September 30, 2022...Preview: Forge FC vs. York United - 2022 Match #106 (from canpl.ca website)
PREVIEW: Forge FC vs. York United — 2022 Match #106 2022-09-30 by CHARLIE O’CONNOR-CLARKE, DIGITAL CONTENT EDITOR (@CHARLIEJCLARKE) 2022 CPL Regular Season — Match #106 Forge FC vs. York United October 1, 2022 at 5 p.m. ET Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario Watch Live: OneSoccer.ca & TELUS Ch. 980 // In addition to its website and app, OneSoccer is now available on TELUS channel 980 and on Fubo TV. Call your local cable provider to ask for OneSoccer today. One last 905 Derby for 2022 will go down at Tim Hortons Field this weekend, when York United pay their second visit of the year to play Forge FC, hoping to spoil the Hammers’ party. Martin Nash and the Nine Stripes arrive in Hamilton as one of the most in-form sides in the Canadian Premier League, despite being officially eliminated from playoff contention on Tuesday night. They’ve won five of their last seven games, and they did not lose a match in the month of September, winning three by a 3-1 scoreline and drawing a fourth 0-0 against HFX Wanderers. Last Friday, York recovered from a slow start at home to convincingly beat Valour FC 3-1, on a night where Mo Babouli was the star with a goal and two assists for the club he joined mid-season. Despite their vastly improved form, though, York will be watching from home during the postseason. They remain in sixth place with 33 points after 26 games and a 9-6-11 record, so their current momentum has unfortunately been too little, too late for Nash’s side to challenge the top four. York nonetheless have their sights set on playing spoiler in the playoff race, knowing that if they win or draw Forge will have to wait until at least Sunday — possibly longer — to clinch a top-four spot. Bobby Smyrniotis’ Forge entered this weekend in second place on 41 points, level with third-place Cavalry but ahead on goal difference. Their ambition stretches beyond just qualifying for the playoffs, of course; Forge are four points back of Atlético Ottawa for the regular season title with three games to play, so they’ll be hoping to keep their aspirations of winning the CPL double alive as well. The Hammers haven’t necessarily been in championship form the last few weeks, but they’ve done well keeping themselves in the mix. After losing two games to Valour in Winnipeg within a week, they’ve since gone unbeaten in three, defeating Cavalry FC at home then going on the road to secure 1-1 draws at Pacific FC and FC Edmonton. Neither of those two draws was particularly satisfying for Smyrniotis, who continues to call on his side to be sharper in attack, but they remain in good position to finish quite high up the table. The first hurdle now for Forge is this clash with their Ontario rivals. York have been quite good against the Hamilton club in 2022, winning two and losing one of the three meetings this season. Last time the Nine Stripes travelled down the QEW to Tim Hortons Field, they dominated en route to a 3-1 win in what Smyrniotis called one of the worst matches his team has played in four years. Babouli, making his first start for York in that match on Aug. 20, was the talisman on that day, helping create in attack and scoring a goal against his former club. “It was probably one of the worst CPL matches that we’ve played in our existence,” Smyrniotis repeated on Friday. “We’ve created a lot of good attacking moments, but after we’ve gone down 2-1 we’ve basically given up on the game, and that’s not characteristic of our guys. You need to make sure that you don’t repeat that — that you keep the rhythm in a good way in our favour, we need to make sure we keep the lines condensed. “What we’ve seen with York in their last games, they play wide open games with the opponents. It’s a lot of transition football, and I think that’s something that suits their style and suits them having a lot more space from defensive line to the attacking line. It’s not something we usually bring to the pitch with our opponents, so we need to make sure we’re doing that tomorrow as well.” Make your match picks prior to kickoff at canpl.ca/predictor for a chance to win prizes, including the grand prize of a trip to the 2022 CPL Final! To learn more about ComeOn!, click here. All CPL matches are available to stream on OneSoccer, or on TELUS Optik TV Channel 980. 3 THINGS TO WATCH Can Forge contain Babouli? Mo Babouli’s first trip to Tim Hortons Field as a member of the visiting team was exceptional; after causing so much trouble for opposing defenders as a Forge player, Babouli did likewise to Forge’s backline in August. He had five completed dribbles that day, creating a dangerous attacking partnership with Osaze De Rosario and, eventually, scoring against his former club. Babouli has played just seven games for York so far, but already he has five goals and two assists, leading many to wonder if York might have been a playoff team had he arrived earlier. Forge know his quality well, but he was nonetheless effective against him, playing as a number 10 behind the striker. Babouli occupied a lot of attention in the middle of the pitch, which allowed York to get the ball to players like Ronan Kratt and Kevin dos Santos in space out wide to create chances. Forge will have to strike a balance between marking Babouli and not over-committing midfielders to him if they’re to contain York’s newly dangerous attack. Final homestand pivotal for Forge: Although Forge wanted to be in pole position for the regular season title by now, the good news is their remaining schedule is perhaps kinder to them than it is to most other contenders. Beginning on Saturday, the Hammers finish the season with three straight matches at home within a week, with this York game followed by Pacific FC on Wednesday and HFX Wanderers on Sunday. Forge also have a game in hand on everybody else in the league except for Pacific, which further helps them control their own fate before the regular season wraps up on Oct. 9. That said, they do need to take advantage of home field advantage in these three games. Forge only have the fourth-most points in the league at home this season, although their 6-2-3 record is nonetheless strong. They’ve had vulnerable moments at Tim Hortons Field this year, including the previous loss to York as well as consecutive defeats to Valour and Atlético Ottawa earlier in the summer, but they’ve also smashed teams at times. “We’re happy to be back at Tim Hortons Field, I think it’s six of the last eight games have been on the road for us, so long stretches — one game with Cavalry in between here at home,” Smyrniotis said on Friday. “We’re just happy to be at home, we’ve got all three here; it’s a tight turnaround on the games, but we’re at home. There’s no travel, and we’re just ready to go.” York continue to develop chemistry for 2023: The 2022 season may be mathematically over for York United, but that doesn’t mean they have nothing to play for. With how much change they’ve undergone over the course of the season (32 players have seen minutes for them this year), Martin Nash and his staff are building a longer-term project than just 2022. The young talent in York’s locker room means this club should be an exciting place to be in 2023, and some players in the squad have two games now to close out this year strong and prove they deserve to be part of it next year. Also, after struggling to score goals earlier in the season, York will be happy to see their attacking partnerships continue to develop; De Rosario and Babouli already have excellent chemistry it seems, but the more they start to click with Ronan Kratt, Kevin Dos Santos, or whoever else lines up in attack, the more confidence Nash and co. will have in their squad’s ability to contend next year. ALL-TIME SERIES Forge wins: 9 || York United wins: 6 || Draws: 1 Previous match: August 20, 2022 — Forge 1-3 York United KEY QUOTES “As a team [York] have nothing to gain, nothing to lose other than coming down the street and causing us some issues. For them, that’s something that they’ve enjoyed as a club over the last few years. We know it’s a good team, probably the most in-form team in the league lately with what they’re doing.” — Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis
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