PREVIEW: Vancouver FC vs. Forge FC | Sept. 26, 2026

Vancouver FC's playoff push and Forge FC's quest for the CPL Shield converge in Langley this weekend in a pivotal fixture in Matchweek 23.

Hosts Vancouver face a challenging test, with just three days' rest after a wild 3-3 draw with Inter Toronto on Wednesday night. The Eagles came out of that midweek tie ruing a missed opportunity; a Callum Irving penalty save and a would-be 92nd-minute winner by Luis Toomey weren't enough for three points, because VFC allowed Toronto to equalize even later.

As it stands, Vancouver remain in fourth place in a relatively comfortable position, six points clear of the fifth-place Halifax Wanderers. In fact, head coach Martin Nash is encouraging his team to look upward rather than down, because Atlético Ottawa are just two points ahead in third place.

Still, the fact remains that Vancouver have just one win in their last eight games (1-3-4). They gave themselves a considerable cushion with a strong run earlier in the year, but they'll need to pick up some results in their last four matches to ensure they stay in the playoffs.

"You get to this end of the season and everything's a playoff game," Nash said on Friday. "Everyone's fighting for their lives, Forge are fighting to be first and we're fighting to get into the playoffs. Pretty much every team, other than Pacific, is still alive and fighting for it. There's no easy games, everybody's going to give their best, so we've got to be at our best on Saturday."

Forge, meanwhile, head west in search of a win to keep them on track in the CPL Shield battle.

The Hamilton club sits in second place, four points behind Cavalry FC at the start of Matchweek 23. Forge still need the Cavs to slip up if they're to overtake them, but all they can do is try to win every remaining game.

It seems that Forge are beginning to surge out of a perceived midsummer lull; they were dominant two weeks ago in a 3-0 win over Atlético Ottawa, and last weekend they delivered a strong performance in Calgary, although a late goal meant they had to settle for a 1-1 draw with the Cavs.

In the business end of the season, though, they're still fighting for three trophies (including the TELUS Canadian Championship). To that end, they've been buoyed recently by their veteran reinforcements; both Manjrekar James and Lucas Cavallini have arrived in training to provide big-game experience to the squad.

"Their quality is pretty self-explanatory," Forge midfielder Tristan Borges told media this week. "Players like that have played where they've played for a reason. But I think the whole other side of it is bringing in experience. A lot of people say that, but to actually think about what that brings into a locker room is huge, and especially in big games or big times of a season, you need that."

One wrinkle for both sides this weekend is the international window, which has taken a couple of key players out of the equation. Vancouver's leading scorer Mohamed Amissi remains away playing for Burundi, while Forge goalkeeper Dimitry Bertaud — a likely Goalkeeper of the Year candidate — is with the DR Congo team.

That means that Dino Bontis will be between the posts for Forge this weekend, making his first appearance of the season. Forge assistant coach Peter Reynders did say this week, however, that Bontis is well-prepared, and the club has full confidence in him.

NEWS & NOTES

• This match will be available on OneSoccer's alternate feed, due to the CanMNT match on the main feed. It will also be streamed on CBC Gem.
• Although Forge assistant coach Peter Reynders did media duties this week, head coach Bobby Smyrniotis will be on the bench for the Hammers in Vancouver.
• International duty: Vancouver FC will be without leading scorer Mohamed Amissi (Burundi), while Forge are missing goalkeeper Dimitry Bertaud (DR Congo) and striker Woodensky Pierre (Haiti). Forge recently signed 24-year-old keeper Cuba Grant to a short-term replacement contract.
• Three Forge players (Dan Nimick, Antoine Batisse and Rezart Rama) and one Vancouver player (Thierno Bah) are one yellow card away from a suspension for accumulation.
• Good news for Vancouver FC: Emrick Fotsing returned to the team this week and has been in full training after recovering from a hip injury. He remains on loan with the Eagles through the end of the season after completing a transfer to the Vancouver Whitecaps.

PROJECTED STARTING XIs

Vancouver FC: Irving; Doner, Campagna, Field, Proctor; Pecile, Polisi, Mezquida; Campbell, Mousset, Bah

Forge FC: Bontis; Rama, Nimick, James, Jevremović; Bourgeois, Borges, Batisse; Sadek, Wright, Massunda

KEY QUOTES

"[Forge] have been fantastic defensively this year, they don't give up much. You've got to take anything they give you because you're not going to get a lot of chances, and you've got to hit the target. We know it's not going to be easy, but we've got to find those moments in transition. Maybe we can catch them. They're not an easy team to break down, but if you move the ball quick, and if we can find guys in pockets that we can get in behind them, that's maybe another place we could take advantage of them because they do have a high line at times, but you know they're really effective with it and they press well." - Vancouver FC head coach Martin Nash 

"I've really enjoyed coming into the team, and having everyone around that's been so positive and welcoming has really made it easy to dive in with the group and continue on. Having the trust from the coaches to give me a chance and opportunity to play, I'm really thankful for it." - Vancouver FC midfielder Benjamin Lee 

"Every team wants to compete for the three trophies in the league, so that's fantastic. Will we win each trophy? We'll try, that's for sure." - Forge FC assistant coach Peter Reynders

"The standard is very, very high here. We always look to not just win games, although that's the main goal, but win in the way we want to win. Having the standard very high, I think Bobby's even said it, we haven't reached the potential of what we can be. ... Getting everybody on the same page of what the ultimate goal is, is the first thing, and it took a little bit of time. But if you're winning during that time when you're trying to get better it's a positive." - Forge FC midfielder Tristan Borges