Cyle Larin Eyes Canada Role After 9 Goals in 22 Matches
cyle larin enters Canada’s opener against Bosnia-Herzegovina after a season that turned from frustration at Feyenoord into nine goals in 22 matches across all competitions for Southampton. He said Wednesday he is focused on the task in front of him, with Canada set for its first-ever World Cup match on home soil Friday afternoon.
Larin’s Southampton reset
Larin agreed to a loan deal with Southampton in January after struggling in the Dutch top division with Feyenoord, where he scored one goal in 15 appearances before earning a permanent move that runs for the next two seasons. The shift gave him the games he wanted, and he said that was the point: to play, score and arrive at the World Cup in form.
“I've always shown when I played games, I scored goals. I went to Southampton to do that, and I've shown that. That was the main thing … to play games and score goals (and) be in form coming into the World Cup.”
Canada’s scoring load
Canada needs that finishing touch. The team has had trouble finding the range from open play in the buildup, and Larin has scored 30 times in 90 appearances for Canada, including 14 goals in 2021 alone. He has also scored once in his last 17 starts for the national team, which puts more weight on the chances he gets in this tournament.
Derek Cornelius pointed to the role Larin can fill, saying he brings experience and value in holdup play and finishing. Canada is preparing for its opener while ranked 30th in the world by FIFA, and Larin’s place in the attack remains part of that equation.
Bosnia-Herzegovina opener
The immediate test is Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Larin said Canada should keep doing what it does and keep feeding the forwards. He called the Southampton fallout difficult for everyone around the club after it was removed from a lucrative playoff for admitting unauthorized filming of other teams’ practices, but his focus has shifted to the national team. “We just have to keep doing what we do, and then guys just give us the ball, and we'll score. If we get the chance — when we get the chance — we'll put the ball in the back of the net.”
“It's been a crazy last six months,” he said, and the next stretch now belongs to Canada, which has a chance to lean on a striker who says he did not lose a game in Southampton colors and wants his form to carry over when the World Cup starts on Friday afternoon.
