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Hamilton’s Forge FC captain Kyle Becker announced his retirement from professional soccer on Thursday. Becker has been the captain of the team and the Canadian Premier League (CPL) since its inception in 2019.
“When we started this journey in 2019, I could not have imagined what the next eight years would bring or how much this club and this city would mean to me,” Becker said in a statement released on Thursday.
“Hamilton is back home and trusting Captain Forge from day one is something I’ve never taken for granted.
“I’ve known for a while that this would be my last season and I can close this chapter knowing that we’ve put the jersey in a better place for the next generation, proud of the standards we’ve built and established,” he said.
Becker suffered a season-ending knee injury in a game in September after returning from leave for testicular cancer surgery earlier in the season.
CBC Sports’ Anastasia Bucsis talks to CPL star and former Canadian men’s national team player Kyle Becker about his cancer diagnosis, recovery and the message he wants to share with others.
The 36-year-old midfielder from Oakville, Ont. He played four seasons of NCAA Division 1 soccer at Boston College and four seasons in Major League Soccer for various teams, including Toronto FC, before helping launch Forge and the CPL, according to a team release.
The team describes him as “a commanding presence in midfield and a leader in the locker room.” He led the group to four CPL championships, the Canadian Championship Finals in 2020 and 2026, and the CONCACAF club league semi-finals in 2021 for teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
Becker scored 27 goals and had 32 assists for Forge FC. He was named CPL player of the year in 2020.
Kyle Becker played for Team Canada in 2012. (Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)
Head coach Bobby Smyrniotis, who also coached Becker in youth soccer at Oakville’s Sigma FC academy, said the captain has been “the heart and soul of Forge FC since the very beginning.”
The Canadian Premier League was started in part by Bob Young, who remains the single largest shareholder of Hamilton Sports Group, which owns Forge FC and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Steel producer Stelco is also part of this ownership group past press releases From CFL and Forge FC.
The team will honor Becker’s legacy with in-stadium tributes, gifts and special merchandise at the match on October 12.