Forge host Ottawa with CPL final place on the line
Winner of Saturday's 1 p.m. second leg at Hamilton Stadium advances to the North Star Cup final on Nov. 21.
· by Colin Radek · playoffs · atletico ottawa · north star cup · bobby smyrniotis
Forge FC and Atlético Ottawa settle their Canadian Premier League semifinal at Hamilton Stadium on Saturday at 1 p.m. (OneSoccer and TSN), with last Sunday's 2-2 first leg leaving the tie level and the winner going through to the single-game final in two weeks.
Second-place Forge would reach their seventh final in eight years by eliminating third-place Ottawa, who won their first North Star Cup as playoff champions last season. Where that final is played depends on Calgary: if expansion side FC Supra du Québec protect their 2-1 first-leg lead over Cavalry FC, Forge would host the championship game on Saturday, Nov. 21. If Forge and Cavalry both advance, the final goes to Calgary, since Cavalry finished two points clear of Hamilton to take the CPL Shield.
It will also be the first match at the stadium since Forge won the Voyageurs Cup two weeks ago, beating five-time winner CF Montréal 4-2 on penalties in Montréal. It was the first time in the 18 years of the tournament's expanded format that a club from outside Major League Soccer had won it. The trophy will be available for fan photos on Saturday.
There is recent history here too. Ottawa knocked Forge out at Hamilton Stadium in last year's playoffs under a different format, while Forge won the 2022 playoff title in Ottawa against an Atlético side that had finished first. Ottawa drew 6,108 to their home leg.
"We love playing at home in this city in front of our fans on this field; it's a different environment," said reigning CPL Defender of the Year Dan Nimick, who added that the squad want to right last year's result. Nimick said Forge did not play well in the first leg but came away with a draw, and while they are in the driver's seat, he is not underestimating an Ottawa side he called a good team with plenty of energy.
Forge have not lost since late August and have not trailed in 11 games, though six of those finished level. Bobby Smyrniotis wants control established early, "with the ball and without it," and says he has a full group to pick from, including striker Lucas Cavallini, back from a hamstring injury.
Smyrniotis is a finalist for coach of the year for the eighth straight season, alongside Cavalry's Tommy Wheeldon Jr. and Ottawa's Gustavo Leal. Ismael Oketokoun led Forge with five regular-season goals, the smallest team-leading total in the league, but 19 different Forge players scored, the most in the CPL. Golden Boot winner Loïc Kwemi of FC Supra du Québec had 15; Ottawa's Ballou Tabla was tied for third with 11.