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    Michael Crampton
    Sunday evening at BMO Field they have just such an opportunity. The New England Revolution are not one of the league’s elite teams. In fact, a win will see the Reds go level with them on points, with a game in hand. But the Revolution are precisely the sort of team that Toronto has failed to beat over the past three months. And a loss would open a gap in the standings that would make finishing in fourth or higher, and consequently hosting a playoff game, significantly more difficult.
    And while New England might not be one of MLS’s elite teams, they are currently one of the hottest. A comprehensive 3-1 victory at Gillette Stadium the last time the teams met launched the Revolution on a four game winning run. That run is part of an overall six-game undefeated streak that stretches back to mid-July. So a win for the Reds should not be expected, nor taken for granted.
    Fortunately for Toronto the decimated squad that gave a strong, but ultimately fruitless, effort in Seattle is much closer to a full complement. Jozy Altidore has returned from international duty having continued his recent goal-scoring form with the United States. Justin Morrow and Damien Perquis will be available for selection in defense, and a makeshift three-man backline should be unnecessary.
    The real question on the minds of Reds supporters is the availability of Sebastian Giovinco. TFC’s talisman was forced out of international duty with the Italian national team due to an injury that forced his substitution in the match against Montreal. After his call-up, the Reds always expected his absence from the Seattle game, but an extended stretch without the team’s leading scorer and chance creator would be a new challenge.
    Giovinco has been omnipresent for the Reds this season. Where the commitment, or at least the durability, of past designated players may have been questioned, Giovinco has been unimpeachable. Twenty-five games played in TFC’s twenty-six league games this season. It is easy to overlook, but at 2132 minutes the Italian has been on the field more than any other Toronto player.
    Fortunately, all the indications are that Giovinco is ready to return to action. And with Kei Kamara having bagged a couple goals for Columbus last evening, Giovinco will need some offensive output of his own to keep pace in the race to be MLS’s top scorer. That may not be first priority, but it’s hard to deny that following the Golden Boot standings has been an interesting subplot to Toronto’s season.
    Even if it’s not quite a true six-pointer – nothing more than playoff seeding is on the line – it’s an important game. An important game in mid-September. That’s been rare for TFC, and it’s time to reward the fans with an important win.
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    Michael Mccoll
    REPORT (by Steve Pandher):
    It may have taken 70 plus minutes but Vancouver Whitecaps were finally able to find a way to dispatch Colorado Rapids 2-0, beating them for the first time this season, in their third attempt.
    The winning goal was scored by Octavio Rivero, while Cristian Techera added another and David Ousted picked up his eleventh clean sheet in the league this year.
    There was very little that happened in the first half as both teams brought nothing to the match and most of their chances either missed or long range shots by Gabriel Torres and Gershon Koffie were easily handled by David Ousted and Clint Irwin.
    Kekuta Manneh had a couple of opportunities in the first 15 minutes of the second half, with his first shot lacking power as it dribbled to the keeper. The second time he had enough power on the attempt, after being setup by Techera, but missed the target.
    There was also no luck for second half sub Kianz Froese, with his chance from outside the box deflected wide by diving Rapid defenders.
    Ousted then came up with his biggest save of the match as he was able to just keep out a Kevin Doyle header from crossing the line.
    The home side finally broke through in the 73rd minute when Rivero scored his tenth of the season. It was the Uruguayan connection again, as Techera sent in a ball into the box to Rivero, who beat the offside trap and sent a glancing header into the bottom far corner of the net.
    The lead was doubled by the Whitecaps four minutes later and the provider became the finisher with Techera claiming his sixth of the season. The Rapids were able to clear an attempt into the box right to Manneh who sent the ball to Techera and after controlling the ball, El Bicho fired a shot past Irwin to put the Caps up by two.
    The two goals would be enough for the Whitecaps with the Rapids failing to threaten for the remainder of the match. The victory extends Vancouver’s home winning streak to four matches and pushes them past the LA Galaxy for first spot in the MLS Standings.
