When Toronto FC and Forge FC meet at BMO Field in the second leg of their Canadian Championship semifinal on Tuesday the stakes are clear.
The Voyageurs Cup itself is not on offer, but a spot in the final, a chance to lift that trophy, is.
“It's massive,” said defender Kevin Long on Monday. “One of the big reasons for me personally coming here was to try and win some trophies. This can be the first one.”
“Forge stand in our way,” he continued. “We want to win this game tomorrow. We've prepared right, it's been a quick turnaround from the Houston game, but we're going to be ready.”
This cup tie comes in the midst of a crucial stretch. Toronto need to balance advancing in this competition with maintaining their grip on one of those coveted spots in the dash to the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Toronto were able to go into Houston, grab three points from the Dynamo on Saturday, but also give some rest to key players with Federico Bernardeschi coming off after an hour and Lorenzo Insigne left at home.
D.C. United, an Eastern Conference opponent aiming to chase down TFC, will come to town on Saturday ahead of the September international break.
John Herdman is well aware of the task at hand.
“As a coach, [you’re] trying to prioritize which games mean the most,” he explained. “And all of the games mean the most at the moment.”
“A home match against D.C. is a big match given where they’re at in the table and what they're fighting for and then the Canadian Championship is a chance at trophies,” Herdman laid out. “We haven’t had a trophy in the club since 2020, never won a Canadian Championship for a while. This is a big, big opportunity: one game away from the final.”
Forge come into the match with a one-goal advantage having won the first leg 2-1 in Hamilton at Tim Hortons Field. TFC, who were able to snag a precious away goal, hold the tie-breaker at the moment which means a 1-0 win is enough to advance.
The visitors took advantage of their home field in the first clash.
“Going to Forge is always a difficult task,” said Herdman. “They create a pretty strong home environment, they train on that facility every day, they have a clear identity and players that have been together for a long time with the same coach.”
“They're organized, they've got good chemistry, and they have the environment there as well with the turf field, et cetera,” he continued. “We've been researching what they look like on the road in Concacaf or in the Canadian Premier League – some of it's about looking back on the last game and some of it is about researching what they look like as an away team.”
“Some of the lessons learned from that game were to make sure you don't get done from 45, 55 yards – that was a hell of a goal from [Béni] Badibanga – and at the same time you’ve got to take your chances,” Herdman detailed. “We had some really good chances in the first half. You’ve got to take those chances against this team because if you don't they have the organization and quality to punish you.”
“A key learning in the second half, when they held a deeper line, they they were a little bit more threatening on the transition and had some good moments,” he added. “We got a good look and feel of the [David] Choinière-[Tristan] Borges partnership and how that operates and how they can damage you. They’re two players that really understand each other and know how to bring the best out of each other.”
Said Long: “They were a good team.”
“We didn't underestimate them by any means coming into the first game, but I don't think we were at our best,” he continued. “We've seen them once now up close, we've learned a lot from that game. We're going to take what we learned and try and win the game.”
It has been a long time since that July 10 first leg. Both sides have changed.
Forward Kwasi Poku, who scored Forge’s second goal, has been transferred to Belgium. Delayed offseason addition Nana Ampomah, a winger, has started to work his way into the side. Toronto has gotten healthy, added the versatility of Henry Wingo, and gotten out of the midseason mire they were stuck in back in July, winning three of their last four league matches and advancing out of their group in the Leagues Cup.
Forge too are in good form. Bobby Smyrniotis' side has lost just once in their last ten matches (all competitions). Unbeaten in four league outings, they currently sit atop the CPL table and are coming off a hard fought scoreless draw against York United, one of their challengers, at York Lions Stadium on Friday.
“We've been watching Forge closely in the build up to these matches,” said Herdman. “We wanted to make sure that any evolutions, tactically or squad development wise, we were aware of. They're a good team, so you have to really respect that and go through the scouting process as required.”
“Watching them it was really interesting to see how they've operated with this squad. There's been some good rotation, I've been impressed with the winger that they've brought in [Ampomah], and obviously Jordan Hamilton, who has played for Toronto FC, brings a different type of threat and some good experience up front,” he anticipated. “They'll be similar in terms of their identity – we're expecting a bit more of an away identity to come.”
“Just excited to get the ball rolling,” Herdman added. “We've been thinking about this game for a while now, our fans have. Everyone knows how important it is.”
Toronto need to score. That much is plain.
“Ultimately, it doesn't affect it too much,” said Long. “We're going to go and try and win the game. That's what we're setting up to do.”
“We know if we win 1-0, that's good enough for us, but we just want to win the game,” he repeated. “Put on our best performance and see where that gets us.”
It’s a cup semifinal, anything can happen. Should be a good one.
“The first goal is going to be super important, but even then, just to be patient as well,” said Herdman. “Know that we've got 90-plus minutes to get an outcome.”
“There's good talent in our team, the players are motivated, coming off the back of a gritty win against Houston in Houston,” he closed. “If [we] bring that same spirit and grit and fight, then our talent can come through.”
