Final Score: C.D. Guadalajara 2-1 Forge FC (5-2 agg.)
Goalscorers: Gutiérrez 8′, Castillo 62′; Tavernier 90+2′
2024 Concacaf Champions Cup
Round 1 – Leg 2

Match in a minute or less

Forge FC’s 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup campaign met its end on Tuesday night in Zapopan, Mexico, as the Hamilton-based club fell 2-1 (5-2 on aggregate) to Chivas Guadalajara.

The Canadian Premier League side entered the match down 3-1 on aggregate already, and found themselves in an even deeper hole less than 10 minutes in. Chivas opened the scoring as Mexican national team veteran Érick Gutiérrez bundled home a loose ball after Chris Kalongo blocked the first attempt from a corner but couldn’t corral it.

Forge worked hard to settle the game down after the early goal and got to halftime with the score still 1-0 on the night, but a rejuvenated Chivas fought off Forge’s spirited start to the second half and soon found another goal. A quick give-and-go through ball into the box led to a José Castillo shot that Kalongo ably parried, but Castillo continued his run to score the rebound and make it 5-1 on aggregate.

Perhaps the most exciting moment of the match for Canadian viewers, however, was the final kick of the game, as Kyle Bekker swung in one last corner to the foot of David Choinière, who managed to send it back to the top of the box. Forge’s 17-year-old substitute Kevaughn Tavernier took the opportunity to smash it through traffic and score an outstanding finish, providing one last silver lining for Hamilton.

Three Observations

Forge stick to identity as usual, leave Guadalajara with pride and lessons learned

The number one thing most Canadian Premier League fans have learned about Bobby Smyrniotis is that he does not, under any circumstances, set up a team to play anything other than ambitious, attacking football.

Of course, Forge knew coming into this game that they had to score at least three goals to advance from the tie — a fact that actually didn’t change when they conceded in the eighth minute. Naturally, the Canadian side clearly had a game plan to take some risks and try to get forward, although in typical Forge fashion it was not a rudimentary, kick-it-forward-and-pray kind of plan.

They remained patient and committed to their build-up, with Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson bravely stepping from centre-back up into midfield to add an extra link. Kyle Bekker and Noah Jensen, rotating through spots in midfield with both taking turns stepping higher, looked to facilitate balls out wide to Béni Badibanga or Tristan Borges.

“We’re champions of the Canadian Premier League four out of five years for a reason,” Smyrniotis said in his postmatch press conference. “We have an identity, we stick to that identity. We respect every opponent … But we wanted to come out and play our football, and I think our players have done an excellent job of that. I hope some Mexican fans out there today have seen that there’s quality in the Canadian Premier League and in this club.”

He went on later to re-assert that, no matter the time of year or the circumstances, this is the competition where Forge want to be.

Smyrniotis complimented several players individually, from young Chris Kalongo — who made seven difficult saves in just his fourth professional start — to Garven Metusala at centre-back, Noah Jensen up in midfield, and the list went on. Certainly, the six players (Kalongo, Malik Owolabi-Belewu, Kevaughn Tavernier, Béni Badibanga, Malcolm Duncan and Khadim Kane) who made their Concacaf debuts in the last week have gained very valuable experience to take into the CPL season.

Tavernier in particular has a moment that will stay with him for the rest of his life. To score against Chivas in Guadalajara is a special thing for any player to do, but to do so at the age of 17 is extra special:

Kevaughn Tavernier puts Forge FC in the scoreboard in the dying minutes of the match ⚽ pic.twitter.com/Fydj1U3hqL

— Concacaf Champions Cup (@TheChampions) February 14, 2024

Asked about what his primary feeling will be when addressing his team on Tuesday night, Smyrniotis had a simple answer.

“Pride,” he said.

“A lot of pride in what we wanted to do and what we’ve come to do. We’re a team that likes to win, we don’t come out of this being happy. We want to be in the next round, that’s what drives us, but we know the task is very difficult. So what we take pride in is the performances.”