    The 'Caps will now have ten days off before they face Seattle in MLS competition but before that they will face CD Olimpia in the CONCACAF Champions League on Wednesday, needing a win to keep their qualification hopes very much alive.
    FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 2 - 0 Colorado Rapids
    ATT: 17,583
    VANCOUVER: David Ousted; Steven Beitashour, Tim Parker, Pa-Modou Kah, Jordan Harvey; Pedro Morales (Kianz Froese 46), Gershon Koffie; Cristian Techera, Mauro Rosales (Robert Earnshaw 90+2), Kekuta Manneh (Jordan Smith 80); Octavio Rivero [subs Not Used: Paolo Tornaghi, Nicolás Mezquida, Deybi Flores, Christian Dean]
    COLORADO: Clint Irwin; James Riley, Bobby Burling, Sean St. Ledger, Marc Burch; Lucas Pittinari (Dillon Powers 80), Sam Cronin; Nick LaBrocca (Vicente Sanchez 77), Marcelo Sarvas, Juan Ramirez; Gabriel Torres (Kevin Doyle 58) [subs Not Used: Zac MacMath, Joseph Greenspan, Jared Watts, Marlon Hairston]

    REACTION:
    VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
    CARL ROBINSON
    On tonight’s win:
    “I knew it was going to be difficult by the way Colorado Rapids set up and the personnel on their team. They have beaten us twice. Our guys showed great character to keep going and not take their focus and confidence away. When you got quality on your team like we have, you can change a game in a moment and that’s what certainly happened.”
    On winning a hard-fought match:
    “I told the guys in the locker room, you can play all the pretty football you want, all the exciting plays, and the quick transitions and get bums off their seats and you get three points. You can also play with not much quality and have a moment of magic and get three points. So you take the three points.”
    On the team’s performance off the ball:
    “I don’t think it was particularly Cristian Techera’s best game as it wasn’t Kekuta Manneh’s or Octavio Rivero’s. You can name a number of our players who, on the ball, probably performed below the levels that they wanted. But off the ball, they were fantastic. They had a little bit of magic in the understanding that Cristian has with Octavio. It was great to see Octavio scoring a great header from a super ball from Cristian. Cristian has a great instinct to score goals and it made him more comfortable with the second goal.”
    On Pedro Morales’ injury:
    “He has an ice pack on his hamstring. He had a little bit of tightness. He had it in the two days leading up to the game. We have five players missing so I wanted him to play and he wanted to play. Some of his passing in the first half was excellent. He went for a tackle and I think it tightened up a little bit. There was no risk being taken by me. My decision to bring him off at halftime and get Kianz Froese on went well. I thought Kianz brought great energy to the team. We could’ve gone with Deybi Flores, a more defensive type of player, but we needed to get a goal.”
    On the first-half performance:
    “When you’re playing away from home, you slow the game down and that’s certainly what they did and they were trying to hit us on the counter-attack. I never thought we were in real danger in the back end and that’s the pleasing thing about tonight’s performance. We didn’t click attacking-wise but we certainly defended well. Maybe a year or two ago, we would’ve lost that game one-nil. When you don’t play well and you can win, it’s always a good sign and that’s what we’re trying to get in this club.”
    On missing key players:
    “We had a couple of character guys missing today. You talk about Kendall Waston, Matias Laba, Russell Teibert, and Darren Mattocks. These guys are big players for us. When things get tough, you need your leaders to come to the fore. It was great for these players. We’re young. Their energy, enthusiasm and work rate carried us.”
    On Octavio Rivero’s goal:
    “He’s excellent in the air. When you see him in training, he’s fantastic. I thought he had a good chance in the first half off a corner, he didn’t quite get there. So did Tim Parker. It happens sometimes. I was pleased for him to get a goal. He got a goal against Montreal from two yards, they all count.”
    On Jordan Smith’s performance:
    “I wanted to get Jordan on. It was his first home appearance. I thought he was fantastic last week against Houston. He’s a different type of player compared to Steven Beitashour. He’s a big, strong boy. Once we went one goal up, it was time to bring him on. He’ll play next week against C.D. Olimpia. He brings a physical element which is good on set pieces. That’s where I thought Colorado would catch us but we defended well on set plays. You have to give credit to Pa-Modou Kah. He fractured his cheekbone two weeks ago and he’s heading balls in the box. He has the desire not to let a goal in your net.”
