From penalty kick saves to par saves

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This article was published 21/08/2024 (619 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Craig Forrest hoped the coin toss wouldn’t go Canada’s way.

It was a week before the Canadian goalkeeper would win MVP of the CONCACAF Gold Cup when following two group-stage draws, nothing separated his side from South Korea. So it had to be heads or tails for the right to play — and presumably lose badly to — Mexico.

“If we do win the coin toss we have to go back down to San Diego to play Mexico … that’s not good,” said Forrest, who had a tee time lined up for that day.

“I’m not sure I want to play Mexico, I want to play golf.”

Of course, Canada won the toss, then the game against Mexico when Steve Nash’s brother Martin fired a cross to Richard Hastings for the golden goal a few minutes into extra time.

Forrest saved a penalty kick in a 1-0 semifinal victory over Trinidad and Tobago, then the Canadians dropped Colombia 2-0, becoming the only team besides Mexico and the United States to win the tournament.

So looking back, Forrest is glad the coin fell Canada’s way, even though he missed out on a chance to play a prestigious private club in Los Angeles. Even so, the game of golf had a unique grip on one of our country’s all-time great athletes.

It still does today as the Coquitlam, B.C., native is spending his week at the Tamarack golf tournament, competing in the men’s division for the first time after watching friends play in the past.

“I remember when Kevin [Pratt] was in the Tamarack years ago and got to the final,” Forrest recalled.

“I figured I might as well come out when I’m playing my worst golf and see how I do.”

Forrest retired from professional soccer two years later and quickly moved into broadcasting with Sportsnet in 2002. That’s how he met Pratt, a former Brandonite who’s been a producer with TSN for most of his professional career.

They’ve stayed in touch and Forrest has joined Pratt’s group of buddies who break up the winter with an annual golf trip down south.

He’s playing catchup in a way, having started golfing a little later in life. Forrest grew up focused on lacrosse while also competing in hockey and judo.

He was 12 years old at a national lacrosse championship in Brampton, Ont., with teammates also competing at soccer nationals. Their regular goalkeeper was suddenly unavailable, so they asked him to jump in.

“I remember conceding my first goal. I remember it well. It wasn’t a good one,” Forrest chuckled.

“I ran out way too quick. It was a breakaway and I ran out right to the top of the box and the guy just chipped it over me.

“Lesson number one.”

Still, he was hooked. He equates the position to playing wide receiver, punter, placekicker, shortstop and quarterback all at once.

“The fact that I wasn’t very good right out of the gates, I was like, ‘I gotta be better at this,’” he said.

He started working with a goalkeeping coach back home and by 14 made his senior men’s debut with the Vancouver Firemen.

A coach there, Phil Trenter, was from Ipswich Town FC in England. He recruited Forrest to the club and Forrest moved after Grade 11.

He ended up living there for 18 years, spending 13 with the team. Before long, the club was contacting the Canadian national team asking why Forrest wasn’t on the roster for 1986 World Cup qualifying, the country’s last appearance at the men’s tournament until reaching Qatar in 2022.

Forrest played in the inaugural English Premier League season in 1992. The following year, he helped Canada within a game of reaching the 1994 World Cup.

It came down to a clash with Mexico, needing a win to secure CONCACAF’s only automatic spot. Canada led 1-0 early but fell 2-1 after having a goal disallowed.

“I’ve been involved in a lot of games … different places where games were fixed and we were convinced that game was fixed, from a point where there’s no way the U.S. World Cup in ’94 could not have Mexico in it,” Forrest recalled.

Canada still had a shot but lost a home-and-home series to Australia in penalty kicks.

Forrest continued his pro career and played three games for Chelsea FC on loan from Ipswich in 1997, then played out his remaining season with West Ham United.

He was diagnosed with cancer in 2001 and beat it but doctors advised him to retire.

“It wasn’t ideal but at the same time I was happy with the length of my career and battling through all that,” Forrest said.

“A lot of guys have injuries when they’re in their prime and have to quit. I was lucky enough to play as long as I did. I would like to have grinded it out a few more years but saying that, if I did I don’t know if I’d be able to swing a golf club so well.”

He said the move to broadcasting was a perfect way to stay involved in soccer.

“You just never knew how things were going to go in the broadcast, a little bit like the games but not quite the pressure. It was just enough that it gave me the feeling of ‘OK, it’s game time.’ The lights are coming on, you gotta be on and ready,” Forrest said, adding that even playing international soccer didn’t bring as much pressure as competitive golf.

“When you hit the ball as s…ty as I do, I think it’s golf.”

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