2023 Canadian Premier League final

Soccer match

Football match

2023 Canadian Premier League final

Event| 2023 Canadian Premier League season
| Forge FC | Cavalry FC

|

2 | 1
Date| October 28, 2023
Venue| Tim Hortons Field, Hamilton, Ontario
Man of the Match| Béni Badibanga (Forge FC)
Referee| Marie-Soleil Beaudoin
Attendance| 13,925
Weather| Mostly cloudy
9 °C (48 °F)
62% humidity[1]

← 2022

2024 →

The 2023 Canadian Premier League final was the soccer match to determine the winner of the 2023 Canadian Premier League season. It was played October 28, 2023, in Hamilton, Ontario, between Forge FC and Cavalry FC. The match was the fifth edition of the CPL Finals, the post-season championship of the Canadian Premier League, the top level of Canadian soccer. Forge were the defending champions, having won the 2022 Canadian Premier League final.

Forge defeated Cavalry 2–1 in extra time to capture their fourth title. Cavalry opened the scoring in the 101st minute from a curling strike by Ali Musse before Forge's Béni Badibanga quickly scored an equalizer. Tristan Borges then scored a goal directly from a corner for Forge in the 111th minute that held up as the match winner to secure the championship.

## Path to the final

[edit]

Main article: 2023 Canadian Premier League season

The 2023 CPL season was contested by eight teams. Each team played four games against each of the seven opponents for a total of 28 matches.[2] The top-five teams from the regular season qualified for the playoffs which began on October 11, 2023. The playoffs featured a new Page playoff format where teams entered in different rounds depending on their finishing position. All matches in the playoffs were played as a single leg.

Regular season standings  Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Playoff qualification

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | Cavalry (S) | 28  | 16  | 7  | 5  | 46  | 27  | +19  | 55  | First semifinal
2  | Forge (C) | 28  | 11  | 9  | 8  | 39  | 32  | +7  | 42[a]
3  | HFX Wanderers | 28  | 11  | 9  | 8  | 39  | 32  | +7  | 42[a] | Quarterfinal
4  | Pacific | 28  | 11  | 7  | 10  | 42  | 35  | +7  | 40  | Play-in round
5  | York United | 28  | 11  | 5  | 12  | 35  | 44  | −9  | 38

Source: CanPL
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Total wins; 3) Goal difference; 4) Goals scored; 5) Away goal differential; 6) Away goals scored; 7) Home goal differential; 8) Home goals scored; 9) Total minutes played by U-21 players; 10) Coin toss (2 teams tied) or drawing of lots (3+ teams tied).[3]
(C) Champion (qualified to Champions Cup); (S) CPL Shield winner (qualified to Champions Cup)
Notes:

1. ^ a b Tie resolved by away goal differential; Forge: +4, Wanderers: −2

Playoffs  Forge FC | Round  | Cavalry FC

|
|

Opponent  | Result  | Opponent  | Result
Bye | Play-in round | Bye
Bye | Quarterfinal | Bye
Cavalry FC | 2–1  | First semifinal | Forge FC | 1–2
Bye | Second semifinal | Pacific FC | 2–1

### Forge FC

[edit]

Further information: 2023 Forge FC season

Forge FC qualified for the playoffs on September 23.[4] They finished the season in 2nd place with a record of 11 wins, 9 draws, and 8 losses and qualified directly to the first semifinal as one of the top-two teams. In the semifinal they defeated their rivals Cavalry FC to advance to a record extending fifth consecutive CPL Final.[5] Forge had a record of three wins and one loss in CPL Finals.

### Cavalry FC

[edit]

Further information: 2023 Cavalry FC season

Cavalry were the first team to clinch a spot in the playoffs, which they did on September 12.[6] They captured the CPL Shield, finishing first in the regular season by a 13 point margin.[7] This was Cavalry's second CPL Final, having lost their only other appearance to Forge FC in 2019.

### Head-to-head

[edit]

Further information: Cavalry FC–Forge FC rivalry

The 2023 CPL final was the sixth meeting of the season between these two teams and the twenty-sixth overall. Cavalry had the advantage in the regular season against Forge, leading the head-to-head with one win and three draws and finishing 13 points ahead in the standings.