    CRISTIAN TECHERA (THROUGH INTERPRETER)
    Thoughts on the game with a goal and an assist:
    “The first half was really tight. A lot of the defenders were playing close to the ball. In the second half we came out, we grouped and we found some more spaces we felt weren’t there in the first half. We came out and we got the result that we needed.”
    Thoughts on a lacklustre first half:
    “It wasn’t really a matter of rust in the team. It was more in the first half they were really compact, keeping close to the man and guarding the ball really well. In the second half it was just a matter of us finding the spaces that weren’t there in the first half. That’s really what it came down to, and not rust.”
    Thoughts on his assist and goal:
    “You know for the first cross there – Octavio and I get along pretty well. We’re both Uruguayan, so it’s nice we have that same understanding. I just saw him run and was able to pick him out. We know that he is pretty strong in the air and he finished off the chance. For the second chance, it was a ball that was right in front of me so I just had to put it in the back of the net. There wasn’t really too much thought behind that”
    OCTAVIO RIVERO (THROUGH INTERPRETER)
    Thoughts on the match:
    “First half was really tight and there wasn’t a lot of space there. In the second half we just came back in the dressing room, re-grouped, talked about a few things that we needed to take care of and came out in the second half and were fortunate to get the goal and got the points.”
    Thoughts on scoring tonight:
    “Obviously I feel happy for scoring but I feel more happy that I was able to help the team to win and that’s really (what matters). If the team wins then I’m happy, and If I score I’m happy, but at the end of day it’s really just getting the points.”
    Thoughts on keeping the lead in the Western Conference:
    “Every game from here on is almost like a cup final. It’s the way we’ve got to treat it. We want to finish the season strong and become champions at the end of the season. What we need to do is just keep going – playing hard and playing well and the results will follow”
    TIM PARKER
    Thoughts on the match:
    “I think we didn’t play as good as we wanted to but I think it shows a lot of character that we still were able to get the result. Especially at home with these last couple of games we really want to get the crowd and these home supporters behind us. I think winning at home is important.”
    Thoughts on losing twice to Colorado before this game:
    “We had a bit of sour taste in our mouth from the last few times we played them. It’s something that we remembered and going into it tonight we wanted to get as many points as we could.”
    Thoughts on different halves of the game:
    “We just needed to pick up the intensity. Going forward I think we needed to clean things up a little bit and at the back just make sure we keep it to zero on the board. I think for us, it was just intensity going forward and a bit more sharpness.”
    Thoughts on Techera and Octavio:
    “They are doing great. Cristian and Octavio have an ability to find a goal. We always have faith that in some point in their game they will get their opportunities and today they both buried theirs, so it’s good.”
    Thoughts on the clean sheet:
    “I think the first thing Carl said after we scored the goal was to keep a clean sheet. We know how momentum can swing if they were to get a goal or something. For us we didn’t want to win a game 2-1 at home, we wanted to make sure it’s a clean sheet.”
    COLORADO RAPIDS
    PABLO MASTROENI
    Thoughts on the match:
    “We let our guard down. There’s no time to not be thinking, not be concentrating. With those two goals, I felt like they were completely preventable. It wasn’t great build-up, wasn’t great football. It was just lack of concentration for those two goals.”
    On the international break and why he chose his substitutes:
    “I think guys with experience come from a different place and the guys get a result. At the end of the day, we had [Maynor and Drew] out with yellows, so we had to fill in and felt like those were the best choices we had.”
    On where they go from here:
    “We have our next game at home against DC. It’s important that we start right. I think we need to attack the game in the right way. It’s always tough coming on the road, playing on this turf and in this kind of atmosphere. I think we handled that part well. What we need to do better is to pass the ball better. We need to combine better, we need to make better decisions on both sides of the ball. I think if we do that, we have a better chance of winning the game.”
