Forge FC's only-ever captain, Kyle Bekker, announces retirement from pro soccer

Kyle Bekker, captain of Hamilton's Forge FC, announced Thursday that he's retiring from professional soccer. Bekker has been captain since the launch of the team and the Canadian Premier League (CPL) in 2019. 

“When we started this journey in 2019, I don’t think I could have imagined what the next eight years would bring or how much this club and this city would come to mean to me,” Bekker said in a release issued Thursday.

“Hamilton became home, and being trusted to captain Forge from day one is something I have never taken for granted. 

"I’ve known for some time that this would be my final season, and I can close this chapter proud of what we built and the standards we established, knowing that we’ve left the shirt in a better place for the next generation," he said.

Bekker suffered a season-ending knee injury at a game in September after coming back from a leave for testicular cancer surgery early in the season.

CPL star and former CANMNT player reveals cancer diagnosis

The 36-year-old midfielder from Oakville, Ont. played four seasons of NCAA Division 1 soccer at Boston College and four seasons with various teams in Major League Soccer, including Toronto FC, before helping launch Forge and the CPL, the team said in the release.

After testicular cancer surgery, Bekker wants men to 'listen to their body'

Bekker, 'heart and soul' of Forge FC, signs contract in 2025

The team describes him as a "commanding presence in midfield and a leader in the dressing room." He led the group to four CPL championships, to the Canadian Championship Final in 2020 and 2026, and to the semi-finals of the CONCACAF club league for North America, Central America and Caribbean teams, in 2021.

Bekker scored 27 goals and marked 32 assists in