they’ll have big shoes to fill, they should be ready, having all previously shown well for Forge.
And at the end of the day, this is what Forge wants, as youth development is a big part of their ethos. This isn’t the first time they’ve moved players on, and they’ve continued to win despite that, thanks to their team culture that allows new players to step up into bigger roles each year.
So while this may end up being their toughest test yet, they believe that they have what it takes to overcome it, as they’ve got the names ready to step up and keep carrying that mantle forward.
“I think it says a lot. From day one, we've created a culture where you come here and win, so once you sign with us, that's your only mentality,” Samuel explained. “But for the young guys that are here, guys like us, we have to set an example for them, so we guide them and show them how they should be doing things here, always giving 110%, training like you play, doing everything at game speed, stuff like that.”
“Then when it comes to times when people move on, and you need those youngsters to step up, they're ready for it. And you can see it with Kevaughn Tavernier scoring a goal in the Champions Cup, guys like Kwasi Poku who has had a phenomenal time here and will step up even more this year, Khadim Kane, same thing.”
So armed with their experience from the Champions Cup, they’ll look to tackle all of that starting on April 13th, when they take on defending regular season champions Cavalry in a 2023 finals rematch.
No matter who ends up lining up for them on that day, Forge knows what they’ve got to do, and will look to carry that mentality into the rest of their season, as they look to keep their place as the league’s standard-bearers heading into year six of their existence.
“It’s really important, as when you play for Forge, this club wants to win, so it's going to be important to finish at the top of the table, and then do well in the postseason,” Campbell finished. “But I think coming in early for this competition is gonna help us build our chemistry, we’re in sooner than all the other teams besides Cavalry, and I think that will give us plenty of preparation, and that’ll do a lot for us at the beginning of the season.”