    On the big game against DC:
    “It’s a good opportunity for the guys to bounce back. It’s all about the mindset and it’s all about being more brave with the ball, and not as reckless with it. Caring for it more, passing to your teammate better, rolling him a better ball. Like you said, at home has been good these last couple of games. It’s important that we go there with the same kind of mentality and really take the game against DC in the early stages.”
    MARC BURCH:
    Thoughts on the scoreline:
    “I don’t think that was what the scoreline should be. I thought we had a pretty good first 45 and the game was pretty open the second half. I thought we fought well, we played well, just lost a few balls. They’re a good counter attacking team and that’s what they did.”
    On their first half:
    “It seemed like we were getting on top of them and all of a sudden, momentum swings. I think in the second half they took a little more momentum and it was tough for us to get back.”
    On counter-attack leading to Whitecaps’ goal after Colorado chance:
    “The game is inches. We score that goal, we might win 3-0. We don’t score and all of a sudden, we’re down two. It’s unlucky that we didn’t get the result, but we have a game in three days and can’t think about this one, we just have to move on to the next one, win that one.”
    On the overall performance:
    “I think there was a few moments. I think it was a really lucky bounce on their second goal and that’s kind of deflating. They don’t earn it and all of a sudden they get it, it’s a little bit deflating but I thought we still pressed, we still pushed, we still tried to create some chances. Overall, the performance was okay.”
    On whether he was pleased with his offensive match:
    “I think so. It’s what we’ve been working on this week, to make sure we get forward, make sure we add to the attack. I think we did a good job out there, but maybe I lost a bit of steam in the second half. I think the first half we did a good job.”
    On where the team goes now:
    “Saturday. We go home and we win that game, that’s all there is to it."
    On still being in the hunt for the playoffs:
    "Absolutely. We’re never going to stop believing. There’s a good group of guys in there that are never going to stop believing. We’re going to fight to the very last moment of the last whistle in Portland. It doesn’t matter what our points are, we fight until the end.”
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    James Grossi
    With eleven goals through 21 appearances, a strike rate that exceeds that of his celebrated teammate, Kaka – though some have pointed to Kaka's play-making as a corollary of the Canadian's success – Cyle Larin has proved himself an exciting prospect in his first MLS season.
    That those eleven goals have come from just 20 shots on target is even more impressive, perhaps indicative of his precision when chances materialize.
    So, what is it about his game that makes him such a formidable opponent?
    Recalling his earliest encounters with Larin in the Fall of 2006, Sigma FC's Bobby Smyrniotis, described him thusly: “He was a typical boy, who at those ages was able to get behind defenders, score quite a lot of breakaways and so on, but you also saw that he had a love for the ball and that's what we saw in the first few sessions.
    “He had a good ability for the game and you knew that you could round him into a player going forward. There was possibility there, but at the same time, he was an 11 year-old, so you look at the potential at that point and you hope for the best, never knowing exactly if it's going to turn out.”
    It may have been all possibility back then, but as Larin stepped up to the MLS stage, Smyrniotis could be more definite on his prognosis.
    “People are misled sometimes by his size and his stature as he was growing up, and even in College Soccer. A lot of people will always talk about his big frame, he's a big guy and he's fast, but the best parts to his game are his feet and his technical ability.
    “He's a very clean player, he's very comfortable on the ball; that was a big focus on him as he developed. He was always going to be a big boy and have some athletic attributes, but to really be a top-class player and have the ability to do that it was important that he was a well-rounded soccer player: able to combine in midfield, able to play, knowing how to finish with both feet, from a lot of different ranges on the field; through combination play, getting behind, in the air, quick releases; all of these things, a lot of this is starting to show in his game, obviously at this level in MLS.”
    Smyrniotis, who watches every match Cyle plays and stays in contact with his protege, when asked for his favourite moment from the nascent professional career offered up this response. “I'll always say his first goal. It's something special, and it's also something different that showed a little of his ability to score in different ways. He took it off the chest and it wasn't by accident he did that, and I thought, very good looking.”
    Natural and learned talent are one thing, but for Jason deVos, another aspect of the young player has grabbed his attention.
