Forge FC Signs Emery Welshman

UPDATE: This article was originally written as a rumour ahead of the official announcement today. Forge FC has since confirmed the signing of the five-foot-eleven forward:

We are very happy to welcome Emery back to Forge. He returns to Hamilton with quality experiences gained internationally, which will prove to be a valuable addition to our squad both on and off the field.

Costa Smyrniotis

The original article continues as follows:

There could be a reunion between Emery Welshman and Forge FC on the cards.

The 29-year-old is reportedly set to make a comeback at Tim Hortons Field, with OneSoccer analyst Oliver Platt indicating that Welshman’s return could be finalized ahead of the club’s Canadian Championship quarter-final against Valour FC.

The Guyana international had impressed at the CPL level while on loan from FC Cincinnati in 2019, bagging three goals and two assists in eleven appearances for the hammers. When his loan was terminated to complete a move to Israeli side Hapoel Haifa, he had told fans that it ‘wasn’t a goodbye, but a see you later’.

Since moving overseas, Welshman has spent the last three seasons with Hapoel Haifi (2019), Bnei Sakhnin (2020-2021), and Hapoel Ra’anana (2021), scoring nine goals in 48 appearances overall.

Prior to that, Welshman spent his career in North America, being drafted by Toronto FC in 2013 before joining Bobby Smyrniotis with Sigma FC. He then joined the Real Monarchs, Real Salt Lake, Puerto Rico FC, and FC Cincinnati, where current Eddies head coach Alan Koch re-signed him as the club transitioned to Major League Soccer.

The Mississauga-born forward also has ten goals in twenty-two caps for Guyana, where he’s played alongside 1812 FC’s Quillan Roberts.

His arrival would come at a time when Forge FC finds itself lacking firepower it had expected to have, with the much-delayed loan arrival of Omar Browne having been reportedly on the precipice for some time now.

The back-to-back league champions find themselves third in the table after 17 matches played, six points off of Pacific FC. The club has the least goals conceded, with a scoring record that tracks just ahead of the bulk of the teams.

He wouldn’t be the only inaugural Forge member to return this season, with 2019 CPL MVP Tristan Borges having coming in from Oud-Heverlee Leuven prior to the start of the season.