| Forge FC vs. Pacific FC Aug. 22 at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT Hamilton Stadium in Hamilton, Ont. Watch Live: OneSoccer Tickets available here |
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One team at the summit, and one in the cellar, but it's more complicated than that.
Canadian Premier League leaders Forge FC host eighth-place Pacific FC on Saturday evening in Hamilton, in a game that could have just the right context for an ultra-competitive fixture.
The Tridents head back on the road, still looking for their first win of 2026 and a path out of the basement of the league table. Spirits are higher than ever at the Vancouver Island club, though; since Terry Dunfield took over as head coach in mid-July, they've had a different swagger about them.
Pacific have played four games now under Dunfield, and they've taken the lead in each. Unfortunately, they still haven't managed to hold on for three points, but there are plenty of encouraging signs in the more confident, deliberate football they've been playing recently.
They got a point from each of their last two matches, 1-1 draws against Inter Toronto and Vancouver FC. Pacific were arguably the better side in both games, but the next step will be turning one-goal leads into two or three, to avoid the late heartbreak that has plagued recent contests.
This weekend, they travel across the country to Hamilton, where they face the daunting task of playing Forge FC.
The Hammers sit on top of the league table again, restoring their position after beating FC Supra du Québec at home on Wednesday.
That wasn't the most comfortable win; Forge fell behind early, and the game was knotted at 2-2 late, but 18-year-old Aghilas Sadek saved the day with a superb solo effort to win it.
It was an important result for a Forge side that hasn't necessarily been at its best the past few weeks. They lost in Calgary last weekend to briefly surrender first place to Cavalry FC, and the week before that, they lost at home to Vancouver FC.
Bobby Smyrniotis will expect his side back at the top of its game, despite a short turnaround from Wednesday night's tiring battle. A three-goal attacking breakout should give him hope that regularly scheduled service can resume up front, although Forge were certainly vulnerable at the back.
These two sides have only met once so far this season, when Forge beat the Tridents 1-0 at Victoria's Royal Athletic Park back in April. They were scheduled to play in Hamilton several weeks ago in July, but that game — which would've been Dunfield's first with Pacific — had to be postponed due to air quality concerns.
So, these teams are about to get a lot more familiar with each other over the final two months of the season.
One added wrinkle in this match is that both managers must continue to find solutions in their lineups to account for suspended players. Smyrniotis will get Marko Jevremović back after he sat out on Wednesday, but right-back Rezart Rama still has two games remaining on his ban. Meanwhile, Pacific's Marco Bustos and Roshawn Juhmi are both suspended as well.
Otherwise, both sides are pretty close to full strength health-wise, though Forge may have questions to answer at the striker position if Brian Wright and Levonte Johnson remain unavailable. Sadek's goal on Wednesday certainly made the case for him to get another opportunity in that role.
NEWS & NOTES
- Forge left-back Marko Jevremović has served his one-game suspension and is eligible to return. Right-back Rezart Rama, however, has two more matches to serve after his red card on Aug. 15.
- Pacific forward Marco Bustos has one more game to serve in his suspension for a red card on July 31. Midfielder Roshawn Juhmi is also ineligible due to yellow card accumulation.
- Forge striker Levonte Johnson remains day-to-day, and the club is evaluating Aghilas Sadek, who exited on Wednesday with an injury. Bobby Smyrniotis did suggest that Sadek should be able to participate on Saturday.
PROJECTED STARTING XIs
Forge FC: Bertaud; Bourgeois, Nimick, Batisse, Jevremović; Borges, Paton, Aromatario; Massunda, Sadek, Ampomah
Pacific FC: Himaras; Chung, Quintana, Belluz, Greco-Taylor; Piepgrass, Gomulka; Toualy, Daniels, Heard; Kratt
KEY QUOTES
"[Pacific] have nothing to lose. As a coach, you're building a team for the following season. That means you're going to take risks to try things, to do different things, and I think that's sometimes a good place to be as a coach. You can really work on things and prepare your team. So that's what you see with them: they're a lot more bold, they take a little bit more risk on the pitch, and showing different pressing structures. They did that against Vancouver in the last game, and we're generally seeing a more aggressive team." - Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis
"I think the honeymoon period ended three or four weeks ago, and it got real. But there's substance to what we're doing, and I think the guys can see each week we're getting better. I no longer need to evidence it. When we walked into Vancouver's stadium, there was an aura, there was some confidence around our group. We're tracking really well, and we're really excited to take on arguably the biggest club in the Canadian Premier League." - Pacific FC head coach Terry Dunfield