    “What I really like about him is what I hear from the coaches that have worked with him,” said deVos. “I've talked to Adrian Heath, I've talked to Mark Watson, a former National Team teammate, about him. The one thing that really jumps off the page about Larin is his willingness, his desire to learn and take in knowledge, to improve and get better.
    “By no means does he believe he's the finished article, he's only 20 years-old, he's got a long, long career ahead of him, both for Orlando and for Canada. One of the key ingredients of any successful player professionally is that they have to learn and develop and get better from day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month, year-to-year, and I've seen evidence of that from him just this season in his first year. And also from talking to his coaches that are working with him on a daily basis, that's one of the first things they say about him: that he's getting better all the time, which is a real plus for him.”
    But deVos also cautioned about expecting too much, too soon of the player; a poignant point given the tendency of the desperate to exaggerate hope.
    “It's very, very early in his national team career for putting any expectation on his shoulders. It's quite unfair really to have anyone suggest that he's going to be the one to carry the goal-scoring weight that the National Team will require.
    “But he's got a lot of promise, he's got a lot of potential. He's already shown in his professional career so far this year that he is capable of scoring goals at the professional level. Now, there's a big jump up from scoring goals in MLS to scoring goals internationally, and I think we need a bigger body of work to really assess whether he can make that transition.
    “It's a big step up, make no mistake about it, going from playing in MLS to leading the line for your country and hopefully leading them to qualification is a big, big jump. I think it's really unfair to put that pressure on him, because I just don't think that he's ready yet to bear that responsibility.”
    Larin has already registered two goals in qualifying, scoring in each leg against Dominica, but given the struggles at the Gold Cup, perhaps it would be wise to take deVos' advice and not expect Larin to be the answer to every problem.
    He cut a frustrated figure in the first leg against Belize, unable to get the final touch required to find the back of the net on several occasions. His ability to get into those spots, however, is reason enough to celebrate, if in an understated manner.
    Give the kid time, let him continue to learn and develop, while the rest of the team coalesces for the challenge of qualification. He will not be the solution alone, but his addition does make the math a touch more palatable.
    In the first post in this series, the Story Behind the 'C' in Cyle was explained, while the second looked back for a comparable Canadian Talent.
    James can be followed on twitter @grawsee and more of his writing is available at Partially Obstructed View
    In the course of preparation for a feature on Cyle Larin for MLSsoccer.com there were several interesting points that had to be left out of the final draft. As such, over the past week, with Canada on the verge of moving on to the next stage of World Cup Qualification campaign following the away leg of the series against Belize on September 8, those threads have been fleshed out here at Canadian Soccer News.
    The third in the series: What it is about Larin's game that makes him such a potent striker?
    With eleven goals through 21 appearances, a strike rate that exceeds that of his celebrated teammate, Kaka – though some have pointed to Kaka's play-making as a corollary of the Canadian's success – Cyle Larin has proved himself an exciting prospect in his first MLS season.
    That those eleven goals have come from just 20 shots on target is even more impressive, perhaps indicative of his precision when chances materialize.
    So, what is it about his game that makes him such a formidable opponent?
    Recalling his earliest encounters with Larin in the Fall of 2006, Sigma FC's Bobby Smyrniotis, described him thusly: “He was a typical boy, who at those ages was able to get behind defenders, score quite a lot of breakaways and so on, but you also saw that he had a love for the ball and that's what we saw in the first few sessions.
    “He had a good ability for the game and you knew that you could round him into a player going forward. There was possibility there, but at the same time, he was an 11 year-old, so you look at the potential at that point and you hope for the best, never knowing exactly if it's going to turn out.”
    It may have been all possibility back then, but as Larin stepped up to the MLS stage, Smyrniotis could be more definite on his prognosis.
    “People are misled sometimes by his size and his stature as he was growing up, and even in College Soccer. A lot of people will always talk about his big frame, he's a big guy and he's fast, but the best parts to his game are his feet and his technical ability.
