Bad Blood, Toronto FC? Forge coach on HEATED Canadian Championship battle 🔥

hey Bobby you know we're not um shy to use profanity on this this podcast you know that you know us all um I know you couldn't divulge what was said between yourself and uh Lorenzo and last night are you able to on our show you want to go any further yeah to be honest it wasn't between uh me and Insignia it was uh it was coming uh towards towards the bench I was trying to diffuse a situation there but no it's uh it's not good and it has nothing to do with what the camera saw I thought he looked at you and said by the way Bobby what a beautiful beard take a tug on mine as he did with B banga little little billy goat grab Bobby welcome back to 30 prime um commiserations on last night another tight Affair um obviously you can hold your hold your heads pretty high after that two two match um result um we were starting Today's Show talking about the Canadian championship and who needs it more like an MLS team or or CPL team in your mind like which which league needs that Championship more at this point in their development yeah I don't know who needs it more but we want it that's for sure you know as a club we want it uh for the league every new thing we're a new league CPL six years in uh but we've going so every accomplishment helps the league um but as Forge we don't walk into every game like this and think hey how are we helping the league first and foremost is how are we helping Forge how are we building our club how are we thinking big um so I think from that end it's it's Club related now if you look at it a little bit on the outside and you say you know who needs it a lot of times maybe the MLS teams to get into Champions Cup you know we have two direct uh spots into Champions Cup through the CPL which is which is great um you know for a Canadian MLS team um they need to finish top of the table um they need to win MLS Cup um you know and and not to say it's more difficult route but you got 28 teams you're competing against for us it's it's eight um but I don't know if it's a league to League thing as a club you know we're we woke up today and we're obviously disappointed we're not playing for a championship penalty by the way it was a penalty it was a penalty these games and and we know it and it doesn't matter who it is and what league they come from uh at this stage in any competition it's it's the fine margins that make the difference um and it doesn't matter who was better in one leg and the other one um that's sometimes what it comes down to and sometimes it's it's little things like that Jimmy and you know that's something uh we have to deal with um you know as as coaches and as teams it can go any way in in a game obviously we want that one to go our way yesterday because we know you know that's the magic of uh of these types of games uh you know it's not about three points it's not about accumulating something in the standings it's about getting the specific job done and uh you know unfortunately got away from us a little bit yesterday proud of your team right now the way that they're performing competing every year they just seem to be get getting better and better gaining more experience how rewarding is that for you to see how they handle these big games now yeah I think you know it's it starts with our think big mentality uh you know and it's not about the it's not about moments it's not about we're happy to play and it's nothing against CF mono Toronto happy to be playing an MLS team or Lega next team it's you're there because you deserve it you've won a round you've won a championship to be playing in a competition and let's keep on pushing and I think that mentality has helped the guys it's helped us grow you know even Jimmy right from 2019 you know you know we got to play in con CF League uh that year and uh and that was something new you know in that first year we I remember playing the first game against Olympia here at Tim horn field and nine of our starters were playing in League one Ontario the year before uh and it was all about the think big mentality you know don't think about the opponent don't think about um the moments think about what can we do on this pitch how can we be tactically good and I think that keeps on resonating year to year and that makes it easier for new players when they're coming into the squad you know to understand that there's a little bit of responsibility playing for this club and that's what I've wanted to build here because you know we we all know coaches are temporary you know I'm a little bit of an anomaly being here for uh for six years but my time will go to at some point it's about what the club is because this club will be here forever is that part of your mentality then Bobby as coach like bringing in new players and and refocusing the group and and winning serially in in CPL I mean you guys just seem to do it over and over and over again um but getting into conaf Champions Cup challenging yourselves in Canadian championships what about your own mentality as coach like how do you reset those standards um year in and year out yeah I think you've constantly have to have to push yourself you have to constantly try and innovate and keep on going uh the one thing I've learned about the coaching in these six years it's it's really tough to keep a team competing at the top uh because it's easy for for these guys and uh I say it openly here guys uh our players aren't making millions of dollars um you know they're coming here and and it's a tough thing not not to motivate him but to keep him at the top and understand that I think that's been one of our biggest success as a club uh as a staff but also our leadership group within our captains and players and then that resonates to the new players coming in you know we want to make sure we're bringing in players not so much based on name or what they've done uh but a profile but uh an identity of players that we know are going to want to come in and compete because we also have to find the right balance between you know we've created this club that wants to win a lot and that's part of our tradition but also in developing players and that was always the toughest thing for me coming from the development side is is striking that right balance and to making sure that we develop players and developing players isn't only about who you sell it's about uh Dom Samuel or Tristan Henry who's left us U before you know this this league started they weren't in the professional realm and you know five years later they're excellent players excellent professionals so it's not only about developing and