As veteran defender Alex Achinioti-Jönsson wisely cautions, you don’t want to put too fine a point on it.

But Forge FC would certainly like to start their seventh season on the right foot—playing at home and facing off against the reigning league playoff champions in Saturday’s CPL opener at Hamilton Stadium. “Welcoming” might be an inappropriate verb, given the tense history between these two sides.

“True, but every year people say, ‘The first game of the season is so important, so important,’ but in the grand scheme of things, it’s just one game. When you’re 15 games in, you’re not going to be saying, ‘Oh, the root problem is that we didn’t win the first game.’ It’s three points. We’ve started seasons with two losses before—really bad ones—and still ended up at the top of the table, like in 2021.

“So, I think it’s important to establish ourselves as a strong home team, but this game is as important as the other 27. We can’t do well in this one and then relax in the next. Every match has to carry the same weight.”

That kind of unwavering commitment to emotional consistency is a window into how The Hammers have been so… well… consistent. Six CPL seasons, six CPL finals, four CPL championships.

They, and particularly their steely leadership group, remain laser-focused on the immediate task at hand, no matter the date or the opponent. That steadiness has led to Forge’s notoriously strong late summers and falls, including last year’s closing 10-3-2 run to capture their second CPL Shield as league regular-season titlists.

But despite it being, like all the others, a three-point game, Opening Day carries a special aura. It’s a welcome back to the fans and from the fans, and it offers a first—if incomplete—look at the major talking points surrounding the team.

Across the CPL, the biggest discussion about Forge has been the remodelling of its back line. As Forge fanatics know, Head Coach Bobby Smyrniotis operates in three-year cycles—not tearing down and rebuilding, but replenishing and refreshing.

Forge FC’s Defensive Fortress: Reinforcements, Resilience, and Rama’s Return

Defenders Malcolm Duncan, Garven Metusala, and Dominic Samuel—Achinioti-Jönsson’s longtime teammates—have departed, as has versatile defender Daniel Parra. It’s the biggest defensive turnover in Forge’s history. But the reinforcements include center back Dan Nimick, a CPL Defender of the Year finalist two seasons ago and a known offensive contributor through his passing accuracy. They also added outside backs Marko Jevremović and Rezart Rama—a former Forge standout returning from a year in Albania.

That group debuted in the Champions Cup round against CF Monterrey and shows signs of developing into something formidable. There’s also serious depth, with proven players like Malik Owolabi-Belewu and the versatile Elimane Cissé.

“We’ve had a big turnover in our back line,” Achinioti-Jönsson acknowledged. “But we’ve got Rama back, who knows the principles. We’ve got Dan, who’s familiar with the league. And Marko, who’s new to the league but has great experience. I think we have a lot of talent—individually and collectively—and we need to work as a unit. We’ve been working hard on that these past couple of weeks.”

Even after losing unexpected goal-scoring sensation Kwasi Poku to a transfer last August, Forge still outscored every other team in the league. But the lack of a healthy, true striker—Terran Campbell and Jordan Hamilton both missed significant time with injuries—eventually caught up to them. Including their two Champions Cup games this winter, Forge has not scored more than one goal in any of its last eight games. They’ve been shut out in five of them.

Solving that issue is just as crucial as solidifying the back line. Enter big, physical striker Brian Wright.

Wright, out of contract with York, was voted the 2024 Players’ Player of the Year and had previously starred for Atlético Ottawa. Forge also brought back Mo Babouli, who set up Wright’s goals in York over the past two seasons. Babouli, a key part of Forge’s 2020 and ’21 championship teams, was named to the all-tournament team in the 2021 Champions League.

Additionally, Forge re-signed key potential free agents, including Tristan Borges—the “Olimpico Man” and 2024 league Player of the Year—as well as captain Kyle Bekker and Ali Hojabrpour. With big-game performer David Choinière and the energetic Noah Jensen returning, plus Nana Ampomah more comfortable with the North American game, and promising youngsters like Khadim Kane and Maxim Filion in the mix, there is plenty of attacking firepower. Forge prefers to play on the front foot, creating chance after chance—it will all come down to finishing in the final third. It usually does.

Wright is ready for the challenge and expectations.

“I wouldn’t say there’s pressure in that sense,” he explained. “I’m confident in what I can do, and I believe my teammates believe in me. I have quality players around me who can find me in good areas—whether it’s in the box or making runs. So, if we’re doing our job and gelling well, I should be able to find the back of the net, hopefully.

“It’s nice to have a familiar face in Babouli, a guy I’ve played with for the last two years. We have a pretty good understanding of how we play, so now it’s about building chemistry with the rest of the guys.

“I’m really excited. We had our first game here for Concacaf, but I’m excited to start the CPL season, get back in front of the fans, and begin my new journey in my new home.”