Small details let Forge down against tough opposition

What will annoy Forge’s players and staff most on Wednesday morning is not that they lost to Chivas — that was, at the end of the day, the most likely outcome considering the two clubs’ resources, experience and history. What will frustrate Smyrniotis and co., rather, is that they’ll feel most, if not all, of the goals they conceded in this tie could have been defended better.

Aspects of each goal can be put down to a disparity in match fitness and sharpness between the in-season Chivas and Forge playing their first games of 2024. Still, Forge will be annoyed at the breakdowns leading to the goals against. The first goal on Tuesday was a little unfortunate — a spilled corner from Kalongo with no defender able to clear the lines. The second, from open play, saw Forge lose the ball to Chivas’ press in their own third and then carved open very quickly by Castillo’s run.

“The most important thing in these games is the small little details,” Smyrniotis echoed postmatch. “if I look at both ties in Hamilton and here it’s small little details. I think today we’ve done some very good stuff on the pitch, we’ve created a lot more opportunities than we did last week.”

Many of the mistakes Forge made were errors they might not have made deeper into a CPL season, when weighting a pass or timing a run perfectly might be a little easier. Forge did spend two weeks training in Querétaro, Mexico to prepare for the Guadalajara altitude, but they still can’t match the comfort of Chivas at 5,200 feet above sea level (particularly when not at full match fitness).

Certainly, the timing isn’t ideal for Forge, though it’s hard to say whether they’d necessarily have been closer — Smyrniotis quipped after the game that if his side had been a little bit sharper and finished just one more of their chances in each of the two legs, then Chivas would still have one more goal than them.

Nonetheless, the individual performances gave the CPL champions plenty of positives to take from this Concacaf experience, and much to think about heading into the full 2024 season.

Chivas show experience, quality in professional knockout win

This Guadalajara team may not have won a trophy since 2018, but they’re no strangers to two-legged elimination football. They’ve played eight home-and-away ties in the Liga MX playoffs since their last Concacaf Champions Cup appearance six years ago, plus a handful of one-off knockout matches in the playoffs and Copa MX.

Coming into this home fixture with a two-goal lead, Chivas knew they didn’t have to open up much, preferring to be patient and wait for moments to arrive. They were gifted with an early goal to give them a cushion, which allowed them to settle into a comfortable rhythm.

That’s not to say, of course, that Chivas were unfazed by Forge. On the contrary; it was clear that Forge had earned the respect of their opponents, from the intensity with which the Chivas players defended and pressed when Forge had the ball at the back.

Fernando Gago’s side looked tactically intelligent and well-organized, moving quickly on pressing triggers to force Forge into corners in their own half. With the ball, they were patient; they probed, but then struck fast by moving the ball from side to side in order to force a breakdown while Forge were shifting horizontally. They used Cade Cowell’s pace, in particular, to create one-on-one battles out wide which allowed the likes of Eduardo Torres and Érick Gutiérrez to play into the central channels.

The Liga MX side have a proud history in this tournament, having won the first ever edition plus the 2018 competition, and they’re very keen on winning it again this year, judging by the comments of their coach and players in the lead-up to this tie. Of course, there’s even more incentive for them in the fact that it’s possible they’ll now face their most bitter rivals Club América in the round of 16 — that is, if América can reverse a 2-1 deficit to Real Estelí.

CanPL.ca Player of the Match

Malik Owolabi-Belewu, Forge FC

The London-born defender was arguably Forge’s best player through both legs, matched up against one of the most talented attackers he’ll see all year in Cade Cowell. Owolabi-Belewu was accurate with 90 per cent of his passes, making five interceptions and eight recoveries while winning five out of six duels — all done playing outside of his natural position, at left-back.

What’s next?

Forge now return to training as they gear up for their 2024 Canadian Premier League campaign, which will kick off Saturday, April 13 at home against Cavalry FC (4 p.m. ET).

Chivas, meanwhile, head into the round of 16 in the Concacaf Champions Cup, where they’ll take on either Real Estelí of Nicaragua, or their fiercest rivals in Mexico, Club América.