As the top-two teams in regular season, Cavalry hosted Forge in the first semifinal which was a non-elimination game. Forge won the game and earned the right to host the CPL final while Cavalry qualified to the second semifinal as losers. The match was the 23rd of 25 games between the teams that was decided by one goal or fewer.[8]

## Venue

[edit]

A 2019 match between Forge FC and Cavalry FC at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario

Tim Hortons Field, home of Forge FC was the host stadium for the final. This was its third time hosting the CPL final, following 2019 (leg 1) and 2021. The stadium also notably hosted the inaugural CPL match in 2019, and the Canadian Championship final in 2022, with both matches drawing large attendance. For the 2023 CPL final, attendance was expected to be high once again; The Hamilton Spectator reported that over 10,000 tickets had been sold by October 25.[9]

Tim Hortons Field opened in 2014 and was built as a replacement for Ivor Wynne Stadium which was located on the same grounds. The 24,000 seat multi-purpose stadium is also home to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. The venue is scheduled to host the 110th Grey Cup on November 19, three weeks after the CPL final.[10]

## Pre-match

[edit]

On October 26, the Canadian Premier League Awards took place at LIUNA Station in Hamilton. Cavalry dominated the awards; Tommy Wheeldon Jr. won Coach of the Year, Ali Musse won Player's Player of the Year, and Daan Klomp won both Defender of the Year and Player of the Year. Forge's sole award winner was Triston Henry who was named the Golden Glove winner. The CPL also unveiled the North Star Cup, the new trophy that replaced the North Star Shield awarded to the CPL champion.[11][12]

Forge had ruled out forward Woobens Pacius before the final due to injury while Cavalry were expected to have their full roster available for selection.[13]

## Match

[edit]

### Summary

[edit]

#### First half

[edit]

The final was played in front of a crowd of 13,925 fans at Tim Hortons Field.[14] The match kicked-off at 6 pm local time, just before sunset in Hamilton.[1] Forge took the initiative to open the match, pinning Cavalry in its own half for stretches of time.[15] Cavalry nearly opened the scoring late in the half from a shot from distance by Fraser Aird.[15] The half ended scoreless despite several set piece opportunities for Cavalry.[16]

#### Second half

[edit]

While Forge seemed to have momentum, Cavalry generated more scoring chances.[15] Myer Bevan, Ali Musse, and Jesse Daley all had chances to open the scoring for Cavalry, but none could beat Forge goalkeeper Triston Henry.[15][17] Forge's Béni Badibanga thought he had scored after chipping the ball over Cavalry keeper Marco Carducci and into the net, but the goal was called back due to a foul.[15] Musse had another good chance denied by Henry with ten minutes remaining in the half. The match was scoreless after 90 minutes, forcing it into extra time.[15]

#### Extra time

[edit]

Musse broke the deadlock in the 11th minute of extra time to give Cavalry a 1–0 lead.[14] Bevan won the ball in Forge's penalty area before passing it to Daley who setup Musse for his strike.[17] However, Forge quickly equalized when Badibanga took a short corner from Kyle Bekker and fired a long-range shot into the top corner.[14][17]

In the 21st minute of extra time, Forge substitute Tristan Borges fired a leftfooted corner kick directly into the goal past Carducci for an olympico goal that stood up as the match winner.[14][17]

### Details

[edit]

October 28, 2023

6:00 pm ET

Forge FC| 2–1 (a.e.t.)| Cavalry FC

|
|

* Badibanga 105+2'
* Borges 111'

| Recap
Report |

* Musse 101'

Tim Hortons Field, Hamilton, Ontario

Attendance: 13,925

Referee: Marie-Soleil Beaudoin

Forge

Cavalry

|

|  |

|

GK | 1 |  Triston Henry |  120+4'
CB | 24 |  Garven Metusala
CB | 13 |  Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson
CB | 5 |  Manjrekar James |  14'
RM | 24 |  Rezart Rama |  |  118'
CM | 21 |  Alessandro Hojabrpour |  |  105'
CM | 10 |  Kyle Bekker (c)
LM | 20 |  Kwasi Poku |  |  46'
AM | 22 |  Noah Jensen |  |  68'
CF | 39 |  Béni Badibanga |  |  118'
CF | 9 |  Terran Campbell |  |  103'
Substitutes:
GK | 29 |  Christopher Kalongo
DF | 4 |  Dominic Samuel |  105' |  46'
FW | 7 |  David Choinière |  |  103'
FW | 9 |  Jordan Hamilton |  |  105'
FW | 19 |  Tristan Borges |  105+5' |  68'
MF | 33 |  Aboubacar Sissoko |  |  118'
DF | 81 |  Malik Owolabi-Belewu |  |  118'
Manager:
Bobby Smyrniotis
Assistant coach:
David Edgar |  77'
|  |  |

