Good work by Hamilton! It's unfortunate that they weren't able to hit a second goal (Bekker was close) but they were also fortunate to escape a lot of Olimpia chances, including the missed penalty shot. Here's to hoping Hamilton can hold it for the road game. Olimpia will have its full line up back after a number of players missed the trip to Hamilton with visa and other issues. Of course, Olimpia will also be missing out on the home crowd support for the closed-door game.
https://www.concacafleague.com/en/article/nanco-s-early-strike-pushes-forge-fc-past-olimpia is titled "Nanco's early strike pushes Forge FC past Olimpia." After Chris Nanco scored in the 4th minute, Forge's Triston Henry saved a penalty kick in the 23rd minute. The article made it sound like Olimpia had more chances, while the highlights showed Forge having more chances. Somebody needs to tell Concacaf and a bunch of other sites to have quiet or no background music for highlights. Highlights aren't concerts. What caused visa issues? I've heard of the USA not letting in players on Concacaf clubs, but I hadn't heard of Canada not letting opponents in.
This win also speaks volume of the strength of League 1 Ontario (D3)Outstanding. Congratulations to @ForgeFCHamilton To think that nearly half of the starting XI were starting in @League1Ontario last year. Amazing!! https://t.co/0IizXrynOE— Dino Rossi (@DinoDRossi) August 23, 2019
I just read this from the CPL. It is short on details as to why: https://canpl.ca/article/report-cd-olimpia-reduced-to-17-players-for-leg-1-trip-to-hamilton
Prior to the CPL, L1O was already sending a substantial number of players on to higher leagues. A lot to the USL and MLS, some to lower-level European leagues, and a few elsewhere around the world. The CPL has provided a much easier and more obvious way up and forward for L1O players.
This is the end of the CONCACAF campaign for Forge who lost 4-1 (4-2 on aggregate). Olimpia proved too strong for Forge. That was a great run for this team who exceeded expectations and proved that CPL has a lot of potential. It will be interesting to see how the league reacts and what lessons will be learned. 👀 No te pierdas las mejores jugadas de la victoria 4-1 de @CDOlimpia 🇭🇳 sobre @ForgeFCHamilton 🇨🇦 en el partido de vuelta de Octavos de Final | #SCL2019 #LoveForOurGame pic.twitter.com/6iRRtAb7S8— Concacaf (@Concacaf) August 30, 2019
Hamilton showed very well but just didn't have enough to hang with one of the big teams in the CONCACAF League. I take this as a starting spot for the CPL entry into this tournament. We can go forward from here as the CPL improves.