Larin Canada Opens Friday as Canada Faces Bosnia and Herzegovina

Cyle Larin is in line to suit up for larin canada as Canada opens its World Cup campaign Friday at 3 p.m. ET against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto. The match gives Canada its first chance to collect points in Group B, where the top two teams advance and eight third-place teams also move on.

Larin And Canada In Toronto

Canada begins play Friday, June 12, and the opener arrives one day after the World Cup starts on Thursday. Larin, the former UConn forward, is on the roster for the group-stage match, which carries immediate weight because teams get two points for a win and one point for a draw.

The opener is the first of three group matches on Canada’s schedule. After Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada plays Qatar on Thursday, June 18 at 6 p.m. ET in Vancouver, then Switzerland on Wednesday, June 24 at 3 p.m. ET in Vancouver.

UConn To World Cup

Larin’s path to this stage runs through UConn, where he was part of the recruiting Class of 2013. He started 22 of 23 games that season and scored 14 goals, including five game-winning goals, with three assists.

He backed that up in 2014 with nine goals and three assists in 16 games, finishing with 21 points and earning AAC Offensive Player of the Year honors. Over two seasons, he totaled 38 games, 23 goals, six assists and 52 points before Orlando City SC selected him No. 1 overall in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft.

Group B Path

Canada’s assignment sits inside a 48-country tournament split into 12 groups of four teams each. The top two teams from every group move into the elimination round, along with eight more third-place teams, creating a 32-team bracket on the way to the finals July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

For Canada, Friday’s opener is the first test in a short group stage where every result carries value. A win sets the tone immediately, but even a draw keeps the team in position before the Vancouver matches arrive.