|

GK | 1 |  Marco Carducci (c)
RB | 33 |  Fraser Aird
CB | 24 |  Eryk Kobza
CB | 4 |  Daan Klomp
LB | 5 |  Bradley Kamdem |  105+5' |  115'
CM | 8 |  Jesse Daley |  57' |  112'
CM | 6 |  Charlie Trafford |  72'
RW | 7 |  Ali Musse |  |  105+6'
AM | 10 |  Sergio Camargo |  30' |  73'
LW | 19 |  William Akio |  |  115'
CF | 9 |  Myer Bevan |  40'
Substitutes:
GK | 21 |  Sterling Kerr
DF | 3 |  Callum Montgomery |  |  105+6'
MF | 17 |  Ben Fisk |  |  115'
MF | 18 |  Maël Henry |  |  112'
FW | 20 |  Joe Mason |  |  115'
FW | 23 |  Gareth Smith-Doyle
MF | 26 |  Shamit Shome |  |  73'
Manager:
Tommy Wheeldon Jr.

Player of the Match:
Béni Badibanga (Forge FC)[18]

Assistant referees:
Peter Pendli
Gérard-Kader Lebuis
Fourth official:
Scott Bowman

Match rules

* 90 minutes
* 30 minutes of extra time if necessary
* Penalty shoot-out if score still level
* Maximum of five substitutions, with a sixth allowed in extra time

### Statistics

[edit]

Overall[19] Statistic  | Forge FC  | Cavalry FC

|
|

Goals scored  | 2  | 1
Total shots  | 17  | 21
Shots on target  | 4  | 5
Blocked shots  | 6  | 4
Ball possession  | 43%  | 57%
Passes  | 442  | 567
Corner kicks  | 5  | 3
Fouls conceded  | 19  | 17
Offsides  | 2  | 1
Yellow cards  | 4  | 5
Red cards  | 0  | 0

## Post-match

[edit]

With their win, Forge FC earned their record-extending fourth CPL championship – all within a five year span. This final was the first where a team came from behind to win and the first where a team captured the title at home.[18] Cavalry FC remain winless in CPL finals, with their only other appearance being a defeat to Forge in 2019.[18] For the fourth straight year (excluding the shortened 2020 season), the regular season winner failed to achieve the double by winning the CPL championship, losing in the finals on all four occasions.

Forge and Cavalry qualified to the newly expanded 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup as champions and regular season winners respectively. Had Cavalry won the final, Forge would have still qualified as regular season runners-up.[20] Forge returned to the competition after having most recently competed in 2022 while Cavalry made their international debut.[21] Both Forge and Cavalry bowed out in round one of the competition, losing to Guadalajara and Orlando City SC respectively.[22][23]

## See also

[edit]

