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Hamilton Spectator
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
CF Montreal looks dig out of Canadian Championship hole against Forge: ‘It's a final'
MONTREAL - CF Montreal and Forge FC enter the second leg of their Canadian Championship quarterfinal with different outlooks. Montreal hosts Forge at Stade Saputo on Wednesday night after falling behind 1-0 to the lower-tier Canadian Premier League side in the first leg at Hamilton Stadium on May 20. Mired at the bottom of Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference with a 3-13-5 record, Montreal needs a result at home to salvage any realistic chance of winning a trophy this season. 'It's a final,' interim head coach Marco Donadel said. 'It's a super important game for us, where every detail will be important. Every stop, every situation, every set piece. The first minute, the last minute, the overtime will be like a final. 'It's the perfect night here at home to show what we can do.' While Montreal treats this as a do-or-die match, Forge head coach Bobby Smyrniotis wouldn't consider it a massive disappointment if his squad can't complete the upset. 'We're not playing in a final on Wednesday,' he said. 'It's not for a trophy, it's just a round that we need to get past and nothing is guaranteed in these types of games. 'Your season is not based on this one game.' In league play, Forge ranks second in the CPL standings with a 7-0-6 record for 27 points, one less than Atletico Ottawa. The four-time league champions — and six-time finalists in six seasons — stunned Montreal with a 2-1 victory at Stade Saputo last year, advancing to the cup semifinal 3-2 on aggregate. No CPL team, however, has ever won the Canadian Championship, which guarantees a spot in next year's CONCACAF Champions League. 'It's something that Forge will win at some point, hopefully while I'm here, but if not at some time it will come and it will for a team in the Canadian Premier League, that's for sure,' Smyrniotis said. 'If that could be this year that's great, but we don't think too far ahead. 'We've got to be at our best against a team that's playing for entry in the Champions League as well … here's your quickest route to do it for all the teams involved in this competition, so we're going to get the best of CF Montreal.' The three-time defending champion Vancouver Whitecaps host Valour FC at BC Place Stadium in Wednesday's other quarterfinal after a 2-2 draw in the first leg. Montreal and Forge, despite playing in different leagues, are familiar opponents. The two sides have met in the Canadian Championship for five straight years, with Montreal winning the first three matchups before last year's disappointment. Brian Wright's 78th-minute goal gave Forge the 1-0 advantage in the first leg on a night Montreal centre back Joel Waterman described his team's first-half performance as 'unacceptable.' 'They were better on second balls, better at battles,' said Waterman on Tuesday after recently playing for Canada at the Gold Cup. 'I felt like we were second-best at everything. 'Tomorrow it can't be that way.' Not only has Waterman met Smyrniotis's squad while playing for Montreal, the 29-year-old from Langley, B.C., also witnessed the beginning of Forge's dynasty when he played for Cavalry FC in the CPL's inaugural season. Waterman became the first player to transfer from CPL to MLS in 2020, and he says the league has only grown since. 'You see the gap getting smaller and smaller every year,' he said. '(Forge have) been one of the best teams in the CPL since the very beginning. 'They still have a lot of the same core. They're very, very well coached. That's why they've had a lot of success in a lot of different tournaments and in the league, so we know what they're about.' Montreal was the heavy underdog this past weekend when Lionel Messi put on a show with two spectacular goals in a 4-1 Inter Miami win on Saturday. On Wednesday, Montreal will boast the stronger side on paper, but Donadel said that won't matter if his group doesn't treat it like a must-win game. 'At the beginning of the game, we are all 11 (versus) 11. It's a lot about desire. Desire to show and desire to win,' he said. 'Tomorrow is a game where yes, we have the quality to win, and we need to show that we want to win.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 8, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
CF Montreal looks dig out of Canadian Championship hole against Forge: ‘It's a final'
MONTREAL – CF Montreal and Forge FC enter the second leg of their Canadian Championship quarterfinal with different outlooks. Montreal hosts Forge at Stade Saputo on Wednesday night after falling behind 1-0 to the lower-tier Canadian Premier League side in the first leg at Hamilton Stadium on May 20. Mired at the bottom of Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference with a 3-13-5 record, Montreal needs a result at home to salvage any realistic chance of winning a trophy this season. 'It's a final,' interim head coach Marco Donadel said. 'It's a super important game for us, where every detail will be important. Every stop, every situation, every set piece. The first minute, the last minute, the overtime will be like a final. 'It's the perfect night here at home to show what we can do.' While Montreal treats this as a do-or-die match, Forge head coach Bobby Smyrniotis wouldn't consider it a massive disappointment if his squad can't complete the upset. 'We're not playing in a final on Wednesday,' he said. 'It's not for a trophy, it's just a round that we need to get past and nothing is guaranteed in these types of games. 'Your season is not based on this one game.' In league play, Forge ranks second in the CPL standings with a 7-0-6 record for 27 points, one less than Atletico Ottawa. The four-time league champions — and six-time finalists in six seasons — stunned Montreal with a 2-1 victory at Stade Saputo last year, advancing to the cup semifinal 3-2 on aggregate. No CPL team, however, has ever won the Canadian Championship, which guarantees a spot in next year's CONCACAF Champions League. 