Forge FC signs Canadian striker Brian Wright to multi-year contract

Brian Wright, voted the Canadian Premier League’s Players’ Player of the Year last season with York United FC, has signed with Forge FC.

The move helps fill a hole at forward for the Hamilton club.

Dealing with injuries up front early last season, Forge coach Bobby Smyrniotis moved wingback Kwasi Poku to striker. Poku went on to score 10 goals over 14 games before moving to Belgian side RWD Molenbeek in a CPL-record transfer.

“Brian is an accomplished striker who has consistently delivered at the highest level in the CPL,” Smyrniotis said in a statement. “His physicality, technical ability, and leadership qualities align with the culture we have built here at Forge.

“He’s a proven winner, and we are excited to add his experience and skill to our squad as we aim to build on our successes.”

Wright turned heads at the University of Vermont, becoming the program’s second all-time leading scorer with 39 goals in 80 games, before being taken in the first round (20th overall) in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft by the New England Revolution.

He made 18 appearances for the Revs from 2017 to 2019 and had USL loan stints with the Tulsa Roughnecks and Birmingham Legion before joining the CPL’s Atletico Ottawa in April 2021.

Wright scored 14 goals and added three assists in 53 matches with Ottawa, helping the club top the regular-season standings and make the championship game in 2022. Moving to York in January 2023, he registered 11 goals and eight assists in 54 appearances over the last two seasons.

The 29-year-old from Toronto finished fourth in the league with nine goals last year, adding six assists.

In a post to the Forge FC X account (formerly Twitter), Wright said “the (Forge FC) fans here have always been loud. It’s hard to not notice them. Even when I was playing at York or Ottawa they would always travel to the games as well. You can clearly tell the support has been here from day one.”

Forge plays CF Monterrey on Feb. 5 in Hamilton in the home leg of its Concacaf Champions Cup first round match, then travels to Mexico for the away leg in Monterrey on Feb. 11.