Too many numbers can be numb-ing but there are a few figures which every Forge fan, even the most mathematically challenged ones, need to acknowledge after the serial champions’ home opener over the weekend.
The big one is ‘3’, which is how many points The Hammers extracted from the evenly-matched affair with long-entrenched rival Cavalry FC. Their 2-1 come-from-behind victory was the first time in their six-year existence that the Forge has won their opening game of the CPL schedule. What used to be “few”, as in points, became “phew”, as in finally a great burst out of the blocks.
The Hamilton win came in their 27th date with Calgary and upped their overall record against the Foothillers to 13-7-7 but once again the margin was less than two goals, as it has been in a stunning 25 of these 27 games.
While it’s a long season and Forge always finds a way to head into, and through, the playoffs hot it’s advantageous for Hamilton to get an early leg up on Calgary because these two are among the favourites to finish first and win the North Star Shield with its automatic berth in next year’s Champions Cup.
The victory also represents 25 percent of the home wins Forge had last year when they harnessed only 19 of the available 42 points at Tim Hortons Field — which had previously acted like the dentist’s chair for visiting teams. It was positive reinforcement for the Hammers and their fans.
And they’ll be back
Speaking of fans, here’s another important number: 7395. Huge attendance for opening day, especially after a lead-up week which featured a lot of precipitation and winds of Biblical proportions. Serendipitously, it cleared for game time and the theme music moved from one Beatles song (Rain) to another (Good Day Sunshine).
So, in the past three Forge home games – October’s championship final win over Cavalry, January’s Champions Cup loss to Chivas, and Saturday’s exciting opener— 32,833 people have filed through the Donut Box gates.
That might be the most significant number of all.
They’ve seen each other, and this kind of game, a lot
You can draw a lot of parallels between the CPL 2023 finale and the 2024 opener. Same teams, same final score, same kind of goal-less droughts—59 minutes Saturday, 101 minutes in the North Star Cup –the same two Forge scorers (Tristan Borges and Beni Badibanga), although this time it was Borges popping the tying goal and Badibanga the winner, 2023 player of the year Ali Musse playing an integral role in Calgary’s opening goal, scoring it in the Cup final and setting Saturday’s up with a perfect cross for Sergio Camargo’s brilliant header, and the same kind of strong road game from Cavalry who felt they played well enough to earn at least a point.
“What it comes down to early in the season, and at the last, is concentration,” said Cavalry coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. “We’re going to want those two goals back.”
He added that it was a game played in the middle of the pitch, “and really it was going to be decided by a moment of magic or a mistake.”
David Edgar, the former Forge and National Team star, who is now an assistant coach for the Hammers began his UEFA B international coaching license course with a webinar on Monday and will head to Ireland May 18 for on-site training.
“I’m really excited to get going, four years into my job here,” said the legendary back, whose perceptive intelligence and global experience will carve him out a big future in the coaching universe.
It says here that one day, maybe not that far off, Canada’s men’s national team should come calling for both Edgar and Bobby Smyrniotis.
A team sport tactic as universal as breathing
The give-and-go, known in soccer primarily as a one-two, is the most fundamental tactic in almost all team sports involving a ball and passing.
Borges and Badibanga executed one perfectly for the game-winning goal against Cavalry. Badibanga saw Borges move into the left hole to draw two players toward him, fed him the ball then immediately broke toward goal for the return feed he was certain would come. He then smashed it off a Calgary defender into the net.
Smyrniotis says that coaches work on the one-two from a very young age and Badibanga agreed:
“ My big brothers taught me that the best move is the 1-2. I was probably three years old when they told me that.
“Once he came into the pocket behind two defenders, he knew I would be going to the goal.
I just had to be loud, for him to know where I am. The way he looked, I knew he would give it right back to me.”
Parra more comfortable after the intermission
Mexican defender Daniel Parra, who was making his CPL debut, said he struggled a bit in the first half getting acclimatized to the style of play and adjusting to the elusive Ali Musse, likely the best attacker the Forge left fullback will mark this season. But Parra delivered an excellent second half and Forge’s backline looks like it could be really solid if they stay healthy and once Garven Metusala returns from injury.
Hammers and Nails: Despite wildly variable wind conditions, Chris Kalongo did a solid job of distributing the ball to his 10 out players as he earned the clean sheet … 19-year-old Amadou Kone, the 6-foot 2024 draftee from the Carleton Ravens, made his pro debut in the final minute, not to earn U-21 minutes for the Forge but in case Cavalry tried a desperation jump ball play at the end … Captain Kyle Bekker has made his 150th appearance in burnt orange.
What is Next: Forge are away for the 905 Derby visit to York United on Sunday (4 p.m.) and the next home game is Saturday April 27 (4 p.m.) against Valour … a couple of interesting home matches on the horizon: the opening round of the Canadian Chapmpionship, against York on May 1, and the school day game at 11 a.m. May 7 against HFX Wanderers … Bobby Smyrniotis liked the home victory after only four Tim Hortons CPL regular-season wins last year, “but on the flip side you also want to have a good road record (7-2-5) like we did last year.”