'It's something that Forge will win at some point, hopefully while I'm here, but if not at some time it will come and it will for a team in the Canadian Premier League, that's for sure,' Smyrniotis said. 'If that could be this year that's great, but we don't think too far ahead. 'We've got to be at our best against a team that's playing for entry in the Champions League as well … here's your quickest route to do it for all the teams involved in this competition, so we're going to get the best of CF Montreal.' The three-time defending champion Vancouver Whitecaps host Valour FC at BC Place Stadium in Wednesday's other quarterfinal after a 2-2 draw in the first leg. Montreal and Forge, despite playing in different leagues, are familiar opponents. The two sides have met in the Canadian Championship for five straight years, with Montreal winning the first three matchups before last year's disappointment. Brian Wright's 78th-minute goal gave Forge the 1-0 advantage in the first leg on a night Montreal centre back Joel Waterman described his team's first-half performance as 'unacceptable.' 'They were better on second balls, better at battles,' said Waterman on Tuesday after recently playing for Canada at the Gold Cup. 'I felt like we were second-best at everything. 'Tomorrow it can't be that way.' Not only has Waterman met Smyrniotis's squad while playing for Montreal, the 29-year-old from Langley, B.C., also witnessed the beginning of Forge's dynasty when he played for Cavalry FC in the CPL's inaugural season. Waterman became the first player to transfer from CPL to MLS in 2020, and he says the league has only grown since. 'You see the gap getting smaller and smaller every year,' he said. '(Forge have) been one of the best teams in the CPL since the very beginning. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. 'They still have a lot of the same core. They're very, very well coached. That's why they've had a lot of success in a lot of different tournaments and in the league, so we know what they're about.' Montreal was the heavy underdog this past weekend when Lionel Messi put on a show with two spectacular goals in a 4-1 Inter Miami win on Saturday. On Wednesday, Montreal will boast the stronger side on paper, but Donadel said that won't matter if his group doesn't treat it like a must-win game. 'At the beginning of the game, we are all 11 (versus) 11. It's a lot about desire. Desire to show and desire to win,' he said. 'Tomorrow is a game where yes, we have the quality to win, and we need to show that we want to win.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 8, 2025.
Express Tribune
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Express Tribune
PSG ease past Seattle Sounders
Achraf Hakimi (R) scored Paris Saint-Germain's second goal in their 2-0 win over Seattle Sounders at the Club World Cup on Monday. Photo: AFP Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Achraf Hakimi scored either side of half-time as European champions Paris Saint-Germain eased to a 2-0 win over Seattle Sounders on Monday to secure their place in the last 16 of the Club World Cup. PSG needed to bounce back from their 1-0 loss at the hands of Botafogo in their last Group B outing and they were too strong for the MLS side without ever really playing to their full potential. Kvaratskhelia deflected a wayward Vitinha shot into the net to open the scoring on 35 minutes in front of 50,628 fans at Lumen Field, Sounders' home stadium. Hakimi then made it 2-0 just before the midway point in the second half to kill off any prospect of a comeback by the hosts. PSG are through and advance as group winners on goal difference, climbing up from second place because of Botafogo's late defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid at the same time in Pasadena. The French champions will now go through to a tie against the Group A runners-up in Atlanta on Sunday, as they leave the west coast for the first time since arriving in the United States. "It wasn't easy because the pitch was very different to what we are used to in Europe so we couldn't play with the fluidity that we like, but we adapted," said PSG coach Luis Enrique. He complained that the ball "bounced around like a rabbit" but also praised the opposition for their performance. "It was a great match, difficult for us, tough from the beginning because Seattle played a great match, with intensity and quality on and off the ball," said the Spaniard. Dembele again absent The Paris coach made four changes to his line-up following the defeat at the hands of Botafogo, with captain Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Fabian Ruiz and Joao Neves all coming in. However, Ousmane Dembele, their top scorer during the European season just finished with 33 goals in all competitions, played no part for a third game running after travelling to the tournament with an injury. The Sounders needed a big win combined with a defeat for Atletico to progress to the last 16, something which was always going to be a big ask for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League winners. They didn't have the quality to overly trouble PSG, who saw Desire Doue threaten early on with a powerful shot that was tipped over by home goalkeeper Stefan Frei. A mistake by goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma at the other end gifted a chance to the home side, but it was not an easy one for Jesus Ferreira and he fired off-target. The UEFA Champions League winners got the opening goal 10 minutes before the interval when the ball came out to Vitinha on the edge of the area and his attempt took a rather lucky touch off the back of Kvaratskhelia to find the net. The second goal arrived on 66 minutes after Doue played a delightful pass out to the wing for Bradley Barcola and the substitute cut in from the left before setting up Hakimi to control and slot in his 10th goal since the season began.
