PREVIEW: HFX Wanderers FC vs. Forge FC – Match #76

Forge FC and HFX Wanderers will tangle for the second time in four days Wednesday when they complete a Fall season home-and-home series at Wanderers Grounds in Halifax. Sunday’s match at Tim Hortons Field ended in a 2-2 draw, which saw the sides split points after a back-and-forth second half. HFX enjoyed the run of play for the better part of an hour, despite being the underdog in a best-versus-worst encounter. Goals from Akeem Garcia and Juan Diego Guitieriez gave the visitors a much-deserved lead in just their second CPL match in 30 days. Forge stormed back in the last half hour, however, with goals from Chris Nanco and Tristan Borges ending the chances of an upset.
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The result put Forge, who are unbeaten in 10 matches, closer to the CPL’s Championship. Now just nine points away from clinching that second spot, Forge could get even closer Wednesday. HFX, largely looking to play spoiler, will hope for a replay of their inaugural home opener in May, which saw a historic 2-1 win over Forge at Wanderers Grounds. HFX will be back in action at Wanderers Grounds on Saturday when they host Valour FC (1:00 p.m. ET, 2:00 p.m. AT/OneSoccer). Forge are set for a 10-day break after they visit Halifax, with a home date vs. Pacific FC on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET/OneSoccer).

• Panic stations: HFX coach Stephen Hart attributed that two-goal collapse Sunday to "a little bit of panic" against the league leaders. Defensively, they sat too deep for Hart’s liking, leading to those two goals and ending a stalwart performance at the back, which saw Forge, boasting the league’s most potent offence, only record their first shot on target in the 70th minute. Can they do it for a full 90?​
• Heavy legs: Whether it was fatigue or an overall lack of sharpness, Forge came up flat in the first half against HFX. The Wanderers made them pay, too, with a series of costly giveaways in their half, leading to chances and goals for the visitors. It was one of the worst halves Forge had played on their 10-match league unbeaten run and could be seen as a crack in the armour, regardless if they switched off or not.​
• Give Me Mo: One of the CPL’s standout wingers was up to his old tricks on Sunday. Mohamed Kourouma was instrumental in stretching the tired Forge side by controlling the ball at the touchline, just as he did for Garcia on his team-leading fifth goal. Watch to see how Forge deals with his speed and passing ability, which unlocked them too often in the previous encounter.​

Forge FC: Triston Henry; Dominic Samuel, Bertrand Owundi, David Edgar, Daniel Krutzen; Giuliano Frano, Kyle Bekker, Kwame Awuah; Chris Nanco, Anthony Novak, Klaidi Cela HFX Wanderers FC: Christian Oxner; Ndzemdzela Langwa, Duran Lee, Matthew Arnone, Andre Bona; Mohamed Kourouma, Juan Diego Gutierrez, Elton John, Andre Rampersad; Akeem Garcia Thomasz Skublak

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