Canada’s Cyle Larin named top MLS rookie

After tallying 17 goals in his first season in an Orlando City jersey, former UConn men’s soccer forward Cyle Larin was selected as the Major League Soccer Rookie of the Year, as announced by the league on Tuesday.

“He can play at this level, he can score at this level”, Orlando City coach Adrian Heath said last month. In his first year playing professional soccer, Larin, obliterated the MLS rookie record for most goals scored in a single season.

“It’s a very important award for me, and I worked very hard to get it”, Larin said. San Jose midfielder Fatai Alashe was second with 7 percent, followed by Chicago defender Matt Polster with 3 percent. “I think a lot of it was just learning from my teammates”. Lastly, I’d like to thank everyone throughout the league who voted for me.

Larin was the first overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft.

Risky on the Road – Larin’s nine away goals were tied for third best in MLS. Three of those games came against NY teams, with Larin notching hat tricks against fellow expansion team NYCFC (July 26) and the Supporters’ Shield-winning NY Red Bulls (Sept. 25) in addition to two more goals against NYCFC on October 16. He finished behind only Sebastian Giovinco, Kei Kamara, David Villa and Robbie Keane.

Lethally Efficient Striker – The 20-year-old Canadian striker’s goal-scoring ratio of 0.8 goals per 90 minutes ranked second best among the top 10 goal-scorers in the league..

In terms of the voting, Larin won in a landslide.

All first-year players in MLS, without previous professional experience, were eligible for the AT&T Rookie of the Year award, voted by media, MLS players and MLS club management, based on regular-season performance.