GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala – Head Coach Bobby Smyrniotis of Forge FC of Canada knows that Antigua GFC is sure to pose a threat when the two teams meet in the second leg of the 2019 Scotiabank Concacaf League Preliminary Round on Thursday night at the Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

The Canadian side owns a 2-1 lead on aggregate, but playing in Guatemala City in front of the Antigua GFC fans will present a stiff challenge for Smyrniotis’s men.

“They are a quality team, not just technically but tactically, that’s why they are in this competition, so from that aspect you see that they have a lot of experience in the squad,” said Smyrniotis in his pre-match press conference on Wednesday.

“They have players who have played numerous games at the professional level. Our team being just three months old we have a mix of players with a little bit of experience. They are a team that knows what they want when they step on the field, they know what they want from a tactical aspect and I think that’s a positive thing. But with every opponent we look at them closely, we find where the opportunities are and I think in the first game in the second half we showed that by being more aggressive we can get a positive result,” added Smyrniotis.

These are uncharted waters for Forge FC, having never played a match in Central America, yet for MF Tristan Borges, the preparation process and the mentality remain the same.

“I think with every game you go in with the same mentality which is to do your best and help the team win,” said Borges in Wednesday’s press conference. 

“The final result is always the most important, but every game I think you have to look at the same way. It doesn’t matter the competition; the same result is always in your mind which is getting the win,” concluded Borges.

Smyrniotis, sobre la amenaza de Antigua GFC: "Son un equipo de calidad"

Los jugadores de Forge FC practican en el Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores en la Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala, el 7 de agosto de 2019 para el partido de vuelta de la Ronda Preliminar de la Liga Concacaf Scotiabank 2019 contra Antigua GFC el jueves por la noche.