    “He's a very clean player, he's very comfortable on the ball; that was a big focus on him as he developed. He was always going to be a big boy and have some athletic attributes, but to really be a top-class player and have the ability to do that it was important that he was a well-rounded soccer player: able to combine in midfield, able to play, knowing how to finish with both feet, knowing how to
    from a lot of different ranges on the field; through combination play, getting behind, in the air, quick releases; all of these things, a lot of this is starting to show in his game, obviously at this level in MLS.”
    Smyrniotis, who watches every match Cyle plays and stays in contact with his protege, when asked for his favourite moment from the nascent professional career offered up this response. “I'll always say his first goal. It's something special, and it's also something different that showed a little of his ability to score in different ways. He took it off the chest and it wasn't by accident he did that, and I thought, very good looking.”

    Natural and learned talent are one thing, but for Jason deVos, another aspect of the young player has grabbed his attention.
    “What I really like about him is what I hear from the coaches that have worked with him,” said deVos. “I've talked to Adrian Heath, I've talked to Mark Watson, a former National Team teammate, about him. The one thing that really jumps off the page about Larin is his willingness, his desire to learn and take in knowledge, to improve and get better.
    “By no means does he believe he's the finished article, he's only 20 years-old, he's got a long, long career ahead of him, both for Orlando and for Canada. One of the key ingredients of any successful player professionally is that they have to learn and develop and get better from day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month, year-to-year, and I've seen evidence of that from him just this season in his first year. And also from talking to his coaches that are working with him on a daily basis, that's one of the first things they say about him: that he's getting better all the time, which is a real plus for him.”
    But deVos also cautioned about expecting too much, too soon of the player; a poignant point given the tendency of the desperate to exaggerate hope.
    “It's very, very early in his national team career for putting any expectation on his shoulders. It's quite unfair really to have anyone suggest that he's going to be the one to carry the goal-scoring weight that the National Team will require.
    “But he's got a lot of promise, he's got a lot of potential. He's already shown in his professional career so far this year that he is capable of scoring goals at the professional level. Now, there's a big jump up from scoring goals in MLS to scoring goals internationally, and I think we need a bigger body of work to really assess whether he can make that transition.
    “It's a big step up, make no mistake about it, going from playing in MLS to leading the line for your country and hopefully leading them to qualification is a big, big jump. I think it's really unfair to put that pressure on him, because I just don't think that he's ready yet to bear that responsibility.”
    Larin has already registered two goals in qualifying, scoring in each leg against Dominica, but given the struggles at the Gold Cup, perhaps it would be wise to take deVos' advice and not expect Larin to be the answer to every problem.
    He cut a frustrated figure in the first leg against Belize, unable to get the final touch required to find the back of the net on several occasions. His ability to get into those spots, however, is reason enough to celebrate, if in an understated manner.
    Give the kid time, let him continue to learn and develop, while the rest of the team coalesces for the challenge of qualification. He will not be the solution alone, but his addition does make the math a touch more palatable.
    In the first post in this series, the Story Behind the 'C' in Cyle was explained, while the second looked back for a comparable Canadian Talent.
    James can be followed on twitter @grawsee and more of his writing is available at Partially Obstructed View
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    Michael Crampton
    Of course the Sounders have never failed to make the playoffs since they joined MLS. Toronto FC’s record is notably different. Never did this dichotomy present itself more starkly than in 2009. Seattle’s inaugural season in the league was supposed to be the year the Reds made the playoffs. How that ended, in the final game played at Giants Stadium, is a signature moment in TFC history. In all the years since, Toronto has never been closer. Seattle, on the other hand, won their first three MLS games ever – including an away win at BMO Field – and rode a hot start into third place finish in the Western Conference.
    Now, however, Toronto FC is more in a fight for playoff seeding than bare qualification. Could it be that the first time the Reds finally play a playoff game, the Sounders have already been eliminated? For once, Seattle fans might be the ones watching other teams decide the league’s champion in November.