moving on but it's also about those players that going to be playing in this league long term do you use the example of say for example quazi Poco who leaves last week in a record fee young player you know obviously that's hurt your team but can you use that as an example to the other player saying listen this is a pathway to to perhaps a bigger League uh to get overseas is that something you actually sat down and spoke to the guys about well 100% um but what you try and make it clear it's it's about you the player you know it's uh you'll have the Avenue uh through here you'll have the ability to play in in big matches to compete to get yourself primed as a pro for some of these these newer guy or younger guys that come in and you know everything else is what I always say it's up to the market the market is vast in in football it's Everyone's Watching everyone's doing things and of course we're a newer league and it's going to take some time but I think there's been fantastic steps we've seen players move on whether it's for Trans for fees or whether it's as free players because players have moved in in all types of directions and that's only good uh the most important thing though for players is is you're playing professionally you know we've got guys on our team who are 23 years old who probably have over 150 uh professional games under their belt you know that's also not an easy thing U you know and have played and have won championships have played in the Champions Cup a couple of times you know have have played these big matches uh over the season and that gets you prepared for for what's nextn but what nextn is usually somebody else's decision it's not ours you can only deal with you know being good on each and every day you walk on the training pitch and in the matches when you are recruiting offseason for for players does the Champions Cup make a big difference to you to say listen we are playing in these matches I think so I I think you know that's that's helped us uh you know this is year six apart from one year when conaf realigned their tournaments you know we've been competing in conaf uh tournaments for five years uh I believe it's 22 22 games I think as a player uh doesn't matter what continent you're on you know that's an Allure that's something you want to do uh you want to be able to play those games whether it was before in con CF league in Central America which I thought was a fantastic uh uh tournament um to now in the two times we've competed in Champions Cup with Cruz aul and and Chivas I think that's what players want and it doesn't matter where you're coming from if if you're an upand cominging player if you're a player maybe we're recruiting from Europe or from different places um you know you're going to a club that competes at the highest level and also allows you to compete against big CL clubs that puts you into the shop window for the future despite being a level down from MLS would you say though at this point that you and TFC have a pretty decent rivalry going on because that was that was nasty last night so as a first leg there's some history there as well I mean that that must be a game that you guys get up for is it a legitimate rivalry can we call it the 401 rivalry dby at this point yeah I don't know I I think uh it's a it's a semi-final tie that we want to win and uh I think uh they need everything to win based on uh based on how their season is going and I always say the mark of a of a big Club is uh you know how you're kind of treated by your opponent um and uh our opponent uh treated us uh you know well with the respect of uh we're a big club and I think that's what we got out of uh these two ties and uh you know that was uh for me that's that's excellent that's excellent for the game that's excellent for the neutral that's excellent for for for the growth of the game cuz you know yesterday's match had a lot of very good scenarios in it um both tactically and differently you know and I was asked yesterday and I think John was uh just on the show here I was asked about guys like bores and schaner and I said yeah they're very important players for our team but I bring up a player like Malcolm Duncan who was playing at right back you know and I won't talk about the discrepancy in salary of Malcolm Duncan and in and Richie Laria that were playing on his side and I Malcolm Duncan was one of the best players on the pitch and and it was fantastic and I think that's you know what you come out and you know that these players are ready to play Not only in these games but to compete and do things uh and the rest as I think it's it's two teams that really wanted a match last night so it's it's only normal in football hey Bobby you know we're not um shy to use profanity on this this podcast you know that you know us all um I know you couldn't divulge what was said between myself and uh Lorenzo in last night are you able to on our show you want to go any further yeah to be honest it wasn't between me and in it was it was coming uh towards towards the bench I was trying to diffuse a situation there um but no it's uh it's not good and it has nothing to do with what the camera saw I'm usually I'm usually I guy keep my profanities for the sideline I try and keep it as clean as possible with everyone on there but uh I'll stay away from that one James for today I thought he looked at you I thought he looked at you and said by the way Bobby what a beautiful beard on mine as he did with BTY banga yeah was it was a simple play that happened there obviously two very good players uh got into it a little bit and then he decided to have words with the bench I tried to tell him to keep Cal a little bit and and off we went and then he had some few words after that but again that shows that uh how important the game was to them um that shows the respect that they have for for our club and what they were were facing yesterday and it's only a good thing to me had evoked the Norwegian fairy tale of The Three Billy Goats Gruff you know that one so baddy banga was the Little Billy Goat Gruff and you were the big billy goat gruff and then insia was the troll under the bridge who wants to eat the little little billy goat grff if it was a Greek myth I'd be right on top of it but hav the Scandinavian weird though they're always weird those Norwegian ones there we go there are I think it's great though I mean listen I don't know what was said and hopefully it wasn't anything too arri right but you need these these these nastiness between two local clubs I think it's really great for the game we need to establish ourselves as a football nation we need more of these