MIAMI.- A pair of teams with ambitions of a deep run in the Concacaf League kick off their Preliminary round series Thursday with Forge FC and FAS meeting in the Estadio Cuscatlán in San Salvador.
Forge is the host team with the second leg set for the same venue. The Canadian Premier League champions have been able to return home to Tim Hortons Field for the 2021 season, most recently seeing off Atlético Ottawa 2-0 but struggling to match the form of past seasons. Through 11 matches, Forge sit tied for third in the table with 18 points and are yet to draw this season, winning six and dropping five.
While it’s not Hamilton, it’s a stadium Forge knows well from its run to the quarterfinals of the 2020 Concacaf League. Forge got past Municipal Limeño in the Preliminary round, then knocked off Tauro before falling to Arcahaie in penalty kicks.
All of that took place away from home, so Forge would love to get into the next round and perhaps finally bring Concacaf League action to its home ground.
To do that, they’ll have to top FAS without their manager, Bobby Smyrniotis, and their captain, Kyle Bekker, with each suspended after receiving red cards in the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League play-in match against Marathon, which the Hondurans won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Edwin Solano.
FAS is off to a fast start in the Salvadoran league, sitting in first through three match days with two victories and a draw. Manager Jorge “Zarco” Rodriguez’s squad hasn’t lost since an April 25 contest against fellow Concacaf League entrant Once Deportivo - a 10-match streak.
The squad has seen some departures since winning the title in May, with Carlos “Gullit” Peña among those moving on.
Yet many of the key pieces remain. Luis Peralta already has three goals in three league matches, while Dustin Corea and Tomas Granitto help form a strong midfield.
The second leg of the series is set for August 17.