The Canadian Premier League announced Tuesday that three members of Forge FC are nominees for 2019 Canadian Premier League Awards, including inaugural Golden Boot winner Tristan Borges for Player of the Year and U21 Canadian Player of the Year, midfielder Kyle Bekker for Player of the Year and head coach Bobby Smyrniotis for Coach of the Year.

________________________________________

PLAYER OF THE YEAR & U21 CANADIAN PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Tristan Borges

Borges, 21, made 20 appearances for Forge FC in 2019, finishing first in the CPL with 13 goals and tied for first in the league with five assists. The 5-7 midfielder finished the year strong, scoring the game-winning goal in the first leg of the Finals October 26 at Tim Hortons Field. With his league-leading 13 goals on the year, the Vaughan, Ontario native has been named the inaugural Golden Boot winner.

________________________________________

PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Kyle Bekker

Bekker, 29, made 27 total appearances for Forge FC in 2019 and finished tied for first in the CPL with five assists. The 5-10 midfielder lead all Forge FC midfielders in minutes through the inaugural CPL season and posted four goals over the year.

________________________________________

COACH OF THE YEAR – Bobby Smyrniotis

Smyrniotis lead Forge FC to a 17-5-6 record through the CPL spring and fall competitions and went 2-0-0 against Cavalry FC in the Canadian Premier League Finals, en route to being crowned the inaugural CPL Champions. The Scarborough, Ontario native coached in League1 Ontario with Sigma FC for 13 years (2005-18) prior to entering the Canadian Premier League.

________________________________________

The Canadian Premier League Awards, which include five categories, will be selected by a judging panel comprised of media writers and reporters across Canada. All awards take into account the nominees’ performance for the full Canadian Premier League 2019 season (Spring, Fall and Finals) from April 27, 2019 to November 2, 2019.

The 2019 Canadian Premier League Awards will take place Tuesday, November 26 in Toronto, Ontario. Cavalry’s Dominique Malonga (Player of the Year), Pacific’s Terran Campbell and York9’s Abzi Diyaeddine (U21 Canadian Player of the Year), and Cavalry’s Tommy Wheeldon Jr. and York9’s Jimmy Brennan (Coach of the Year), and are also nominees in Borges, Bekker and Smyrniotis’ respective categories.

– FORGE FC –