things you know under control obviously and I know you're trying to diffuse things Bobby and and thank you for that because God forbid we' never like to hear you swear that'd be a terrible thing Jim Jim you coached against Bobby before did he swear in the sidelines do you remember that yeah he does yeah I've heard him swear many times a little bit in Greek somehow it comes out easier you remember your Youth and maybe hearing a few things when you did some things wrong from your parents comes out so what's your go-to oh ah there's not that many go-tos not even a good uh no that will that sometimes will come out if we haven't done something right within a process of ours and we're upset with uh our players and not towards them but just the uh the situation but yeah that's one of them so you're saring at your own players not the opponents just to get that straight no no the opponents I can't control them and nothing you know it's it's all about uh our team hey did you and John were you okay last night postmatch there were reports you guys didn't shake hands uh yeah with sorry with John I didn't hear that yeah yeah with with John yeah no I mean I I walked over I saw Jason Divas but uh no one else okay that's okay brutal yeah yeah well it's it's football right it can get Petty unfortunately at times and like I said for us in the media it's freaking great Yes W lie to you we we embrace it as dubs gives me a terrible side eye there by the way here's the thing the the game is the game and and Jimmy knows that I'm I'm sure we had words for each other maybe for one reason or another uh but the game's the game you know we're both out there to be competitive when the game's finished you know there's one thing we know before the game uh there's three results and yesterday we know there's two so one of them is going to happen then you have to be able to to live with that after the game and and move on and that's the beauty of what we have as as human beings you know we put right in front of left some people go left in front of right and we go forward we don't walk backwards we don't do anything and and you just keep on moving on and that and that's my mentality and I'm and I'm a competitive person you know on the not on the sideline but with the team and how we do things um but once the final whistle goes it's it's done uh I understand what I've gotten myself into here I understand what the what you're playing for what the results are um that you can't win all the time you don't want to lose all the time but that's the reality of it you know I know I sit in the seat where Tom today I'm here running training and tomorrow I'm not you know and that's the that's also the beauty of what we do in this job and if you understand that you you move along happily as as you go and you get back to work I I agree with you Bobby because I think you know there there is a respect for the sport and for each other and you your two coaches that are in the same position at beginning of the match we wish you all the best cuz you're all there doing the same thing you want to achieve one goal and that's win and at times the match does get heated there's a lot of emotion that goes into the game but as soon as that whistle is done the first thing you win or lose it's go over to the opposition thanks well done wish you luck and then you're off even though you're fuming you don't want to go shake hands it's it's just the respect of the game and and for your opposition because we're we're all in it together and you know the outcome could be great it could be bad there's High there's lows but at the end of the day you've got to respect it so I for me I whether I won I lost and sometimes I hated it and I have my head down and walked over and give that handshake whether you liked it or not but it was just a respect for for each other so that's for me I think it's important after a match to to shake hands dubs you were saying um yeah I mean it wasn't really along those lines I just GNA ask Bobby like you're talking about your mindset about moving forward and and getting better every day whether it's you as a coach or or your group an individual player but looking back to that first leg Victory where you guys beat TFC 21 at Tim Horton's field is there a teeny tiny part of you that's thinking we probably could have got an extra goal in that match and then when it comes down to the end on aggregate maybe there that makes a difference or that late goal it's not a small part it's not a small part it's a big part then and the late goal is is a consequence of what happened in that game and yes I'll say that it was a foul same way Jimmy said it was a penalty that happens but uh you know before that I think the game can be 4-0 you know that and that's the disappointing uh thing um for us um you know it's it's not a tiny part of me it's a big part of me um but yeah that's that's how the game goes uh sometimes and sometimes you're going to be able to do it uh a little bit more um yeah but that's the beauty of these two-legged Cup competitions you know you go into the next game you know exactly where where things are and what you need of course if we had another goal in the first leg and make it different but then it all Al make their game plan a little bit different you know so each thing that happens also changes things uh a little bit more uh but of course I think in the first game we were absolutely fantastic you know if it was the game had finished 3 nil 3-1 or 4-1 um it would have been something that was done and I think you know over two legs you know one team was much better in one game another team was a little bit better in another one and you know two two aggregate if we're in Ufa we'd be in penalty shots yeah is it time to ditch away goals Bubby and champ champ yeah it's it's always a strange thing because we were talking about it even in in Champions Cup earlier and we're like oh cona still hasn't uh hasn't changed and yeah maybe you know I'm not going to say it for you know our our tie here but we see that it's made things a lot more interesting in the other competitions around the world you know where teams aren't so much playing the away goal or or playing the game but the game is just being played a little bit more naturally uh and I think that's made it a little bit more exciting I may be wrong but you know that's kind of my my opinion on it well listen another great year though once again for Forge good luck uh in the runin to the end of the season and then of course the playoffs and we'll get you back on the show real soon Bobby thanks thank you everyone have a good one Bobby great to seeing you Bobby