RECAP + HIGHLIGHTS: Forge FC vs. Inter Toronto | September 05, 2026

Forge FC and Inter Toronto squared off on Saturday night in another feisty 905 Derby clash, and this time the two sides each left with a share of the spoils.

Inter Toronto offered up a few surprises in their starting XI for the match. With several usual starters injured, coach Mauro Eustáquio handed a first professional start to 18-year-old Ty Clarke, an academy product who had spent most of 2026 with the club's Ontario Premier League side. In goal, Eustáquio turned to another youngster in Kai Campos, who likewise got his first start.

Forge, meanwhile, went for a midfield of Kyle Bekker, Noah Jensen and Anthony Aromatario, the latter returning to the XI after three games on the bench or out of the squad.

The game began with a pace befitting a derby match; Forge, ever the aggressors on home soil, controlled the ball and steadily worked into Inter Toronto's half.

It would be the visitors who drew first blood, though. Inter Toronto sought to bypass the jam-packed midfield, so Oswaldo León floated a long pass from the back straight into the feet of the speedy Clarke.

Clarke took a quick touch around Forge defender Daniel Krutzen and laced it past Dimitry Bertaud into the net, giving Inter Toronto their first lead over Forge since June 2025.

"It was unbelievable," Clarke told reporters postmatch after scoring his first professional goal. "To be honest, I can't really describe the feeling. It was just a surreal moment."

Once Toronto pulled in front, the rest of the first half was one-way traffic as Forge looked for their equalizer.

The visitors weathered the storm well, turning away wave after wave of Forge attack. Toronto's back three of Oswaldo León, Frank Sturing and Luke Singh remained compact throughout, and they kept Forge to the perimeter of the pitch to avoid any significant danger.

Of course, they also needed a few key saves from Campos to silence Forge, who weren't as lethal in front of goal as they'd have hoped.

Unfortunately for Campos, though, the clean sheet couldn't last forever. After another long period of Forge pressure began the second half, the Hammers eventually found a way through.

Bekker sent a long ball forward along the right flank for Rezart Rama to chase, and the Forge right-back was able to track it down just inches before the end line. Rama steered the ball across the box, where Hoce Massunda arrived to turn it toward goal. Although Campos parried the initial shot, the momentum carried it over the Toronto keeper's shoulder and into the net to give Forge an equalizer.

Buoyed by the goal, Forge continued to press as they clearly felt the win was there for the taking. They found considerable joy down the right flank, primarily with Nana Ampomah running into space behind Toronto's wing-back, but the visitors turned them away repeatedly.

Neither side could find a second goal in the end, meaning both teams left with a somewhat underwhelming point. Forge, who rarely drop any points at all at Hamilton Stadium, have now done so in two of their last three home games, giving Cavalry FC the opportunity to pull further ahead in the CPL Shield race on Monday if they can win in Halifax.

Toronto, meanwhile, remain eight points below the playoff line. They still have two games in hand to make up and try to cover the ground between them and fourth place, but a win in Hamilton could have been a season-turning result for them.

Instead, Inter Toronto are on another three-match winless streak where they scored first in every game but couldn't hold on to win any.

Mauro Eustáquio, obviously frustrated with the recent results, suggested postmatch that his side struggled in the second half because they couldn't get their passes connected right.

"I think our main thing was our distances," Eustáquio said. "In the first half we were a little bit sharper, we were understanding when to play long and when to play inside, and I thought we had opportunities. ... In the second half, we relaxed a little bit too much. Our distances were a bit too big, and we had a bit more difficulty as especially our front players, they were always receiving the ball with their back towards goal, then that's kind of the initiation for the press. At that point, we're not playing forward, we're playing backwards, and it gets complicated. When you start giving a good quality team like Forge at home small pressing triggers like that, it becomes difficult."

Box Score

Starting XIs

Forge FC: Bertaud; Rama, Nimick, Krutzen, Jevremović; Bekker (Bourgeois 72'), Aromatario, Jensen (Paton 46'); Massunda (Wright 72'), Sadek (Borges 84'), Ampomah (Filion 88')

Inter Toronto: Campos; Guzmán, Sturing, Singh, León, Córdova; Yeates, Bassett; Clarke (Onyeocha 74'), Skublak (Accettola 65'), Almagro (Kibato 59')

Goals

12' - Ty Clarke (Inter Toronto)
70' - Hoce Massunda (Forge FC)

Discipline

25' - Yellow: Ariel Almagro (Inter Toronto)
38' - Yellow: Rezart Rama (Forge FC)
64' - Yellow: Nana Ampomah (Forge FC)
75' - Yellow: Chimaobim Onyeocha (Inter Toronto)
90' - Yellow: Tristan Borges (Forge FC)

CPLSoccer.com Player of the Match

Oswaldo León, Inter Toronto

The Toronto defender gets credit for an assist on the opening goal, having found Clarke with a phenomenal long pass. León was also excellent at the back all night, winning 10 out of 13 duels and making five successful tackles as well as five clearances.

What's Next?

Inter Toronto return home for two games in the next week, beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 9 against Pacific FC (7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT), followed by a game against Vancouver FC on Sunday, Sept. 13 (3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT).

Forge will also be at home next weekend, as they welcome Atlético Ottawa to Hamilton on Saturday, Sept. 12 (7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT).