Smyrniotis: Forge must maximize congested stretch
The 3-3 collapse against HFX Wanderers left Forge chasing Cavalry with a tight calendar and a Voyageurs Cup final waiting in Montréal.
· by Colin Radek · canadian championship · playoff race · bobby smyrniotis · schedule
Forge are into the busiest stretch of their season, and head coach Bobby Smyrniotis has been blunt about what is required: maximum returns from games that are quickly running out. The Hammers sit second in the CPL on 51 points from 25 matches, with a Canadian Championship final against CF Montréal at Stade Saputo on Wednesday, October 21 now confirmed.
The frustration came on Saturday, when Forge surrendered two stoppage-time goals and let visiting HFX Wanderers rally for a 3-3 draw. Cavalry FC had lost earlier in the day, and when Ismaël Oketokoun made it 3-1 in the 90th minute, Hamilton looked set to close within three points of the leaders with a game in hand. Instead Liam Mackenzie scored in the 94th minute and Tavio Ciccarelli in the 103rd, keeping the sixth-place Wanderers in the race for the final playoff spot.
It was a third straight draw and a fifth in six games for Forge. Lucas Cavallini had opened the scoring with his first goal for his new club, and Dan Nimick headed in Noah Jensen's free kick in the 80th minute, a minute before Halifax scored having not registered an official shot on goal in the opening 80.
"It was a game we were totally in control of, we could have been up five-nil," Smyrniotis said, describing uncharacteristic small mistakes that created a big problem. He pointed to the final goal as a clearance his defenders make almost every time, and said the lesson had to be absorbed and left behind because the season is still alive. He also noted that Cavalry had won one of their previous four, so neither side was taking care of business.
The run ahead is unforgiving. Forge beat Pacific FC 3-0 on Wednesday, October 7 in a fixture originally postponed by wildfire smoke in mid-July, and now host Inter Toronto on Thanksgiving Monday, October 12, before travelling to Atlético Ottawa on October 17 and on to Montréal four days later. Cavalry, meanwhile, play in Halifax on Thanksgiving Day, then close at home against Pacific and Vancouver FC.
Smyrniotis said Cavallini has benefitted from two full weeks of training with the club, which matters more now that Kyle Bekker's playing career is done. On the congestion, created in part by the World Cup break and a deep Voyageurs Cup run, the coach said it is a natural by-product of where the club finds itself: "But we've had this before and have usually handled it very well."