Congrats to Cyle Larin on MLS Rookie Record

[Blackdude]

Norwegian champs Molde sent a scout to watch Larin apparently. I don't know when Larin's deal is done, if it lasts through this year, but one would think that Molde would offer him a job when his contract is up.

[shermanator]

Interesting. I also noticed this tweet on Larin and Molde. I wonder how much of a step up Tippeligaen is over MLS for Larin. 

 

[Joe MacCarthy]

26 minutes ago, shermanator said:

I wonder how much of a step up Tippeligaen is over MLS for Larin. 

Well, it didn't hurt ol' Rob Friend too much.

[Floortom]

Larin just scored again

[Complete Homer]

2 minutes ago, Floortom said:

Larin just scored again

Awful defending from the defender covering him...couldn't tell if it was Oumiette

I'm hoping for a hat-trick, get back to goal-per-game pace!

[Floortom]

I think it was Ouimette. That's what I posted in other thread

[Complete Homer]

Also cleared a ball off the line for Orlando, they owe the lead to him for sure

[C2SKI]

Larin is fitter and he looks a better player all around than he was this time last year. It's great to watch. I'd still like to see him be more involved in the game though. I think he has more to give.

[Guest]

5 hours ago, shermanator said:

Interesting. I also noticed this tweet on Larin and Molde. I wonder how much of a step up Tippeligaen is over MLS for Larin. 

 

No offense to the Tippeligaen but he is too good for them and the league. The Norwegian league is not that much better (if any better) than the MLS. I would rather him wait a year or 2 and make a move to a bigger club. It is crazy he has the scoring record at 20 years old. He has a very high potential.

[Keegan]

2 minutes ago, canta15 said:

No offense to the Tippeligaen but he is too good for them and the league. The Norwegian league is not that much better (if any better) than the MLS. I would rather him wait a year or 2 and make a move to a bigger club. It is crazy he has the scoring record at 20 years old. He has a very high potential.

It would be a nice springboard to a better league and he would get to play in the UCL or Europa League for a season or two.  The thing I doubt though is that any Norwegian team will have the money to buy Larin, MLS isn't going to sell him cheap.  

I expect Larin to be bought by an EPL or Bundesliga side.  If guys like Yedlin and Henry were bought by EPL sides I'd say Larin fits the bill.

[Alex1775]

Hope larin scores plenty of goals this season and get's a transfer to a team in a top 4 European league in a year or two. However, he really needs to improve on his technical approach to the game. From what I've seen he has poor vision, dribbling skills and has an inconsistent first touch and short pass. If he improves in these areas and combines it with his raw finishing ability, then he can easily become a world  class striker. 

[Havoc88]

9 hours ago, canta15 said:

No offense to the Tippeligaen but he is too good for them and the league. The Norwegian league is not that much better (if any better) than the MLS. I would rather him wait a year or 2 and make a move to a bigger club. It is crazy he has the scoring record at 20 years old. He has a very high potential.

The bigger picture is that if he moves to Norway he'll have better control over his destiny. In MLS there will always be the hassle of the league contract (not team), which has stalled many transfers over the years. If Larin plays in Norway a) he could be playing in CL or EL - which would be huge for his profile and further interest, and b ) after a breakout season, he could be sold easily and also and more readily move from that league to a bigger one.

[C2SKI]

27 minutes ago, Havoc88 said:

The bigger picture is that if he moves to Norway he'll have better control over his destiny. In MLS there will always be the hassle of the league contract (not team), which has stalled many transfers over the years. If Larin plays in Norway a) he could be playing in CL or EL - which would be huge for his profile and further interest, and b ) after a breakout season, he could be sold easily and also and more readily move from that league to a bigger one.

Maybe, but I enjoy watching him play week in week out, and there's no way I get that chance if he's in Norway. My Grandma is from Molde and I can't see why Canadian fans would want him there. I think he's well beyond needing the Tippeligaen to springboard to bigger leagues. The interest is already there, and I can't see the league blocking his path. 

[Unnamed Trialist]

If he were playing in Belgium, say, or Austria, he'd be clear material to go to a mid-table top flight club in a major league. Mostly for his age, he is the kind of player you have to speculate on. 

His only drawback, and here I don't agree with Alex1775 very much, is his lack of pace pressuring defensively and moving off the ball in attack as well.  He has to also open up spaces for other players, not just himself, learn to fall of the middle when necessary. But in soccer, if you score, that is a final and definitive argument that overrules absolutely everythings else (including biting!!).

He dribbles, passes and holds up just fine from what I have seen.

[grigorio]

5 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

If he were playing in Belgium, say, or Austria, he'd be clear material to go to a mid-table top flight club in a major league. Mostly for his age, he is the kind of player you have to speculate on. 

His only drawback, and here I don't agree with Alex1775 very much, is his lack of pace pressuring defensively and moving off the ball in attack as well.  He has to also open up spaces for other players, not just himself, learn to fall of the middle when necessary. But in soccer, if you score, that is a final and definitive argument that overrules absolutely everythings else (including biting!!).

He dribbles, passes and holds up just fine from what I have seen.

Unless your name is Ali Gerba.