    Even a couple months ago, that seemed decidedly unlikely. Before their meltdown in the U.S. Open Cup versus the Timbers, Seattle looked like strong favourites to repeat as Supporter’s Shield champions. Ever since, the Sounders have been on the sort of long summer slide that destroyed so many TFC seasons. A mere one win from ten games during that stretch is not the sort of form to put fear into any opposition. Granted, they have bounced back with a couple wins in their last three games, but there is a frailty to the Sounders that has been exposed. If Toronto supporters are prepared to qualify their big win over Orlando a couple weeks ago because of Rafael Ramos’ red card, then the same applies to Seattle’s victory the week before. And, as mentioned, Seattle’s victory during Rivalry Week last weekend was no more impressive than Toronto’s. Both sides had a fair degree of fortune and snuck out with 2 – 1 wins.
    For Toronto, the big concern is obviously not the Sounders. Even when the Reds have been winning in 2015 the oft spoken fear was apparent: what happens if Sebastian Giovinco picks up an injury? Now, for the first time all season, that question can be answered. While the Italian’s muscle strain is almost certainly not season ending, it was enough to hold him out of the Italian team’s games during the international break. With Jozy Altidore called up to the American team that leaves Toronto down both its first choice forwards.
    Thus, Reds supporters should get an opportunity to see more of what Herculez Gomez can add to the side. The mid-summer pick-up was one of the few bright spots in a largely dire night in New York during his cameo debut a few weeks ago. Held out of action since then, a few weeks of full training with the team could lead to a first start. The FieldTurf surface of CenturyLink Field may be a concern, but why bring in a back-up forward if you’re not prepared to play him?
    In the end, any points from this match are simply a bonus for Toronto. The big run of home games to come will decide whether they’re hosting a playoff game for the first time ever. But the chance to pile pressure on Seattle, as they did with Montreal last week, is a joy rarely savoured in T.O. The Sounders are used to winning. It’d be polite to let them see the other side of sporting experience. We’re the experts, and maybe we can help them.
    Michael Mccoll
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    James Grossi
    The last few years have been tough on fans of Canadian soccer.
    Successive underwhelming Gold Cups, the 'best midfield in CONCACAF' passing their prime, further frustrations in World Cup Qualification, and player defections, not to mention the match that shall not be named. But in the background, a solid core of young talent has come to the forefront.
    There is no need to read out the roll call, readers of Canadian Soccer News will be well aware of the names, but with Qualification for the 2018 World Cup underway, and Canada suffering through a lack of goals, one player stands atop that list: Cyle Larin.
    Playing with Orlando City SC in MLS after a stellar NCAA career at UConn, Larin has racked up 11 goals through 21 appearances in his rookie season to sit on the cusp of a new record for the last five matches.
    He looked to have set the mark on the weekend in Chicago, but the tally was deemed an own-goal off Fire defender Eric Gehrig, despite claims from Larin to the contrary. No need to worry, Larin has seven games remaining to achieve the feat.
    In ten caps for the National Team, Larin has already netted three goals, scoring in a friendly against Puerto Rico in March before taking chances in each leg of the Second Round series of 2018 Qualification against Dominica.
    He, like the rest of the side, failed to score in this summer's Gold Cup, despite a glorious chance or two, but that has done little to diminish the hope that Larin represents.
    The question remains: When was the last time Canada had a potential striking talent like Larin in their midst?
    For TSN Analyst Jason deVos, the answer came quickly: “The one, from looking back over the last 20 years or so, that really stands out, would be someone like Tomasz Radzinski, who scored goals at a young age in the old CSL and then went overseas and had success there and then joined the Canadian team.”
    “He was the one,” continued deVos, “that everyone looked at as being somebody that could score goals for the best part of a decade for Canada. He certainly had his ups and downs with the National Team, given his situation in Europe at the time, but someone like Tomasz, who was an exciting prospect as a youngster” was the answer.
    Radzinski, who enjoyed a stellar, if migratory, career in Europe – he scored some 190 goals in 500 appearances (according to Wikipedia, apologies) – was limited to 46 appearances for Canada over a fourteen-year span, scoring ten goals.
    “Cyle has that same level of excitement about him” noted deVos, though he was quick to point out Larin is, “a much different player,” with “a much different style of play.”
