2025 Concacaf Champions Cup — Round One (Leg 2)
CF Monterrey vs. Forge FC
Feb. 11, 2025 at 8 p.m. ET
Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico
Watch Live: OneSoccer
After doing battle on the frozen turf at Hamilton Stadium last week, Forge FC and CF Monterrey head south to the much warmer Monterrey for the second leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup first round matchup on Tuesday.
Following a 2-0 victory in the first leg this past Wednesday, courtesy of a pair of fantastic goals from Nelson Deossa and Jordi Cortizo, the Liga MX side hold a significant advantage as the clubs step onto the pitch at Estadio BBVA.
As a result, Forge once again face a colossal challenge as they travel to Mexico for the season leg. A 3-1 victory for the Columbus Crew in the semi-finals of last year’s Champions Cup was only CF Monterrey’s second loss in 25 home knockout matches in this competition.
Meanwhile, in 22 all-time matches between Liga MX clubs and Canadian sides played in Mexico, a Canadian club has won just once — Toronto FC 2-1 in the 2018 Final second leg against Chivas Guadalajara, and they would still lose the series on penalties.
For Forge, with away goals in effect, only a 2-0 victory on Tuesday could send the match to two 15-minute periods of extra time, followed by a penalty shootout if it is still tied. Any other stunning result in which Forge win by two or more goals and they would make a surprising advancement to the round of 16.
“I think the game plan is clear to the players,” said Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis. “We know we’ll create chances. We’re a team that plays football, we’re a team that doesn’t sit and watch. So we know we’re going to come out and play some entertaining football, and then we know it’s about the margin, the small things obviously. If we have an opportunity early, we need to take it, and that changes the dynamic of the game.”
Knowing they need goals, it does work in Forge’s favour that they have scored in each of their previous two trips to Mexico: David Choinière against Cruz Azul in 2022 at the Azteca and Kevaughn Tavernier against Chivas Guadalajara last year.
Forge have never scored more than one goal in a match in this competition, however, and need to be significantly more clinical than they were in the first leg. The Hamilton club created some fantastic opportunities, most notably close-range misses from Brian Wright and Alex Achinioti-Jönsson on either side of halftime. Score either of those chances, or certainly both, and this tie looks a lot different.
While the incredibly slippery turf in Hamilton on Wednesday probably gave Forge some semblance of a home advantage, it also didn’t help them much in the final third either. For a club that likes to play fluid attacking football, much of their attempted link-up play fell apart as players struggled to find footing on the Hamilton Stadium turf.
One environmental factor which won’t be as much of a concern for Forge as it has been on past Concacaf Champions Cup trips is altitude. After playing some 2,243 miles above sea level at the Estadio Azteca in 2022, and then 1,671 at Estadio Akron last year, Estadio BBVA is closer to 493.
It will be yet another special venue for Forge to play in, however. Tuesday’s trip to the Estadio BBVA will mean the Hamilton club has played in all three of Mexico’s 2026 World Cup host venues.
Monterrey made international headlines this week with the signing of 38-year-old superstar central defender Sergio Ramos. Having not played a professional match since last May for Sevilla in La Liga, it seems unlikely he will be in the squad against Forge. But it is not out of the question.
After heading up north this past week with almost all of their first team — many of whom featured against Forge, the Liga MX side have since had another trip to the northern border of Mexico to face Juárez in the league. A 2-1 loss continued what has been a disappointing domestic campaign for Rayados, who currently sit 13th in the table with just a single win through six matches. They will be desperate for a more positive result on Tuesday night.
Whichever team advances on Tuesday, they will have a bit of a wait before finding out their Round of 16 opponent — as they meet the winner of Deportivo Saprissa and the Vancouver Whitecaps. Those clubs kick off their matchup on Thursday, Feb. 20, with the second leg set to be played at BC Place on Thursday, Feb. 27.
The 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup is available to stream in Canada on OneSoccer, FuboTV, or on TELUS Optik TV Channel 980.
3 THINGS TO WATCH
- Can Forge build on solid first-leg display?: As they watched back their first leg against CF Monterrey over the past few days, Forge almost certainly felt hard done by the conclusion of what was a solid overall performance. They kept more possession, with 53 per cent, had two big chances to Monterrey’s zero, yet come into Tuesday’s contest down 2-0 on aggregate. What they have made clear over the course of their three matchups against top Liga MX opposition is that they can create chances and goals. Now, if they want to get a first-ever result in this competition they know their approach needs to be two-fold: making the most of the opportunities they create while limiting the errors that lead to chances for their dangerous opposition. “It was a great game for us just being able to control the game in the way that we wanted to,” said Forge midfielder Tristan Borges of the first leg. “And I think we did a good job, I think that brought a lot of confidence going into this next one.”
- Can Forge manage defensive set pieces better?: One area where Forge can make clear improvements in the second leg is in their handling of defensive set pieces. So far, in their Concacaf history, five of the 11 goals they have conceded have come from dead ball situations. One such goal came in Tuesday’s first leg when Jordi Cortizo sent a perfectly hit free kick from the top of the box off the post and into the net. Give away a free kick in that area of the pitch, and a club of Monterrey’s quality is sure to punish you more often than not. Forge also conceded seven corner kicks to Monterrey in that first leg, something they will want to limit as much as possible in the second leg. “It’s something that can change things immediately in one single play in the game,” said Smyrniotis. “When you look at it, corner kick service, free kicks into the box, that’s something you need to be top with, and obviously you want to avoid certain free kicks around the zone.”
- Can Monterrey get a much-needed home victory?: While Monterrey may not have the natural advantage of altitude which becomes a challenge when playing some Liga MX sides, Estadio BBVA has still historically been a fortress for Rayados. Between Sept. 18, 2024 and Jan. 25 of this year, they went ten straight matches without a loss at home, winning six of those contests. But like other aspects of their Clausura so far, things haven’t gone quite as well for Monterrey to start this season at home, with just one victory in their three home matches so far. Tuesday will be a match they will want to take full advantage of in order to get back to winning ways at home in front of their loyal supporters. But, they will also have an eye toward Sunday’s away trip to Querétaro, where they desperately need three points, which perhaps can provide a slight advantage for Forge.
PROJECTED STARTING XIs
CF Monterrey: Cardenas; Chávez, Leone, Moreno, Reyes; Ambriz; Cortizo, Deossa, Torres, Corona; de la Rosa
Forge FC: Koleilat; Rama, Nimick, Achinioti-Jönsson, Jevremović; Hojabrpour, Bekker, Borges; Choinière, Babouli, Wright
CONCACAF CHAMPIONS CUP HISTORY
CF Monterrey all-time record: 52-18-12
Best finish: Champions (2011, 2012, 2013, 2019, 2023)
Forge FC all-time record: 0-0-5
Best finish: Round one (2022, 2024)
KEY QUOTES
“I believe in my team. We have a way of playing football. It’s something we always believe in. And even now, we have a tough battle ahead of us tomorrow, but our heads are high, our game plan is there because we know that these games are decided on margins. We also know Monterrey is in a tough period in the Clausura, the results aren’t there. They have a game coming up this weekend, so they have to make some decisions about what the squad looks like over these matches.” — Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis
“It’s obviously something to be proud of to participate in this. But I think we’ve hit a point where we want to get results as well.” — Forge FC midfielder Tristan Borges
