On Thursday at Hamilton Stadium, a venue where he played over 100 matches across eight seasons with Forge, CPL legend Kyle Bekker announced his retirement.
A four-time CPL champion, two-time CPL Shield winner and 2020 Player of the Year, Bekker’s legacy extends well beyond the incredible on-field success he had in the league’s first eight seasons. He is one of the foundational builders in the CPL’s history.
Here is a look back at ten of the most important moments in the CPL career of Forge’s number 10:
First signing in Forge history
In November 2018, Kyle Bekker was announced as the inaugural signing in Forge FC history.
Bekker, who joined the league in his prime with 18 caps for the senior Canadian national team, and four seasons of MLS experience, gave the new league credibility as a big-name signing within the Canadian soccer community.
He instantly became one of the faces of the league, a fact that has not changed in the CPL’s eighth season.
“There’s something to be said about being one of the founders. … It’s about being a part of something that’s so much bigger,” said Bekker at the time of signing. “Starting the first league in Canada, knowing what it will be, and has the potential to be, it’s something to be excited about.”
Captaining Forge in CPL’s first-ever match
The first player to ever step on the pitch in a Forge uniform, and one of the first ever in CPL history, Bekker led the team out of the Hamilton Stadium tunnel as its captain in the league’s inaugural match against York9 FC (now Inter Toronto) on April 27, 2019.
In front of 17,611 supporters, the match ended in a 1-1 draw, with Bekker going the full 90 minutes.
It was an exciting debut for the new league and, as always, Bekker was front and centre in the historic moment.
2019 CPL Champion
Forever first.
The Forge FC dynasty officially began on Nov. 2, 2019 in Calgary, when they defeated rivals Cavalry FC 2-0 on aggregate to become the Canadian Premier League’s inaugural champions.
Bekker captained Forge and played the full 90 minutes in both matches of the two-legged final, a 1-0 win in Hamilton in the first leg on a goal from Tristan Borges, before David Choinière clinched the championship late in the second leg in Calgary.
At the end of the two legs, Bekker lifted the trophy at ATCO Field, the first of four CPL titles he would win in his incredible career.
2020 CPL Player of the Year
Part of Bekker’s lasting legacy in the CPL is the incredible consistency he has kept across the league’s eight seasons. For six of those eight years, he was a nominee for the league’s Player of the Year award.
In 2020, following the CPL’s Island Games, he was named the league’s Player of the Year as Forge took home their second straight title.
Bekker scored three goals during the Group Stage of the competition, before starting all four matches in the playoffs, including a 2-0 win in the final over the Halifax Wanderers – Forge’s second straight title.
Screamer vs. Independiente in Concacaf League
Forge and Bekker have had a lot of special nights playing continental football over the years, travelling to some of the world’s most storied stadiums.
On Sept. 28, 2021, Forge found themselves up a goal, but down a man, on the road in Panama against Independiente. In the 54th minute, Bekker hit a rocket of a free kick into the top corner to make it 2-0 and send Forge to the Concacaf League quarter-finals.
Forge made it all the way to the semifinals that year, earning themselves their first berth in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
CPL’s first Centurion
Another testament to Bekker’s consistency, he became the first player in league history to make 100 appearances with a CPL club on June 29, 2022.
At that time, in just the league’s fourth season, he had already captained Forge in eight different countries, in a TELUS Canadian Championship final, the Concacaf Champions Cup and to two CPL championships.
Many other players have since reached the league’s centurion mark, and even surpassed Bekker in all-time league appearances. But there is no doubting his immense impact on the CPL’s early seasons.
2023 CPL Final triumph in Hamilton
Entering the league’s fifth season, no team had won a CPL final on home soil.
Forge’s previous three titles had been won in Calgary, Charlottetown and Ottawa. In the 2021 final, the only previous edition hosted in Hamilton, they lost 1-0 to Pacific FC.
On Oct. 28, 2023, Forge changed that in incredibly dramatic fashion. Trailing against Cavalry in the 105th minute of extra time, Bekker knew that nearside winger Ali Musse was cramping, so he made an astute decision to take his corner kick short.
The rest, as they say, is history. Badibanga took the pass and, with time to shoot, sent a perfectly placed chip over Marco Carducci. In the second half of extra time, Tristan Borges scored an unbelievable Olimpico to claim Forge’s fourth CPL title, and their first in Hamilton.
Forge’s first CPL Shield in 2024
Through the first five years of their history, Forge established themselves as playoff juggernauts. But with the league awarding a Concacaf Champions Cup spot, and the CPL Shield, to the regular season winners in 2024, they took aim at a different piece of silverware.
After a slow start to the season, Forge hit their stride over the summer, and led the way for the final 11 weeks of the season with Bekker lifting the CPL Shield in Hamilton on Oct. 12. It was the first of back-to-back CPL Shield which Forge hoisted, winning again in 2025.
Bekker was nominated for the league’s Player of the Year at the end of the season and finished sixth in Players’ Player of the Year voting, scoring two goals and adding six assists.
He captained Forge in the 2024 CPL final, as well, which they lost 2-1 to Cavalry FC.
2025 CanChamp QF goal vs. CF Montréal
Over his eight seasons with Forge, Bekker has been part of some pretty memorable moments in the Canadian Championship, including captaining the club in the 2020 final against Toronto FC.
But his most memorable Canadian Championship moment came last year at Stade Saputo. In the 82nd minute of Forge’s quarter-final against CF Montréal, Bekker hit an absolute rocket from distance that put Forge up 2-1 in the match, and stood as the winner on aggregate in the series.
It was the second straight year that Forge eliminated CF Montréal from the competition, a statement result from the club. Their journey ultimately ended in the semis, losing to eventual champions the Vancouver Whitecaps.
2026 CanChamp final run
It is fitting that Bekker’s final professional match came in another historic victory for Forge FC.
In the 25th minute of the second leg of Forge’s semifinal against FC Supra du Québec, Bekker suffered what turned out to be a season-ending injury.
It was a heartbreaking moment for the Forge captain, but the Hamilton club fought on for their captain. Fittingly, his replacement, Ben Paton, scored the match winner with his first touch after coming into the match.
Forge held on for a 1-0 victory which earned them a spot in their second TELUS Canadian Championship final, but first in a full tournament. They face CF Montréal on Oct. 21 at Stade Saputo in the final, looking to win the one domestic trophy they haven’t yet for their captain.
Bekker appeared in all five matches in Forge’s run to the final and picked up an assist in an away draw against CS Saint-Laurent in the quarter-finals.
