Cavalry made it look easy.
From the first minute to the last, they dominated Forge, allowing them little to no chances on goal.
They ended the Hammers' 24-game unbeaten streak, with their last loss dating back to February, when they were beaten twice by Mexican giants Monterrey.
From the opening seconds, it was clear the Cavs had come to play, dominate, and entertain the fans—and that’s exactly what they did.
They scored not one, not two, not three, but four goals—only the third time Forge has conceded four in a Canadian Premier League match.
Sergio Camargo was unstoppable. Playing in his usual No. 10 role behind Tobias Warschewski, he left Forge clinging on.
The wingers were key as well.
Ali Musse had fun on the right flank, but not as much as Goteh Ntignee, who made a mockery of Rezart Rama throughout the match—just as he did in Cavalry’s 3-0 win over Forge in 2023.
Alessandro Hojabrpour was often caught too far up the pitch, unable to recover against Cavalry’s quick transitions. This allowed Camargo to exploit the half space between the backline and Hojabrpour, Forge’s deepest midfielder, giving him chance after chance.
"I feel like behind Goteh, Tobi and Musse, I'm the lion tamer. I let them go whenever I feel like it's time to go, and I try to chain them in whenever I feel like the team behind us can't keep up with them, because they're so dynamic, they're so fast, they're so dangerous. My job is to let them be as effective and as dangerous as possible, while making sure that we keep our shape and we keep the principles that we work on during the week." said Sergio Camargo.
Six minutes in, Warschewski laid off the simplest pass of his life to a wide-open Camargo, who had all the time in the world but saw his shot crash off the crossbar.
Forge never managed to adapt to the speed of Cavalry’s play, something even head coach Bobby Smyrniotis admitted afterward as he bluntly assessed his side’s 4-1 defeat.
🎙️ @ForgeFCHamilton head coach Bobby Smyrniotis on what went wrong in the 4-1 loss to @CPLCavalryFC: "We were terrible on the ball,"
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) August 30, 2025
🔴 Watch #CanPL on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/0FiDhpSHEd
"When you’re not good on the ball, the field is open, there’s transitions, and transition teams can score goals, including Forge. If we’re not good on the ball, we’ll keep ourselves open to transitions. When you pass the ball to the other team when you have zero pressure on you, it’s going to be a problem," said the 46-year-old.
While it’s classic Bobby not to give any credit to the winning team—credit Cavalry very much deserved after such a performance—he was right that Forge were poor on the ball.
The midfield, in particular, made several uncharacteristic mistakes.
Forge also struggled to create chances and were clearly missing one player: Tristan Borges.
Borges had started the last five games for the Hammers, so it’s unclear why he was left out of the starting XI.
When he came on, Forge looked a bit better going forward. Not their usual best, but at least an improvement.
The problems weren’t just in midfield. Dan Nimick and Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson, usually so reliable at centre-back, both made mistakes that directly led to two Cavalry goals.
Minutes after the Cavs went 2-0 up, Achinioti-Jönsson stepped forward to clear a ball but hesitated, allowing Tobias Warschewski to run onto it. The Hammers quickly learned the hard way that you can’t give Warschewski that much space and time.
Just a minute after Forge pulled one back, it was Nimick’s turn to slip. A loose ball bounced his way, but he hesitated, leaving the speedy Goteh Ntignee to pounce, drive into the box, and set up Sergio Camargo, who made no mistake.
Beware of Cavalry
It’s a little too late for the Cavs to make a push for the CPL Shield. They sit 13 points back of first with only 21 left in play. They’d need a miracle.
But, as you know, North American leagues have playoffs, and the CPL is no exception.
Cavalry will be a real threat once they get there.
Assuming they finish third, they’ll likely host either Halifax or York. Cavalry holds a 16-3-5 record against York, while the Wanderers have never won at Spruce Meadows.
Barring a return to their typical pre-2024 playoff form, Cavalry would then meet Forge or Ottawa in the second semi-final.
The Cavs haven’t made many major changes from last year’s Shield-winning squad.
Daan Klomp did leave but returned midway through the season, and the difference the Dutchman has made has been massive.
Cavalry has scored 11 in their past three matches.
What's next for both
The Cavs head to North Toronto on Friday to face York United, who will be pushing to claim third place.
Forge returns home looking to turn the page as they host the Halifax Wanderers. With Ottawa just three points behind, every match Forge plays is crucial.