[Unnamed Trialist]

1 minute ago, grigorio said:

Unless your name is Ali Gerba.

You lost me there, sorry.

[shermanator]

Personally, I think a move by Larin to a league in somewhere like Belgium or Holland would be a good move for him. The key for me is where can Larin go so that he starts week in week out in a league with better competition than MLS?

If he transfers to the Premier League or Bundesliga, does anyone see him getting regular minutes? As of today, I'm not sure he does unless he signs with a bottom table club.

 

[Oranje]

I'd want to see him go to Liga MX. I think that transfer rumor to Tigres would have been fantastic for him for both club and country.

 

[Ruffian]

1 minute ago, Oranje said:

I'd want to see him go to Liga MX. I think that transfer rumor to Tigres would have been fantastic for him for both club and country.

 

He would get no playing time with Gignac playing so well. Maybe another Liga MX side that needs a striker like him.

[TRM]

Athletico Madrid!

[Grizzly]

On 4/25/2016 at 9:38 AM, Havoc88 said:

The bigger picture is that if he moves to Norway he'll have better control over his destiny. In MLS there will always be the hassle of the league contract (not team), which has stalled many transfers over the years. If Larin plays in Norway a) he could be playing in CL or EL - which would be huge for his profile and further interest, and b ) after a breakout season, he could be sold easily and also and more readily move from that league to a bigger one.

He will have the exact same control over his destiny if he has a European contract as if he has an MLS contract. MLS is no worse at stalling transfers than European teams, if the money is there they will transfer if not they won't. Remember Bernier had his transfer to Besiktas stopped because his Norwegian team wanted a ridiculous amount of money for him (which is their right but this transfer could have really helped Bernier's career). The only advantage playing in Norway would have transfer wise would be more exposure and visibility to other European clubs.

On 4/25/2016 at 0:39 PM, shermanator said:

Personally, I think a move by Larin to a league in somewhere like Belgium or Holland would be a good move for him. The key for me is where can Larin go so that he starts week in week out in a league with better competition than MLS?

If he transfers to the Premier League or Bundesliga, does anyone see him getting regular minutes? As of today, I'm not sure he does unless he signs with a bottom table club.

 

 

As for leagues, I think Norway would be if anything a step down in playing level. Belgium and Holland would not be better playing level week in and week out but more varied, the top of the table teams would be better than MLS and the lower table teams worse. Still he would likely get better coaching there and would have more chance of a lot of playing time and depending who he signed with the possibility of CL/EL play. So Belgium and Holland could be a good second step for him. If he wanted a fast track to a top league he might be even better off signing in the 2nd Bundesliga where if he does well he could either promote or transfer up fairly quickly. 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Grizzly said:

He will have the exact same control over his destiny if he has a European contract as if he has an MLS contract. MLS is no worse at stalling transfers than European teams, if the money is there they will transfer if not they won't. Remember Bernier had his transfer to Besiktas stopped because his Norwegian team wanted a ridiculous amount of money for him (which is their right but this transfer could have really helped Bernier's career). The only advantage playing in Norway would have transfer wise would be more exposure and visibility to other European clubs.

 

As for leagues, I think Norway would be if anything a step down in playing level. Belgium and Holland would not be better playing level week in and week out but more varied, the top of the table teams would be better than MLS and the lower table teams worse. Still he would likely get better coaching there and would have more chance of a lot of playing time and depending who he signed with the possibility of CL/EL play. So Belgium and Holland could be a good second step for him. If he wanted a fast track to a top league he might be even better off signing in the 2nd Bundesliga where if he does well he could either promote or transfer up fairly quickly. 

Are the lower teams in the Netharlands that bad? I heard they were only as good as 2nd division teams from the big 4 countries but not as bad as you say they are.

[PhillyCanuck]

There is a rumor out of Italy that Lazio may be interested in Larin. An anticipated transfer fee of $9 million (USD) is mentioned at the end of the article:  

http://www.calciomercato.com/news/larin-nuovo-drogba-per-la-lazio-294244

Here is another article that references the story above:

http://www.mlssocceritalia.com/mercato-mls-cyle-larin-tra-lazio-e-molde/

[Stryker911]

1 hour ago, PhillyCanuck said:

There is a rumor out of Italy that Lazio may be interested in Larin. An anticipated transfer fee of $9 million (USD) is mentioned at the end of the article:  

http://www.calciomercato.com/news/larin-nuovo-drogba-per-la-lazio-294244

Here is another article that references the story above:

http://www.mlssocceritalia.com/mercato-mls-cyle-larin-tra-lazio-e-molde/

That would be pretty impressive if it even got close to that. The current record transfer fee, that I can find, for a mls player is ~10 million that Villarreal payed for a 19 year old Altidore. 

There was another thread in the past about the most a Canadian has ever transferred for. Pretty sure this would top the list.

[Unnamed Trialist]

That is an amazing quantity for a kid out of N American, I am impressed.

I hope he does not go to Italy though as goals are harder to make, defending is tough, it is way easier to get into a rut as a striker. I am being a bit selfish but seeing him actually score 15 in France or Belgium would be better, a curve like Origi's for example.