2021 Concacaf League — Round of 16 (Leg 2)
CA Independiente de La Chorrera vs. Forge FC
September 28, 2021 at 6 pm ET
Estadio Rod Carew in Panama City, Panama
Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca

Not for the first time, Forge FC are closer to the Equator than to Hamilton right now as they embark on an almost 4,000-kilometre road trip to Panama City to complete their Concacaf League round of 16 tie against Independiente. It was a 12-hour trip beginning Sunday morning, but Forge are safely on location preparing for this decisive game.

After the two sides played out a 0-0 stalemate back at Tim Hortons Field last Tuesday in Leg 1, both teams will be hoping to open things up a little more in this reverse fixture. Forge, of course, have a very slight upper hand in the sense that, should they score first in Panama, Independiente would have to score twice to avoid elimination due to the away goals rule. The only result where a draw wouldn’t be enough to advance Forge would be another 0-0 — which would send them directly to penalty kicks.

That first leg of this tie was a heated one in the rain in Hamilton, with the best chance for either side being Forge’s first-half penalty kick which Daniel Krutzen wasn’t able to bury. Still, both teams produced some entertaining football, which bodes well for this week’s decider.

“All games you don’t lose in this competition are positive results,” Forge gaffer Bobby Smyrniotis said on Monday. “I’m not looking at (Leg 1) in a situation where it was was a home game or different things like that, but I think it’s in our DNA to want to win matches. That’s how we’re coming down here, regardless of what happened in the first match with a 0-0 draw, I think from an away goals aspect it was important for us not to concede. Always as a coach you want to win the match, you want to score goals, but you take that result and you know it’s an open match tomorrow here in Panama.”

The Hammers come into this game on a high, having looked strong as ever on Saturday afternoon as they beat first-place CPL side Pacific FC 2-1 at home. The ever-reliable Mo Babouli scored early for them, and then Panamanian attacker Omar Browne — making his debut for the club — scored the winner deep in the second half. The defending champions remain third in the CPL, but they’re just one point behind second place and five off the top spot.

Independiente also played domestically over the weekend, as they hosted a local giant in Alianza in a match that ended 0-0 for Independiente’s second consecutive scoreless outing. They remain in top spot of Group B of the Panamanian top flight, eight games into the Clausura season with a 4-2-2 record. They’ve scored more goals than anyone else in the country so far in this campaign, but they’ll be desperately hoping they can carry that into Tuesday’s Concacaf League game.

Expect the Panamanians to enter with a very strong matchday squad (more on that in a bit), as they try to get to the quarterfinals for the second time in their history. They have plenty of dangerous attackers who can cause trouble for Forge, including Panama’s reigning player of the month Alexis Palacio, plus real strength at the back (including the penalty-saving hero of Leg 1, goalkeeper César Samudio).

The prize for whoever wins on Tuesday will be a trip to the quarterfinals of the Concacaf League, and a tie against either Costa Rican outfit Santos de Guápiles or another Panamanian club in Plaza Amador.

3 THINGS TO WATCH:

• Form vs. fitness — which coach got it right? Managers Bobby Smyrniotis and Francisco Perlo took very different approaches to their weekend outings in between the two legs of this tie. Smyrniotis deployed a very strong Forge side against Pacific, carrying over eight starters from the Concacaf game the prior Tuesday. As a result, Forge looked cohesive as ever, earning a solid 2-1 win that helps them in the league campaign and adds a little confidence — especially for a few players like Emery Welshman and Omar Browne who are still getting acquainted with the squad. Independiente, meanwhile, gave most of their first team the weekend off: none of the 10 outfield starters from last Tuesday were even on the bench for them Saturday, as Perlo deployed a 100% changed starting XI against Alianza.

• Both sides must adapt to conditions: Though Independiente are the home side, this game is, in one sense, being played on neutral ground, at the Rod Carew national baseball stadium (about an hour from La Chorrera, where Independiente are based). Of course, there’s sure to be plenty of home field advantage for the hosts — for one thing, they’ll have fans in attendance — but Panama City is not an unfamiliar place for Forge, who set up camp for over a week there last Fall as they prepared to play Tauro FC in this competition (at the national football stadium, though, which is different). The pitch itself may be something to keep an eye on — it’s grass, which is a change from last week’s first leg, but also it’s unclear how its dimensions might measure up to Tim Hortons Field, considering fields in baseball parks can sometimes be smaller. Plus, the current forecast for Tuesday night is a heavy thunderstorm in Panama City — unwelcome news to Forge, who sat through a weather delay in both legs of the last round in El Salvador.

• Omar Browne Derby: A fascinating wrinkle in this particular matchup is the new availability of forward Omar Browne for Forge. The Panamanian forward is actually on loan with the CPL team from Independiente, and he officially arrived at the Hamilton club last week (making his debut off the bench on Saturday and scoring a goal). Bobby Smyrniotis confirmed last week Browne is eligible to play against his parent club, so might we see some loanee heroics à la Philippe Coutinho against Barcelona in 2020? It seems Browne has become increasingly settled in the Forge side (and he’ll be very familiar with this opponent), so he could play a major role on Tuesday. “He’s been in the team now for four to five sessions, so it’s positive that he got some playing time on the weekend,” Smyrniotis said Monday. “First of all I think that’s great for confidence and also for the integration within the group as a new player in the middle of the season on the team. I think he’s looked sharp in training, he’s picking things up very well on the tactical side and what we’re asking from the players.”

ALL-TIME SERIES

Forge FC wins: 0 || Independiente wins: 0 || Draws: 1