    A historical side note worth pointing out is that the only previous time Canada and Belize have met – back at a similar stage of qualification for the 2006 World Cup – Radzinski scored in both legs.
    As to whether deVos expects Larin to get the start against Belize on Saturday, he was less certain, “It's a hard one. You put a lot of pressure on a kid. The National Team program has been starved for success for a long, long time now, and it's difficult to just throw a youngster in there and expect him to score goals right from the get-go.”
    Over-expectation led to some minor soul-searching over the miss against El Salvador in the opening match of the Gold Cup, but deVos whisks away such reactionary despair, “I don't think that he should lose any sleep over that, every player makes mistakes, the important thing is that they learn from those mistakes. Given what I've heard from his coaching staff in Orlando, he's certainly learning, so I would certainly think he'll be in contention to start.”
    “Looking at that first series with Belize, it's one that we have to win, and to do so you have to score goals, and someone like Cyle Larin has proven he can do that, It's going to be a wait-and-see, but I won't be surprised at all if he's leading the line when it comes time to play Belize.”
    That is a decision that Benito Floro will have to make ahead of Friday's match.
    In the first post in this series, the Story behind the 'C' in Cyle was explained.
    Rest in Peace Graham, we owe you a huge debt of gratitude for sharing your passion for the game with a generation of Canadians.
    James can be followed on twitter @grawsee and more of his writing is available at Partially Obstructed View
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    Until next time have a great soccer!
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    Michael Crampton
    A week ago, before the Reds smashed Orlando, TFC fans were the ones looking over their shoulders. Now, it is likely the Lower Canadians who have reason to be concerned. Montreal dropped a very winnable home game to Philadelphia last week. Their new big signing, Didier Drogba, failed to ignite an offence that has not found the net in three of their last five games. Drogba hasn’t travelled to Toronto, but the rest of the Impact lost to Vancouver in the Voyageur’s Cup final in midweek and have had to fly back from the west coast.
    With a loss or draw Montreal could see themselves out of a playoff position by the end of the weekend. The bottom of the Eastern Conference may be a quagmire, but when there are four teams below within a mere two points, it will only take one of them finding a result for the Impact to drop in the standings. Yes, the Impact will still have a healthy number of games in hand, but any TFC supporter can tell you how little those can amount to.
    So, logically, everything has set up for another one of those TFC home disappointments that have come at the most inopportune times this season. It used to be that you could count on Toronto FC to disappoint most of the time. These days they seem to pick the moments when it shouldn’t be expected.
    It should be remembered that the Reds’ defensive issues are still yet to be sorted out. On the one hand, Chris Konopka’s return to goal last weekend saw Toronto record their first clean sheet since June. Orlando came out with a defensive game plan, however, and still managed to create danger on counterattacks until Rafael Ramos’ red card. Assuming that Montreal keeps 11 men on the field, it’s likely that TFC’s defence is just the sort of opportunity they’re looking for to kickstart their offence.
    Formationally, TFC also seem to be in flux. Head coach Greg Vanney heeded calls to move away from a diamond midfield against Orlando, instead choosing to pack the centre of the park with five players. Arguably, none of those five would even qualify as wingers based on their natural tendencies.
    On its face, the change was successful, as the Reds were generating opportunities even before the five goal rout in the second half. How much of that was down to formation, versus how much was Orlando letting Toronto play, is not so clear. Sebastian Giovinco certainly doesn’t have the look of a player suited to a lone forward role and leaving Jozy Altidore on the bench to start games seems like a horrible waste of resources. The American forward has been criticized since returning from the Gold Cup but is, by some margin, the team’s second leading scorer after Giovinco. Sitting a designated player takes guts, and Vanney should be commended for making that call. Yet, at the same time, part of his job is to get the most out of his best players.
    Fortunately, Toronto FC don’t have to figure out all the answers this weekend. While they will need to win games to guarantee themselves a home game in the playoffs, being ready for that game, should it come, is just as important. With ten games left in the season, Vanney still has a little range to experiment, particularly as he integrates Herculez Gomez into the squad. Do that successfully, and some wobbles during the run-in can be forgiven.
    But beat Montreal.
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