“What I Found with Forge Was a Love for the Game Again”

You can always count on the Barton Street Battalion to get it first—and to get it right.

Nearly six years ago, when David Edgar arrived from England and started his first game at centre-back for Forge FC, the rabid Hammers’ supporters repeatedly howled in unison, “He scored against United! He scored against United!”

Indeed, the Kitchener native had scored against the vaunted Manchester United in his debut home game for Newcastle United’s first team back on New Year’s Day 2007. It came early in a 15-year European professional soccer career that included a decade with Newcastle and stints with Burnley, Swansea City, Huddersfield Town, Sheffield United, and Hartlepool. He also played in the USL with Nashville and Ottawa, as well as a few games with the Vancouver Whitecaps.

And, of course, he earned 42 caps over eight years as a valuable member of Canada’s senior men’s team.

Not only did Edgar score against Manchester United, but his only other English Premier League goal—he was a fullback, not an attacker—came against Liverpool. That’s like hitting your only two Major League home runs against the Yankees and Dodgers.

“I do remember the Battalion chanting during that first game,” Edgar says. “I think a team should be a reflection of the people who come to watch. Those people are giving up their time and their money. They could be doing other things, but they’re helping to grow the game. I just wanted us—and myself—to be a reflection of their values: to be hard-working and to give them absolutely everything. I hope fans recognize that in the club—that we do it as coaches and as players.”

Edgar certainly lived up to that standard. He played for Forge for two years and was integral to the team’s first two CPL titles. Then, he immediately transitioned into coaching, serving as an assistant under Bobby Smyrniotis and advancing to four more championship games, with Forge winning two of them.

But the 37-year-old Edgar, who began his pro career at 14, is taking a step back from soccer this season. While he’s not currently coaching, he is working on his UEFA A coaching license in Ireland, keeping a close eye on Forge and other top teams, and still has head coaching as his ultimate career goal.

“I’ve been at it for 22 years, in season and off-season,” says Edgar, who, with his wife Natalia, has two daughters, aged 11 and 6. “I just felt that, in order for me to check all the boxes I need for coaching—physically, like courses, and mentally—I needed a breather. It’s been non-stop, especially since COVID when we [Forge] just kept going.

“I haven’t had a chance to come up for air since my career started. I put so much into Forge, and they’ve put so much into me. It’s nice to take a step back and reflect. It’s not a case of if, it’s when. When I’m ready, I’ll go at it. When I retired as a player, I said the next step was to be a manager. I’ve learned from the best. I believe I’m ready, and right now, I’m comfortable being a dad and watching all the games. And I’ll be at Forge games.”

When Edgar returned to Canada to play for Forge in mid-August of the CPL’s inaugural 2019 season, the team was already strong, ranking second in the league with nine wins in their first 15 games, alongside four losses and two draws.

But from the day he stepped onto the pitch on August 17, Forge established the second-half-surge template that has become a franchise calling card. They posted 11 wins, two draws, and two losses for the remainder of that season. The following year, during the abbreviated Island Games bubble, they captured their second league title. When Edgar retired, Forge had won 20, tied six, and lost just three of the 29 CPL games in which he was on the roster.

During that period, they also became the first CPL team to win a formal Concacaf game in 2019 and, in 2020, the first to advance to the Champions League quarter-finals with a 2-1 win over Tauro in Panama.

“I’ll never forget the Tauro game and winning in Panama—exorcising some demons for me in that,” Edgar said, referencing Canada’s scoreless draw in Panama that eliminated them from the 2013 Gold Cup. “It came full circle for me.”

“Forge is the second-longest I’ve been with any club,” Edgar notes. “Newcastle was nine years, but that wasn’t first-team football. And there were six years with Burnley.

“I learned a lot from Bobby. What I saw right away was someone with strong beliefs in how he does things. He’s very even-keeled, and football players need a patriarch like that. It steadies the ship—sticking to the plan and believing in our approach to the game, and it’s clearly been successful.

“Most importantly, Bobby’s my friend, and that’s the main thing that came from this. We had great times and laughs, and you learn a lot about people when you travel with them. It’s not just about football; it’s about life, kids, travel, and beliefs.”

Even as a player, Edgar was known for stabilizing the back line—essentially coaching the defense, including Forge’s iconic goalkeeper Triston Henry—so transitioning into coaching was natural. He knew from the age of 20 that he wanted to manage his own team, a goal he mentioned in his retirement speech. When Peter Reynders left to return home to Belgium after the 2020 season, Edgar joined the staff. He is especially grateful for the daily mentorship of assistant coach and goalkeeper coach Johan Albert.

Forge has seen a steady and remarkable succession of centre-backs, many mentored by Edgar, including Daniël Krutzen, Alex Achinioti-Jönsson, Dominic Samuel, Bertrand Owundi, Klaidi Çela, Maxim Tissot, Ashtone Morgan, Manjrekar James, Kwame Awuah, Malik Owolabi-Belewu, Rezart Rama, and Garven Metusala.

“We had Krutzen and Alex when I arrived, and we had Dom, who could play anywhere,” Edgar says. “So we’ve had a good unit at the back, and we added some flair. Kwame was an excellent footballer, really intelligent. Garven has come on. You turn players into internationals.”

And, he says, Forge turned him into a coach, though coaching was always in his nature.

“It wasn’t an easy decision to stop playing, but I think COVID fast-forwarded everything. The club gave me the opportunity to move into coaching, and I’ve had the chance to learn and, again, win trophies. I may never get to do it as a coach again, but I have already won trophies early in my career.

“I owe that to the club and to Bobby for giving me the opportunity.”