MONTREAL — It would be a mistake to underestimate Hamilton-based Forge FC just because it's a Canadian Premier League team.
Tristan Borges and Kyle Bekker scored three minutes apart to lift Forge over CF Montreal on Wednesday with an aggregate score of 3-2 in the quarterfinal of the Canadian Championship. Forge has now eliminated Montreal in the club tournament's quarterfinals in back-to-back seasons.
“I always think the gap (between MLS and the CPL) is not that big, the gap is in the finances,” said Forge head coach Bobby Smyrniotis, who will attempt to reach his second-ever Canadian Championship final with Forge.
“On the ball and off the ball, we were resolute and basically minimized any of the opportunities. We asked the guys to do what they do best and rise to the occasion, as we do as a club.”
Prince Owusu scored a brace for Montreal of Major League Soccer in the 58th minute and again five minutes into injury time.
Borges tied it in the 79th minute and Bekker gave Forge a 2-1 lead in the 82nd minute.
Entering the game trailing 1-0 on aggregate, Montreal started with aggressive pressure and maintained possession for most of the game.
Bombarding the Forge goal and forcing them to drop into a low block, Montreal would need to win by two goals to advance without a penalty shootout, despite having only scored two or more goals at Stade Saputo just once this year.
Montreal’s first big chance came just after the 15-minute mark when a free kick from Dante Sealy was mishandled by Forge keeper Jassem Koleilat.
Just four minutes later, Joel Waterman appeared to have been brought down in the area, but the ref deemed it not worthy of a penalty.
Montreal’s control over the tempo of play continued through the first half, but they could not manage to find the final ball needed to open the scoring. Despite gradual improvement, Montreal’s attack remains amongst the worst in MLS, both in terms of chance creation and finishing.
“To stay at this club, you need to deserve it every day. The future of CF Montreal starts from this,” said head coach Marco Donadel. “Of course, we didn’t give our best, because if we gave our best, we win.
"It’s not about the tactics (…) it’s more about the desire."
CF Montreal continued the pressure in the opening minutes of the second half, but after less than five minutes, the stadium lost power. After a 20-minute delay, play resumed.
The same quarterfinal matchup last year also experienced an extended delay when thundershowers stopped the game for two hours.
“No game goes your way all the time, you’re going to have adversity in it (…) it’s how you respond,” said Smyrniotis. “(Long delays) give the team that’s got to do a little bit more some more time to talk about things.”
Sealy received the ball from a turnover and played in Owusu, who needed two attempts before finding the back of the net. Montreal continued to press in the ensuing minutes, looking ot take an aggregate lead in the tie, but were denied on several occasions by excellent saves from Koleilat.
As the game progressed, Forge found its footing and create some offence. Three minutes apart, Borges and Bekker unloaded shots from the same spot outside the penalty area.
“Those moments are special, but it’s a product of the 11 of us on the field,” said Bekker, who spent a year and a half with the then-named Montreal Impact. “I think our team just battled from the first minute, and we showed a ton of resiliency today. I’m so proud of this group.”
With nothing left to lose, Montreal threw more bodies forward in an effort to get back into the tie. Owusu added a second, but there was too little time for another.
UP NEXT
Montreal: Will travel to Orlando City FC on Saturday.
Forge: Will match up with Atletico Ottawa on the road on Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 9, 2025.
Elias Grigoriadis, The Canadian Press
