The Story
Forge FC — 2nd Place, 58 points
Record (W-D-L): 17-7-4
Goals For/Against: 49/22
Top Scorer: Ismael Oketokoun (5)
Assists Leader: Noah Jensen (5)
A total of 58 points would have been enough to win the regular season title every year except for this season and 2019. Although Forge didn't end up lifting the CPL Shield, they were in contention until the very last day and were unequivocally one of the CPL's strongest teams this year.
They won't be too sore over losing the Shield, considering the prize they did win just a few days prior. Forge were crowned national champions on Oct. 21, beating CF Montréal on penalties to win the TELUS Canadian Championship — the first time a CPL side has ever done so.
Now, Forge are setting out to complete a historic double and become the first CPL team to win two trophies in a year.
The Stats
22 goals conceded
This team's success has been built on their defensive solidity. Forge conceded the fewest goals in the CPL this year, and missed out on tying their own record (set just last year) by one goal. They've got a wealth of experience at the back, beginning with 2025 Defender of the Year Dan Nimick, whose likely partner will be Canadian international Manjrekar James. Patrolling in front of them is Antoine Batisse, who also played in the backline for much of this season and has elite defensive acumen.
Forge also have one of the league's best defensive full-back pairings in Rezart Rama and Marko Jevremović, both of whom have made life hard for opposing wingers all season. If things do go wrong for Forge, they've got one of the CPL's best goalkeepers in Dimitry Bertaud between the posts as well.
19 different goalscorers
Forge had 24 different outfield players appear for them in the regular season, and 19 of them scored at least one goal. The Hammers' goalscoring was far more spread out than the other top sides in the CPL, with most of their defenders and midfielders chipping in at least once or twice.
The negative way to look at this is that nobody truly established themselves as the primary attacking outlet for Forge, with Ismael Oketokoun leading the way with five goals — the lowest total for a team's leading scorer in the league. However, it's a nightmare to defend against if the goals can come from anywhere, and there's no clear attacking star to mark.
68 knockout & playoff games
No CPL team has nearly as much high-stakes experience as Forge. Over their eight seasons, the Hammers have played 68 matches in a playoff or knockout setting, including the CPL Playoffs, Canadian Championship and Concacaf competitions. Forge have won four CPL titles and the Voyageurs Cup, and they've played in eight total finals.
Of course, not much of this particular Forge squad has been there for all of those big moments — Tristan Borges has been there pretty much every step of the way, while Noah Jensen and Rezart Rama have also won plenty of trophies with this club. However, the entire squad is now battle-hardened after their CanChamp triumph. Plus, Bobby Smyrniotis has a better understanding of how to win in knockout football than almost anybody in Canada.
The Stars
Dimitry Bertaud, Goalkeeper
In his first season with Forge, Bertaud has adapted exceptionally well to the Canadian environment. He impressed immediately in his Concacaf Champions Cup debut back in February against Tigres UANL, and has been rock-solid ever since. The 28-year-old French-born keeper represents DR Congo internationally — which meant he was away on international duty for about a month recently, returning to the team just in time for his incredible CanChamp Final performance.
Bertaud had a 72.13 save percentage in the regular season, recording 11 clean sheets and winning 14 games. He only conceded more than one goal in four CPL games this season, showing remarkable consistency all year.
Dan Nimick, Defender
The reigning Defender of the Year, Nimick has become a heart-and-soul player for Forge in his two years at the club. Nimick finished the regular season with 90 clearances, 30 interceptions, 17 blocks and 23 tackles made, also winning 28 aerial duels. In a Forge team, though, playing centre-back is about more than just defensive actions.
Nimick completed the third-most forward passes in the CPL (579) and by far the most successful long balls (186), demonstrating an ability to distribute the ball all over the pitch. He also contributed four goals and three assists, helping the Hammers in all areas this season.
Antoine Batisse, Midfielder
Antoine Batisse has been Bobby Smyrniotis' Swiss Army Knife in 2026. The Frenchman arrived in the offseason to little fanfare, but has very quickly become one of the club's most important players. He played the majority of the first half of the season at centre-back, generally partnering Nimick in one of the CPL's most formidable pairings.
More recently, though, Batisse has been deployed in central midfield, after Manjrekar James arrived in September and slotted into the backline. Batisse has a well-rounded skillset, and he's one of the most composed ball-movers in the entire CPL. Like Nimick, he also recorded four goals and three assists in league play this year; he can shoot from distance, and get his head on the ball on set-pieces — like he did in the Canadian Championship final to score Forge's goal.
The Soundbites
“The standard that we’ve set is just everybody understanding what their role is, everybody understanding that they have to be ready at one point. A season is very long; a lot of things can happen, and at some point, everybody’s going to be called. ... Everybody has the right mentality on what we need to finish the rest of the season and what job we have ahead of us, and I think everybody’s prepared for it." – Forge FC midfielder Tristan Borges
“The guys have had different learning curves along the way, and I think each moment that you have, whether that’s in Champions Cup, whether that’s in league play, or the Canadian Championship, it only makes you stronger as you go forward. We’ve got a dynamic mix of veterans and promising young players, and we know the future is bright. But the future for us is right now, and this is the time to have fun.” – Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis
How They Win
Forge will likely be able to keep the ball out of their net, for the most part. The question will be whether they can put it in the other one.
They did end the season with the second-most goals in the league, but there were occasions this year where Forge's attack was quieter than they'd like. They typically spend plenty of time in and around the opposing penalty area, but what they'll need is more decisive finishing in the box. To that end, the health of Lucas Cavallini will be a major factor; the Canadian international came out of the final last Wednesday with a hamstring injury and didn't play in Sunday's regular season finale. If he's fit to play, opposing centre-backs will have their hands full, and there might be more space for the midfielders and wingers to score from higher up in the box.
Ultimately, it would be foolish to ever count Forge out in the CPL Playoffs. They've fallen short each of the last two years, which means they'll be coming into this year's postseason with a vengeance, and a dream of completing a historic double.