Ammon
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Ammon
PSG ease past Seattle Sounders and into Club World Cup last 16
Ammon News - Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Achraf Hakimi scored either side of half-time as European champions Paris Saint-Germain eased to a 2-0 win over Seattle Sounders on Monday to secure their place in the last 16 of the Club World Cup. PSG needed to bounce back from their 1-0 loss at the hands of Botafogo in their last Group B outing and they were too strong for the MLS side without ever really playing to their full potential. Kvaratskhelia deflected a wayward Vitinha shot into the net to open the scoring on 35 minutes in front of 50,628 fans at Lumen Field, Sounders' home stadium. Hakimi then made it 2-0 just before the midway point in the second half to kill off any prospect of a comeback by the hosts. PSG are through to the next round and advance as group winners on goal difference, climbing up from second place because of Botafogo's late defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid at the same time in Pasadena. The French champions will now go through to a tie against the Group A runners-up in Atlanta on Sunday, as they leave the west coast for the first time since arriving in the United States. Paris coach Luis Enrique made four changes to his line-up following the defeat at the hands of Botafogo, with captain Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Fabian Ruiz and Joao Neves all coming in. However Ousmane Dembele, their top scorer during the European season just finished with 33 goals in all competitions, played no part for a third game running after traveling to the tournament with an injury. The Sounders needed a big win combined with a defeat for Atletico to progress to the last 16, something which was always going to be a big ask for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League winners. They didn't have the quality to overly trouble PSG, who saw Desire Doue threaten early on with a powerful shot that was tipped over by home goalkeeper Stefan Frei. A mistake by goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma at the other end gifted a chance to the home side, but it was not an easy one for Jesus Ferreira and he fired off-target. The UEFA Champions League winners got the opening goal 10 minutes before the interval when the ball came out to Vitinha on the edge of the area and his attempt took a rather lucky touch off the back of Kvaratskhelia to find the net. The second goal arrived on 66 minutes after Doue played a delightful pass out to the wing for Bradley Barcola and the substitute cut in from the left before setting up Hakimi to control and slot in his 10th goal since the season began. AFP
NDTV
24-06-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
PSG Ease Past Seattle Sounders And Into Club World Cup Last 16
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Achraf Hakimi scored either side of half-time as European champions Paris Saint-Germain eased to a 2-0 win over Seattle Sounders on Monday to secure their place in the last 16 of the Club World Cup. PSG needed to bounce back from their 1-0 loss at the hands of Botafogo in their last Group B outing and they were too strong for the MLS side without ever really playing to their full potential. Kvaratskhelia deflected a wayward Vitinha shot into the net to open the scoring on 35 minutes in front of 50,628 fans at Lumen Field, Sounders' home stadium. Hakimi then made it 2-0 just before the midway point in the second half to kill off any prospect of a comeback by the hosts. PSG are through and advance as group winners on goal difference, climbing up from second place because of Botafogo's late defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid at the same time in Pasadena. The French champions will now go through to a tie against the Group A runners-up in Atlanta on Sunday, as they leave the west coast for the first time since arriving in the United States. "It wasn't easy because the pitch was very different to what we are used to in Europe so we couldn't play with the fluidity that we like, but we adapted," said PSG coach Luis Enrique. He complained that the ball "bounced around like a rabbit" but also praised the opposition for their performance. "It was a great match, difficult for us, tough from the beginning because Seattle played a great match, with intensity and quality on and off the ball," said the Spaniard. - Dembele again absent - The Paris coach made four changes to his line-up following the defeat at the hands of Botafogo, with captain Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Fabian Ruiz and Joao Neves all coming in. However Ousmane Dembele, their top scorer during the European season just finished with 33 goals in all competitions, played no part for a third game running after travelling to the tournament with an injury. The Sounders needed a big win combined with a defeat for Atletico to progress to the last 16, something which was always going to be a big ask for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League winners. They didn't have the quality to overly trouble PSG, who saw Desire Doue threaten early on with a powerful shot that was tipped over by home goalkeeper Stefan Frei. A mistake by goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma at the other end gifted a chance to the home side, but it was not an easy one for Jesus Ferreira and he fired off-target. The UEFA Champions League winners got the opening goal 10 minutes before the interval when the ball came out to Vitinha on the edge of the area and his attempt took a rather lucky touch off the back of Kvaratskhelia to find the net. The second goal arrived on 66 minutes after Doue played a delightful pass out to the wing for Bradley Barcola and the substitute cut in from the left before setting up Hakimi to control and slot in his 10th goal since the season began.
