Bekker re-signs for two years
The Forge captain and face of the CPL was a free agent. However, his return to Hamilton was inevitable
There was never really any doubt that Kyle Bekker was coming back to Forge FC.
“It was just a matter of figuring out all the little stuff, and keep doing this together,” says the 11th-year pro, who officially re-signed for two more years with the Canadian Premier League soccer champions Tuesday.
The dominant midfielder is not only the face of this franchise, he’s the face of the entire CPL, a threetime finalist for Player of the Year — he won in 2020 — who has led upstart Hamilton to unanticipated success internationally, as well as domestically. No other CPL team has qualified for more than one league final, but Forge has been to all four, winning thrice. It’s also taken Toronto FC and CF Montréal to the limit in the Canadian championships.
And Bekker has been team captain for every minute of it. Coach Bobby Smyrniotis and his brother Costa, the general manager, made him the team’s first acquisition and de facto captain from the moment he signed on in late 2018.
Bekker, who was the Major League Soccer’s third draft choice overall in 2013 after a great Boston College career, is an outspoken supporter of the CPL — he often says Forge’s international play is a showcase for the league — but, although he was a pending free agent, no other CPL team was going to have a chance at him. Forge wants him now, next year and probably for even a few years beyond that, and it would be a shock if he doesn’t stay with the organization after his playing career.
He is, in many respects, to Hamilton soccer what Simoni Lawrence is to Hamilton football. They personify the Tim Hortons Field generation of their franchises, one in the ancient black and gold, the other in the new orange and grey.
“For us, it was a priority to have him back here. Both sides wanted that,” said Bobby Smyrniotis. “It’s a natural progression of what we’ve done. It mostly comes down to how the players look up to him. He’s the leader of everyone. The biggest thing is how he works, his professionalism on and off the field.”
This season, the Forge have returned a large percentage of their roster, but last year had their biggest personnel turnover ever, and the team has a lot of still-fledgling pros. Bekker is the beacon for the startling adjustment to professional life in the team sport with by far the shortest off-season.
Hamilton has a strong group of veteran leaders, with a player or two added to that core each year, but it’s always been helmed by Bekker, with 2022 Defender of the Year Alex Achinioti-Jönsson as the first lieutenant.
“There’s quite a lot of talk among the group of more experienced players, and we try to involve everyone” says Achinioti-Jönsson. “It’s him setting the standard and our goals. He’s been the captain the entire existence. It’s a huge re-signing.”
Bekker is proud of Forge’s fouryear growth: “How far we’ve got and the places we’ve been able to play, and the teams we’ve played against. How we’ve represented this community and each other.
“But this is the fifth year, kind of the start of a new cycle. We have a massive group coming back but it’s still a very young group. It’s an exciting year for guys who have a first year under their belt and can now step into it and really put their stamp on this.”
He says the main thing any player can control is work ethic and that is what Hamilton and the surrounding communities represent and, in turn, what they appreciate about the Forge. They have their off days, but are generally relentless on the pitch, a function of their hard and creative practices, and the self-accountability that Bekker and others dictate on a daily basis.
Turning 33 in September, he’s had to change some of his training routines to accommodate the realities of age but says his body is in good shape and well-prepared and that, working under Smyrniotis, he’s actually a smarter player than he was when he arrived.
He sees this season as a critical one to increase attendance and community presence, and to get back to the Champions League by winning the Canadian championship, the CPL regular-season title or the CPL playoff championship. Or all three.
He doesn’t do it alone, but Bekker sets the tone for not only Forge’s work ethic and quick, ball-control offence but for their aggressive collective persona. That’s hardened by the fire of international play but it was there from the team’s first game in 2019, when Bekker physically challenged York players. This team does not back away, sometimes to its detriment but usually to its betterment.
“I don’t think we’ve ever gone out to say ‘We have to be the bully’ but we definitely want to be the aggressor whether it’s in the way we’re keeping the ball, or the way we’re attacking,” he says.
“I think some people in this league sometimes get the wrong impression that we just want to play pretty football and don’t want to do any of the business. But I think we’ve shown more often than not we’re capable of a fight,” he added.
“The older you get, you have to add that to your arsenal.”