It's a Canada Day showdown in CPL matchweek 11, as league leaders Forge FC welcome seventh-place Vancouver FC to Hamilton Stadium.

Forge will look to continue their dominant, methodical run of form, while Vancouver hopes to carry the momentum from its gritty comeback victory over B.C. rivals Pacific FC, pull off a major upset, and secure three consecutive wins for the first time since May 2024.

How Forge come into the match

Forge comes into this matchup with high levels of confidence and focus. The Hammers have proven numerous times this season that they are very hard to break down defensively and more clinical than most offensively. Expect Bobby Smyrniotis' side to continue building from the back, try to exhaust their opponents, and finish their chances. With home-field advantage on their side, Forge will look to win as comfortably as possible and secure all three points.

How Vancouver FC come into the match

The Eagles come into this matchup with a boost in morale after last week's decisive home win over the Tridents, extending their winning streak to two matches. Despite their recent success, Martin Nash's side is expected to set up in a narrow low block and look to exploit Forge on the counterattack. With pacey wingers such as Mo Ammisi and Thierno Bah, along with former Premier League striker Lys Mousset continuing to regain his fitness and attacking sharpness, Vancouver has the quality to punish on the break and pull off an upset. If Forge gets too comfortable going forward and switches off defensively, we may very well see all three points go the way of the Eagles.

Players to watch

For the Hammers, expect wide players such as Hoce Massunda, Ben Paton, and Tristan Borges to cause plenty of havoc in the attacking third and deliver dangerous balls into the six-yard box. Nana Ampomah also appears to have his visa and fitness issues behind him, and he'll be expected to be as influential as he was in last year's campaign, when the 30-year-old Ghanaian winger recorded six goals and three assists in 21 matches. Forge's leading goalscorer Brian Wright is another player to watch, along with the influential left foot of Marko Jevremović. There will be plenty of players Vancouver will have to account for if they want to get a result.

For the Eagles, players such as Thierno Bah, Mo Ammissi, Aboubacar Traoré, and Lys Mousset will have to be clinical on the counterattack and make the most of the chances that come their way. Expect Luis Toomey to head into this matchup full of confidence after the 24-year-old Kiwi showed his quality by scoring the winner against Pacific. Defensively, players like Tom Field, Matteo Campagna, Kian Proctor, and Morey Doner will surely be under plenty of pressure and will need to be at the top of their game to earn a positive result.

Last time out

The last time these two teams met was in Matchweek 2 in Langley, B.C., where the Hammers secured a 1-0 victory thanks to a 90th-minute winner from forward Maxime Filion. The match was action-packed and required several crucial saves from both Dimitry Bertaud and Callum Irving. The Eagles were unlucky not to come away with at least a point, while Forge would have breathed a huge sigh of relief after securing all three points.

Availability

No injuries from either team to report at this time. 

Projected XIs

Forge FC (4-3-3): Dimitry Bertaud; Marko Jevremovic, Daniel Nimick, Antoine Batisse, Rezart Rama; Ben Paton, Anthony Aromatario, Tristan Borges; Hoce Massunda, Ismael Oketo, Nana Ampomah

Vancouver FC (4-4-2): Callum Irving; Kian Proctor, Matteo Campagna, Tom Field, Morey Doner; Thierno Bah, Damiano Pecile, Marcello Polisi, Mohamad Amissi; Terran Campbell, Lys Mousset

Game information and how to watch

📆 Wednesday, July 1, 2026
⏰ 1:00 pm ET / 10:00 am PT
📺 OneSoccer
🧑‍⚖️ Fabrizio Stasolla
🏟 Hamilton Stadium, Hamilton, Canada