Hamilton Forge FC’s championship pedigree a model other franchises can only dream of

Most professional sports franchises can only aspire to the run Hamilton’s Forge FC has enjoyed over six Canadian Premier League seasons.

In that time, the franchise has claimed two regular-season titles and four championships — six of a possible 10 trophies over the course of the league’s history. In each of the four losing instances, Forge placed second.

On Sunday, the dynastic soccer squad will begin its run to a fifth championship when it welcomes Calgary’s Cavalry FC to Tim Hortons Field in the semifinals. The winner will host the title game on Nov. 9, while the loser will get one more do-or-die match to reach the final.

Watch live coverage of the CPL championship Nov. 9 at 3 p.m. ET on CBC-TV, CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem.

For Forge, a return to the title match would represent the latest reassurance that the program — built, fostered and tended to by head coach and sporting director Bobby Smyrniotis — works.

“I think the biggest thing for a club in any sport is the organization, the DNA and the culture that you build within, so that you’re able to have continuity over the seasons,” Smyrniotis said. 

“When you walk into the locker room here at Forge, I don’t need to really tell you what the expectation is, but you see that expectation. You live it.”

WATCH | Bekker on whether Forge FC is Canada’s best sports dynasties:

Smyrniotis, the 45-year-old from Scarborough, Ont., joined Forge for the league’s inaugural season in 2019 after a career in the amateur ranks. He said his first game on the Forge sideline was also the first time in his life there was any pressure to win.

But even though the CPL is Canada’s top domestic soccer league, it remains a building block in the professional careers of many Canadian men.

Smyrniotis described three kinds of players in the league: the lifers; those who have come down from more competitive leagues; and those hoping to use the CPL as a stepping stone.

Creating space for those three player types to build cohesiveness and thrive alongside each other is one of the main reasons for Forge’s sustained run, the coach said.

“We try and provide an environment here on the pitch which not only allows the team to succeed but allows a player individually to develop. And if you can marry those two things together, I think you’ve got a recipe for success,” Smyrniotis said.

There are two lifers on whom Smyrniotis has leaned on this season. Captain Kyle Bekker has been with the team since the beginning, as well as fellow midfielder Tristan Borges, save for a one-season break to try his hand in Belgium’s pro ranks.

Bekker said the team’s ascendancy has been “special.”

“When I signed on in 2019, those initial discussions I had with Bobby and the head staff at the time, I think this wasn’t even in our wildest dreams, to be honest. Coming into that first year, obviously, everyone had that same idea, ‘Oh we’re going to be the first team to lift it, we’re going to have this success that’s gonna push as on to do all these great things,'” he said. 

“And the firsts that we’ve been able to achieve as a group, especially to the guys who’ve been here since the beginning, it’s just been a whirlwind.”

The Forge system

Underneath the likes of Bekker and Borges, younger players have cycled through the Forge system.

The latest example is 21-year-old Kwasi Poku of Brampton, Ont., who earned his first cap for Canada last week and was the subject of a CPL-record transfer to a second-tier Belgian club in August.

“The beauty of soccer is it’s global. It’s global and there’s a lot of levels to reach the top in different places. And if you keep on doing the right things as a player, people take notice,” Smyrniotis said.

Smyrniotis’s prowess as a developmental coach has influenced young, talented players to join Forge — and even landed the coach himself on the outskirts of the conversation for the national men’s team’s post.

“I spent a lot of time with some of the leading clubs in the world and developing an identity and a culture. So that was number one. And I thought over time, if you do that right, winning comes. We set that standard in the first year and by winning. And then I think that becomes contagious,” he said.

Indeed, in addition to its league accolades, Forge broke through as runners-up in the 2020 Canadian Championship — the only CPL club ever to reach the final. The Hamilton side was also the first CPL outfit to play in the CONCACAF Champions League, where it reached the Round of 16 in 2022.

Smyrniotis said the success is a credit to the entire organization.

“What I tell the players [is] you haven’t been handed anything. It’s your ability to come in here each and every day. And once in a while, there’s an off day. But the majority of the time here at Forge, there’s no off day because the players understand what they’re here to do,” he said. 

“We train in a great facility. We’ve got a great staff. We’ve got a great crowd.”

When it comes to Forge FC, there is no debate about using the label “dynasty.” The only question is how far Smyrniotis, Bekker and company can take it.