Coming to a Forge in the road
Daniel Krutzen is likely headed to the USL Championship
When the CanPL launched, much of the focus was on what the league could do for young Canadians. That seemed to be all that anyone wanted to talk about — development, development, development.
What wasn’t talked about as much was that cities outside of Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal would finally have a chance to get attached to newcomers — players who become part of the community.
I have always argued that, in many ways, those type of players are more important than the kids. You need the league to succeed and be something that people deeply care about. That doesn’t happen if you have players coming in and out of the league quickly.
You need the solid, career guys that are with teams for multiple years. That’s what makes the laundry we cheer for week after week have meaning and identity.
The CanPL has started to find a lifer class. To a point. Some teams have been better than others at this (and those teams tend to be the ones that win). However, unluckily the salary structure and ceiling on opportunity that the CanPL currently offers means that “lifer” in CanPL might not be the same as it is in more established leagues.
That means that this off-season has been a painful one for many fans of CanPL, as they have to say good-bye to some players that they have grown attached to.
The latest player to fit that description is now ex-Forge’s Daniel Krutzen. In many ways this might be the most significant loss that a CanPL team has faced in the short history of the league.
After being plunked from near obscurity (well, the USL 2, anyway), Krutzen became one of the league’s top players. He has been a constant for Forge during their most important games and was a player that the club relied on. When he was injured in 2022, you could tell. Forge was not the same team it had been before.
It’s not a coincidence that the Hamilton side looked its best in the playoffs, when he came back and slotted immediately back into the line-up. Without Krutzen, it’s quite possible that there’s another team standing in the confetti last fall.
He was that important.
So, today’s announcement that he will not be back with Forge in 2023 seems bigger than most. In fact, it seems like it might signal the end of the Forge’s dynasty. After winning three of the league’s first four titles — and qualifying for the CCL — it seems that it might be time to turn the roster over a little.
Fans of the other teams are likely hoping so anyway. It certainly seemed like things were a lot tighter at the top last year when Krutzen was out.
Still, though, it’s a little sad that a player like Krutzen is already moving on. Doubly so in that there isn’t a clear destination that he’s going to, after his trial with the Whitecaps ended without a contract. It’s a lot easier to say good-bye to a player like Krutzen when they are moving up a league, after all.
Not many fans are going to see the USL Championship, where he has been linked with (although the exact team has not come out yet) as a move up. It is from a pay perspective and it offers more exposure to MLS scouts. The latter is not something everyone associated with CanPL wants to admit, but I’ve been told by more than one player or agent that it is the case. Since, MLS is the realistic “big move” opportunity for most CanPL guys, getting MLS exposure is vital.
It’s too bad. For CanPL to truly grow into the league that we want it to be they can’t ignore the value of keeping guys like Krutzen happy.
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