* Canadian Premier League Finals
* 2023 Canadian Championship final

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Ancaster, Ontario, Canada Weather History". Weather Underground. The Weather Company. October 28, 2023. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
2. ^ Thompson, Marty (February 2, 2022). "2022 CPL Season presented by WestJet: Playoff format, opening weekend matches released". Canadian Premier League. Archived from the original on February 18, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
3. ^ "2023 CPL Competition Guidelines". Canadian Premier League. March 17, 2023. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
4. ^ "Forge FC Clinch 2023 CPL Playoff Spot". Forge FC. September 23, 2023. Archived from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
5. ^ Milton, Steve (October 20, 2023). "Five years, five finals for Forge FC". The Hamilton Spectator. Archived from the original on October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
6. ^ Jacques, John (September 13, 2023). "Cavalry First To Clinch Playoff Berth". Northern Tribune. Archived from the original on October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
7. ^ Jacques, John (October 21, 2023). "Cavalry Carves Out Revenge Opportunity In CPL Final". Northern Tribune. Archived from the original on October 21, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
8. ^ Tierney, Mitchell (October 14, 2023). "Highlights: Cavalry FC vs. Forge FC (Oct. 14, 2023)". onesoccer.ca. Archived from the original on October 25, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
9. ^ Milton, Steve (October 25, 2023). "More than 10,000 tickets already sold for CPL final". The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
10. ^ "Green Day to perform halftime show at 110th Grey Cup in Hamilton". TSN. September 30, 2023.
11. ^ Petrillo, Andi; Wheeler, Gareth (October 26, 2023). 2023 Canadian Premier League Awards on OneSoccer. OneSoccer. Retrieved October 28, 2023 – via YouTube.
12. ^ Jacques, John (October 26, 2023). "2023 CPL Awards Round Up: Cavalry Dominates The Show". Northern Tribune. Archived from the original on October 27, 2023. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
13. ^ Tierney, Mitchell (October 27, 2023). "Match Preview: Forge FC vs. Cavalry FC — 2023 CPL Final". Canadian Premier League. Archived from the original on October 28, 2023. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
14. ^ a b c d Wharnsby, Tim (October 28, 2023). "Borges scores 'Olimpico' goal as Forge FC completes comeback to win 4th CPL title". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
15. ^ a b c d e f Jacques, John (October 28, 2023). "2023 CPL Final: Forge Reigns Supreme, Bests Cavalry For Fourth Title Win". Northern Tribune. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
16. ^ Tierney, Mitchell (October 28, 2023). "Highlights: Forge FC 2-1 Cavalry FC (a.e.t) -- 2023 CPL Final". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
17. ^ a b c d Saelhof, Todd (October 28, 2023). "Cavalry loses CPL final on extra-time 'unicorn' goals by host Forge". Calgary Sun. Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
18. ^ a b c Tierney, Mitchell (October 28, 2023). "Match Analysis: Forge FC stun rivals Cavalry FC in extra time to win fourth CPL Final". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
19. ^ "Forge FC 2 - 1 Cavalry FC". Canadian Premier League. October 28, 2023. Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
20. ^ O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie (October 24, 2023). "Draw procedure, dates revealed for 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
21. ^ Tierney, Mitchell (December 13, 2023). "Why the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup is such a big opportunity for Cavalry and Forge". Canadian Premier League. Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
22. ^ "Mexico's Chivas Guadalajara knocks Hamilton's Forge FC out of CONCACAF Champions Cup". CBC News. The Canadian Press. February 14, 2024. Archived from the original on February 15, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
23. ^ Saelhof, Todd (February 27, 2024). "'No shame' for Cavalry in losing to Orlando City in Concacaf Champions Cup debut". Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 4, 2024.

* v
* t
* e

« 2022

2023 Canadian Premier League season by team

2024  »

* Atlético Ottawa
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* 2023 U Sports Draft
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* v
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* e

2023 in Canadian soccer

« 2022

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| Men's leagues|

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|

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Other|

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International

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|

Women|

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Team seasons

Club seasons|

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|

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Clubs|

| 2024|

Atlético Ottawa
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HFX Wanderers FC
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|

Former|

FC Edmonton

Awards|

Team
CPL Shield
North Star Cup
Individual
CPL Awards

Golden Boot
Player of the Year
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Rivalries|

905 Derby (Forge–York United)
Cavalry–Forge
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Cavalry–Edmonton

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Commissioner
Mark Noonan
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James Easton

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Forge FC matches

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* 2020

Canadian Premier League|

| Finals|

* 2019
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|

Other|

* Forge FC 1–1 York9 FC (2019)

* v
* t
* e

Cavalry Football Club

Foothills County, Alberta

The Club|

* History
* Crest and colours
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Stadium|

* ATCO Field
* Spruce Meadows

Affiliated teams|

* Cavalry FC U21

Rivalries|

* Al Classico (FC Edmonton)
* Forge rivalry

Key personnel|

Owner
Spruce Meadows Sports & Entertainment
General manager and head coach
Tommy Wheeldon Jr.

Matches|

* 2019 CPL finals
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Major honours (3)

CPL Championship (1)|

* 2024

CPL Shield (2)|

* 2019
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Seasons

Canadian Premier League|

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Category
*[Pos]: Position
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Pld]: Played
*[W]: Won
*[D]: Drawn
*[L]: Lost
*[GF]: Goals for
*[GA]: Goals against
*[GD]: Goal difference
*[Pts]: Points