Cyle Larin has been somewhat of a breakout star so far this year in MLS. Much was expected of the Canadian striker after he was drafted number one overall in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft. It seems safe to say that the 20-year-old has slotted into the league pretty well.
Coming from the University of Connecticut, many expected him to become a key player for the new expansion side with the likes of Brazilian legend Kaka, who was the marquee signing for the side. It’s been an incredibly good season thus far for the young Canadian. He scored his first professional league goal on April 12 against the Portland Timbers and then scored on his Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup debut as Orlando was defeated 3-1 by the Chicago Fire in the quarterfinals.
On July 26, Larin scored his first professional hat-trick in an MLS fixture against New York City FC. With this, he became only the 8th rookie to score three goals in an MLS match and only the third player to do so for an expansion side. Larin's nine goals put him within two goals of Damani Ralph's rookie record of eleven set in 2003, which he would later equal against the Columbus Crew in the next match.
Larin also became the third Canadian to score a hat trick in league play, along with Dwayne De Rosario and Tesho Akindele of FC Dallas, and the second youngest player to do so behind only Kekuta Manneh, who was 18 at the time of his first MLS hat-trick.
So at this moment, in only a span of six months, he has already broken records in the league which has been incredible given he has scored 11 goals (and counting) so far. With a World Cup qualifier against Belize coming up in a few days, he has been called up to Benito Floro’s side alongside his league compatriot Akindele. With three goals in ten matches for his national team, Cyle will definitely be looking for more in the future.
Q: How does it feel to play alongside Kaka at your club in Orlando and how does it feel to be the favorite for Rookie of the year?
CL: ’’It feels good. To play with Kaka, who is one of the best players in the world and to know what he's thinking and where he’s playing at. I admire the way he is on and off the field. While it does feel good for people to say that I’m Rookie of the Year but I haven’t got it and I have a lot of work to do."
Q: Are you well aware of the attention the media is giving you?
CL: ‘’I’m aware. However, the season is not done yet and I just want to score my goals and make it to the playoffs with this great team.’’
Q: How was your time at the University of Connecticut and what was the best memory there?
CL: "It was a great time! One of the best memories I had there was when we made it far into the NCAA tournament when we played UCLA and won on penalties. It was a great time playing there, met some great people there and I want to thank them for what they did to me, especially my coach Ray Reid.’’
Q: How did it feel representing your native Canada in the Gold Cup last month? What are your plans to help grow the national team and bring respect back to the country in soccer?
CL: ‘’It was all about getting into the lineup, score goals to help us win. I think that’s the vision to work hard every time I’m there and help as much as I can for the next upcoming games."
Q: How do you think you slotted into MLS so easily?
CL: ‘’I just think it’s just listening to the coach (Adrian Heath) and learning each and every day from players from my team. I’ve been listening to them since day one and it’s been working well because they know what the league is about and I’m just working hard to score every time I can.’’
Q: How good of a manager is Adrian Heath?
CL: "He’s a fantastic manager. For me, I’m learning so much from him since he knows the game very well. The system he plays, I like it a lot. When you like a coach, it’s easier and he pushes his players to the max, which is great."
Q: Describe for me your time at Sigma FC (a private soccer academy in the Ontario Soccer League).
CL: "It was great. I learned and developed a lot of my skills that I have now from only playing two years there. The discipline I have now came from there and I have to thank my coaches for that. It was a great professional environment there with a good team."
Q: You’re playing Belize in the World Cup qualifiers next month in Toronto and in Belize. How are you feeling leading up to those two matches?
CL: "I’m feeling good. I’m scoring a lot and if I keep it up, I’ll do well."
Q: If there were a particular player you would like to try and emulate in how you play, who is it?
CL: "Maybe Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Didier Drogba. Those are two guys I try to play like."
Q: How good is your relationship with FC Dallas’ Tesho Akindele?
CL: "It’s good. The first time I met him, he was nice and humble guy. I think the more we play together for the national team, the better our relationship will be on and off the field."
Q: Lastly, with Orlando looking to head into the MLS Cup playoffs and trying all your best to make it for the first time in club history, how do you think you can achieve that goal?
CL: "Just work hard together, work hard as a team and by doing that: we win games. If we do make the playoffs, we definitely have a good team to go far in playoffs, with a great chance to win it all."