No shortage of quality as Forge FC battle with Motagua

MIAMI, Florida – The 2021 Scotiabank Concacaf League semifinals continue on Wednesday with a very interesting first leg battle between Forge FC of Canada and Honduran giants Motagua at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario.

For Forge, these are uncharted waters. For the first time ever the Canadian Premier League side have reached the semifinal stage in what is their third appearance in the tournament.

With a first ever berth in the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League secured for 2022, the two-time CPL champions, who reached their third straight CPL Final over the weekend, will be keen to take a big step toward a first Concacaf Final.

Like so many times before, Forge will look to the goal-scoring prowess of Molham Babouli in attack. Babouli has three goals and a pair of assists to lead the way, while Tristan Borges has a goal and two assists in the SCL.

Forge have also gotten a big boost recently from new arrivals Omar Browne and Joshua Navarro. The Panamanian and Costa Rican, respectively, each scored in Forge’s memorable 3-0 win over Santos de Guapiles of Costa Rica in the decisive quarterfinal second leg.

Standing in the way of a trip to the Final is perhaps the biggest obstacle Forge have ever faced in their SCL history. Finalists in 2018 and 2019, Motagua are on the hunt for a first SCL title of their own, and they marched into the semifinals with authority, downing fellow Honduran club Marathon 4-0 on aggregate.

Game Notes, Stats Forge FC vs FC Motagua 

When one thinks of Motagua, it is hard not to start with Kevin Lopez, who will play his 25^th SCL match with the club. With seven career SCL goals, Lopez has been just as effective in the 2021 campaign, with two goals and an assist.

Roberto Moreira has also proven to be a key figure for the Catracho club, with two goals in the previous round against Marathon, giving him five career SCL goals. Not to be outdone is Matias Galvaliz, who is the all-time assists leader in SCL history with six, followed by the aforementioned Lopez (4).

Two well-coached sides boasting dynamic attacks should make for a very entertaining two legs of football.