Forge FC 2021 Season Preview

Can the two-time champs make it a three-peat? Once again, their changes have been minimal, and they’ve retained most of their key pieces from 2020 (more on that later). Add to that the emergence of Triston Henry as a legitimate top-tier keeper at last year’s Island Games, and the return of 2019 top scorer Tristan Borges, and you have a pretty good formula for a contender in 2021.

Key Arrivals

Tristan Borges, W (2020: OH Leuven, Belgium)

The league’s MVP from 2019 returns on loan to Forge after a disappointing spell in Belgium, where in a rare situation, his club’s promotion was likely a detriment. Borges will no doubt be eager to get back on the pitch on a regular basis, and has a point to prove to those who see his move to Leuven as a failure. That’s not good news for the rest of the CPL!

Dejan Jakovic, D (2020: LAFC, MLS)

David Edgar’s retirement after the Island Games left a huge hole in Forge’s defence, but there were few more suitable replacements than Canadian international Jakovic, who joins after 3 seasons with one of MLS’ better sides, albeit in a largely reserve role but with more than 30 appearances over those 3 years nonetheless. A veteran of more than 100 MLS appearances, a stint in the Japanese J-League, and 41 caps for Canada, Jakovic brings career experience that is hard to find elsewhere in CPL. At 35, the question of his legs comes into play, but we expect him to slot in effortlessly alongside Daniel Krutzen in most of Forge’s matches.

Omar Browne, W/F (2020: Independiente, Panama)

Probably most well-known to many Canadian football fans for the 2 goals he scored against Toronto FC in the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League to help Independiente past the Canadian champions (which is ironic since Browne also had a fairly productive stint with Montreal Impact later in 2019), Browne is one of the highest-pedigree signings from Latin America seen in the CPL to date. Joining Forge on loan for 2021, the image of him and Borges on opposing wings will likely be striking fear into many CPL defenders this season.

Other arrivals: Kosi Nwafornso, F (2020: Colorado, USL League Two); Garven-Michée Metusala, M (2020: Concordia, USports); Santiago Frias, D (2020: Sigma FC, League 1 Ontario - developmental contract); Johnny Son, M (2020: Sigma FC, League 1 Ontario); Robbie Cleary, F (2020: Sigma FC, League 1 Ontario - developmental contract); Joshua Navarro, F (2020: Pérez Zeledón, Costa Rica - loan)

Big Departures

David Edgar, D (retired - now assistant coach)

After 2 microwave plates in as many years since joining Forge halfway through the inaugural season, Edgar decided to move on to the next stage of his career and join Forge’s staff as an assistant coach. Edgar’s influence in Forge’s success was often overlooked, but his professional approach was most apparent at the 2019 championship final second leg at Spruce Meadows, where he was ever-present and pushed his club to victory. It’s always been just a little hard to root for Edgar with his Newcastle roots, being a Sunderland supporter, but his influence on Canadian soccer has allowed me to overlook the club tribalism of Northeast England. Even as Cavs supporters, we’re truly sad to see him retire, and wish him all the best.

Anthony Novak, F (Cavalry)

One of the more surprising intra-league moves of the offseason was Forge legend Novak moving to arch rivals Cavalry. Even though he’s never really been acknowledged as one of the league’s top-tier strikers (including by us), his role in Forge’s success is undeniable. A target man with surprisingly good feet as evidenced by his goal against Cavs at the Island Games, he scored 9 goals in orange, including one in the CONCACAF League, and leaves the Hamilton club without an experienced out-and-out striker (apologies to Babouli, but we don’t see him as a striker to lead the line over a full season).

Kadell Thomas, W (free agent)

Man, we really thought 2020 would be a breakout season for Thomas, but it wasn’t to be. He showed flashes of brilliance in 2019 including the club’s first-ever goal and *that* goal, but only made one start in PEI, didn’t score and only had one assist. At the very least, he would have been a good attacking option off the bench for Forge, but it appears that ship has sailed. Other CPL clubs could do a lot worse than picking him up as the season goes on.

Other departures: Marcel Zajac, F (Watra Białka Tatrzańska, Polish 4th tier); Klaidi Cela, D (free agent); Gabriel Balbinotti, F (free agent); Jordan Dunstan, D (free agent)

Likely lineup

G

Triston Henry beat out Quillan Roberts for the starter’s spot in 2019, and reinforced it as his own in 2020. This will continue in 2021, although Baj Maan should see the occasional appearance as well.

D

At the back, Forge have two of the league’s top centrebacks in Daniel Krutzen and Dejan Jakovic - both at different points in their careers - and they will likely be a consistent pairing for Bobby Smyrniotis, with Dominic Samuel deputizing as needed. On the left, Kwame Awuah is likely to see a fair share of time with Maxim Tissot available as backup (how’s that for depth?!), and on the right, Jonny Grant should be penciled in if he can stay healthy.

M

Forge are lucky enough to have the league’s best defensive midfielder - Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson - who has also discovered an offensive touch, including scoring the winning goal in the 2020 final. He’ll no doubt retain his starting spot this year. In front of him, club stalwart Kyle Bekker will operate in a more creative role, and he’s likely to be joined by Belgian Paolo Sabak, who was highly touted last year, but disappointed in PEI. Senegalese Elimane Cissé is likely to draw in regularly as well.

F

Up front, Forge’s starters are pretty evident: the 3 B’s of Borges, Babouli and Browne. The scary thing is that they have David Choinière, Chris Nanco and Joshua Navarro in reserve. In this whole group, though, there’s not one pure, out-and-out striker. Babouli will be asked to take on this role, and will likely succeed in certain stints, but the loss of Novak will likely hurt more than expected.

Keep an eye on: David Choinière - the winger often gets overlooked, but he’s scored and set up some big goals for Forge, and his talent is undeniable. With the arrivals of Borges and Browne, he’ll have to really fight for playing time, but he’ll get his chances. If he can play himself into a starting role, watch out.

Big Question: How big will the loss of Anthony Novak be?

The big man up top has been a consistent feature of Forge’s success in the league’s first two years, but he’s now left for Cavs. No direct replacement has been made, and it’s likely that Mo Babouli will be the main man up top for the club, but he’s quite a different type of forward to Novak. It’s been hard to doubt Forge and Smyrniotis with the accomplishments so far, but we’re inclined to think Novak will be a bigger loss than expected. With the depth on this squad though, a playoff spot is almost guaranteed.