Wednesday night in Hamilton, the Vancouver Whitecaps will continue their Canadian Championship journey in the first leg of a semifinal matchup against Forge FC.
The Whitecaps are looking to lift the Voyageurs Cup for the 4th straight season, while Forge is looking to make history, as one of three remaining CPL teams vying to be the first to lift the domestic cup.
When analyzing Bobby Smyrniotis’ side, the first thing you have to mention is that they are undefeated this season, as they’ve amassed 11 wins and 7 draws over 18 matches in CPL play for 40 points. They also got the better of MLS side CF Montreal over two legs in the previous round of the cup, taking that tie by a 3-2 scoreline.
When a team is undefeated, they are going to have quite a few strengths, but I think the one that stands above all else for this team has been their defensive play. The fact that this team has conceded just 13 goals across 18 matches is truly impressive, and this is a skill set that is very important for nervy cup games. In terms of personnel, Daniel Nimick has been a huge addition in that department. Nimick has been one of the CPL’s top defenders in recent years, and it was a big decision to leave Halifax in the offseason, but the move has been a huge success.
In the middle of the park, Forge has former Whitecaps academy prospect Alessandro Hojabrpour to set the tempo, along with former CPL MVP Tristan Borges, who often wanders between lines in a free role. Up front, Brian Wright is tied for third in the Golden Boot race with 7 goals, while Kyle Bekker remains a dangerous and crafty veteran. Neither of those two attackers started on the weekend in a 2-1 win over York United, so I think it’s fair to say that Smyrniotis had eyes on this midweek matchup when crafting a plan for his recent league matches.
Turning focus over to the Whitecaps, a frustrating result against San Jose will have to be quickly forgotten, as Jesper Sørensen’s side can do their future selves a big favour if they can come away from Hamilton leading the tie.
For Vancouver, the second leg of this matchup (Sep 16th) is sandwiched between a Sep 13th clash with the Philadelphia Union, Vancouver’s potential Supporters Shield rivals, and then followed by back to back matches against Cascadian opponents Portland and Seattle (Sep 24th, 27th), with Sporting KC match (Sep 20th) sprinkled in for good measure. Given this, the more comfortable Vancouver can make that Sep 16th second leg at BC Place, the easier it will be for them to manage those other matches on the calendar as well.
Looking at this Wednesday specifically, Vancouver went for a reasonably full-strength lineup against San Jose, but with some notable absences who are likely to start midweek. Isaac Boehmer should return between the sticks as VWFC’s cup specialist, while Ralph Priso and Jeevan Badwal could also be due for starts, helping to account for the Canadian quota.
I think for Vancouver, it’s all going to be about staying patient in possession and gradually looking to break Forge down. The hosts will be happy with a match that is structured and low-event, but they also have the talent to combine in transition if given the chance, and they have some very capable finishers, as we saw against CF Montreal.
All that being said, the Vancouver Whitecaps are not CF Montreal. I think Jesper Sørensen will understand the importance of taking control of this tie in the first leg. Given this, I’ll predict we’ll see Vancouver go for a reasonably full-strength lineup and ultimately come away with a closely contested 1-0 result.
(Image: Canadian Premier League)