Forge FC looking to their experience in 2020 Concacaf League campaign
The match marks Forge FC’s second Concacaf League campaign after they fell in the Round of 16 in 2019.
After earning their
a second consecutive Canadian Premier League title as the champions of the 2020
Island Games, Forge FC travel to El Salvador to face Club Deportivo Municipal
Limeño in Concacaf League action on Thursday 22 October LIVE on TSN3 at 8 p.m.
ET/5 p.m. PT. The match marks Forge FC’s second Concacaf League campaign after
they fell in the Round of 16 to Club Deportivo Olimpia in 2019.
Despite the
challenges of COVID-19, Forge FC Head Coach Bobby Smyrniotis believes that the
Island Games bubble opportunity helped his team prepare for what they’ll face
in Concacaf League. Speaking from San Salvador, Head Coach Bobby Smyrniotis said the 6-week
tournament provided them an opportunity to come together as a group, something
they’ll benefit from in Concacaf League.
“Our experience
last year in this competition is going to help us for sure as any game in
Concacaf is going to be a difficult endeavor having to deal with the
environment and challenges they provide,” Smyrniotis said. “After the Island
Games, we returned to Hamilton to train and prepare for this challenge and are
ready.”
Forge will look to
draw on the experience of their veterans including Canadian Internationals
David Edgar and Kyle Bekker, who were both recently announced as
participants on a unique combined Canada Soccer C/B Licence Coach Education
Program.
“Both of those guys
are field generals, for sure, David at the back and Kyle in the midfield,”
Smyrniotis said. “They both had very different development pathways with David
in England and Kyle in North America but I am always talking with them and look
at things in different ways and I’m sure they’ll make excellent coaches once
they finish their professional careers.”
Forge will look to
benefit from the experience of the Island Games bubble even further if they
advance beyond Municipal on Thursday, as they’ll travel directly to Panama to
take on awaiting Tauro on 3 November.
“There’s just no
planes in the sky, so we need to be sure that we’re ready and not unable to
travel or train in self-isolation with the short window between games,”
Smyrniotis said. “We know that Concacaf will be ready and have all the right
protocols in place for us.”