| Inter Toronto vs. Forge FC June 7 at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT York Lions Stadium in Toronto, Ont. Watch Live: OneSoccer, CBC Gem Tickets available here |
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The league leaders take a trip down the highway on Sunday afternoon for a local clash, as Forge FC travel to take on Inter Toronto at York Lions Stadium.
Forge arrive with tremendous confidence, having knocked off Cavalry FC last week at Hamilton Stadium to reclaim first place in the Canadian Premier League.
The Hammers are 6-1-1 so far through the first eight weeks of the season, the only major blemish being a loss in Ottawa two weeks ago. They have been exceedingly difficult to score against, giving away just three goals in total while scoring 10 of their own.
Toronto, of course, have scored one more than Forge with 11 goals — in one fewer game played.
However, they sit third in the league, seven points behind the Hammers with a 3-3-1 record. Inter Toronto missed a chance to make up ground on second-place Cavalry last weekend, as they fell 3-1 to FC Supra du Québec in a monsoon.
Sunday's home game represents a massive test for Mauro Eustáquio's Toronto side. They're a club with plenty of ambition this year, and so far they look like they belong in the top three, but they need a signature result against a top side.
They have struggled against Forge over the past few years; in fact, Inter Toronto are winless in their last 11 games against the Hammers. Their last 905 Derby victory was in May 2023, which means that Eustáquio has yet to beat his club's local rival as head coach.
A secret weapon for Toronto, though, could be winger Béni Badibanga. The Belgian attacker hasn't featured much yet this season, but he should be up for this contest against his former club. Badibanga played for Forge in 2023 and 2024, but the way he left the team last year left a bad taste in his mouth.
"Béni is an emotional player," Eustáquio said on Friday. "He's someone that wears his heart on his sleeve, he wants to win, he wants to perform; it doesn't matter against who. Béni's probably in his best moment since he's been with Inter Toronto. We've been building him up, and we saw a very good version of Béni in the games that he's been able to perform.
Matches like these require no extra motivation from coaches; this one is shaping up to be the best 905 Derby in years.
NEWS & NOTES
- Inter Toronto will be without two key players on international duty: Shola Jimoh is in France with the Canadian U-20 team, while Gabriel Bitar has not yet returned from Qatar, where he played for Lebanon in an AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Yemen.
- Forge's availability list is no different from the week prior; Nana Ampomah continues working up to full match fitness.
- Toronto goalkeeper Diego Urtiaga was named this week as the CPL's Allstate Goalkeeper of the Month for May.
PROJECTED STARTING XIs
Inter Toronto: Urtiaga; López, Guzmán, León; Ferrari, Yeates, Kibato, Almagro; Badibanga, Skublak, Altobelli
Forge FC: Bertaud; Rama, Nimick, Batisse, Jevremović; Aromatario, Borges, Paton; Massunda, Wright, Babouli
KEY QUOTES
"This last game against Supra, we just weren't ourselves. What I'm liking is we're becoming a more impactful team, and what I mean is with the ball, at the beginning of the season we were a team that had a lot of possession but we didn't really do anything with it. Having that meaningful possession is something we've been keen on having, and being able to create opportunities on goal." - Inter Toronto head coach Mauro Eustáquio
"We know that they're going to be a very energetic group. They're going to put a lot of input into pressing and the way they move, so just being able to understand that we've got to match that, whether it's them or any other team. We know with them they're a high-energy team, so we're going to match their energy." - Forge FC midfielder Mo Babouli
