Since Hamilton Forge FC’s inception, the organization's centrepiece has been Oakville’s own Kyle Bekker. The midfield maestro has been instrumental in his club’s successes, and while his club was unable to bring back the hardware they captured last season, Captain Bekker is nominated to repeat as Player of the Year. Unfortunately, this isn’t a trophy he’s concerned with winning. In fact, he only discovered he was in the running when a friend texted him.
While the recognition is nice, it’s not what he is after, stating, “I’d rather have that trophy that we all lift up together,“ and goes on to say, “I don’t really care for it. I’m not really in this for individual accolades.” when Oakville News spoke with him.
The Iroquois Ridge graduate's third successive nomination for the award is a testament to his consistent quality, but things haven’t always come so easy for the 31-year-old.
It’s been a long journey, “I’ve had a lot of ups and downs, and there were times where it seemed like there were just downs, “ he recalls.
As a highly rated player heading into university, he shined brightly at Boston College before becoming the top Canadian ever drafted in Major League Soccer when Toronto FC took him the third overall in the 2013 Super Draft.
You may remember this as the time dubbed “A Bloody Big Deal” when the club went around the world signing star players, and Bekker found himself on the outs in a team set for a meteoric rise. After spending a few years bouncing around MLS looking for valuable playing time, he took a step back and joined the North American Soccer League’s San Fransico Deltas. That’s when the other shoe dropped. “I think that’s where the big shift started to happen.”
Some serious self-reflection allowed him to take accountability for his behaviours and shortcomings rather than point the finger at others. Under the guidance of esteemed Canadian head coach Marc Dos Santos, he led the team to a Championship in the club's first and only season. He scored the first goal in the club’s history, set up the last.
Bekker spent another season in NASL with North Carolina before he signed as Hamilton's marquee player in Canada’s most recent iteration of a professional soccer league. In three years, Forge FC competed in every final, quite the renaissance.
This year Bekker’s stability allowed head coach Bobby Smyrniotis to rotate through players at other positions during an insanely busy season. During the 2021 campaign, Forge FC simultaneously competed in the Canadian Championship Tournament, Concacaf League, and Canadian Premier League. They made it into the semi-finals of each.
The proud captain beams, “I think that is something this group is proud of, and it should be proud of. At the end of the day, it’s obviously no easy feat when you see the teams we played, and the competition, and the results that we got, and the memorable nights that we had. It was fantastic.“ Unfortunately for Bekker, this award will only be based on the merits of the Canadian Premier League season, not that he really cares if he wins or not.
After his Forge FC squad’s Championship Finals loss last weekend, he's taking a bit of time for himself and his new bride to enjoy a few weeks away from the hustle and bustle of chasing trophies now that there is finally some time for them to relax.
Don't expect him to take too long of a break; it sounds like he's already excited for next season, "I think we're going to have a nice little fire under us, and we’ve got a lot of unfinished business."
The Canadian Premier League’s Award Winners will be announced on December 14th at a ceremony in Toronto.