It's round two of a back-to-back meeting between the Halifax Wanderers and Forge. The first bout saw the Hammers record a decisive victory away from home against the Nova Scotian side.

Now, with home-field advantage, will Forge continue their dominant run of form? Or will the Wanderers get their revenge and advance in the tournament?

How Forge come into the match

The Hammers are in great form and will be carrying a lot of confidence and belief that they can go very far in this tournament.

They looked very dominant in their last five matchups and have yet to concede in open play. With a roster returning to full health, Kyle Bekker obtaining minutes, and Nana Ampomah resolving his visa issues, Forge are looking like potential favourites for this tournament. Bobby Smyrniotis and his staff will be on their toes and anticipating potential changes in Halifax's approach to this matchup.

How the Halifax Wanderers come into the match

Head coach Vanni Sartini mentioned in last week's press conference that there would be changes in strategy and personnel from the last matchup, which, despite seeing the team obtain eight shots in the final 10 minutes, was an overall uninspiring performance from the Halifax side. An injection of energy and inspiration could do wonders for the Wanderers to take the sting out of Forge's winning ways.

Last time out

Forge and Halifax met just last weekend in league action in what was a dominant display of football by Forge, who beat the Wanderers 3-1 in Halifax.

Availability

Nana Ampomah has resolved his visa issues and is expected to be on the bench for the Hammers.

Ryan Telfer did not appear last week but is close to a return for the Wanderers.

Projected XIs

Forge FC (4-3-3): Dimitry Bertaud; Marko Jevremovic, Daniel Nimick, Antoine Batisse, Reart Rama; Ben Paton, Anthony Aromatario, Noah Jensen; Hoce Massunda, Brian Wright, Tristan Borges

Halifax Wanderers (3-5-2): Marco Carducci; Kareem Sow, Thomas Meilleur-Giguère, Finn Linder; Francesco Troisi, Andre Rampersad, Lorenzo Callegari, Isaiah Johnston, Marcus Godinho; Tavio Ciccarelli, Cyprian Kachwele

Game information and how to watch

📆 Saturday, May 9, 2026
⏰ 4:00 pm ET / 5:00 pm SAT
📺 OneSoccer
🧑‍⚖️ Yusri Rudolf
🏟 Hamilton Stadium, Hamilton, Canada