TORONTO — Cyle Larin took a quick pass, steadied himself and lashed his right boot at the ball. The veteran, much-maligned striker was disappointed not to start Canada’s World Cup opener in his backyard. After thumping the country’s first-ever goal at the tournament on home soil, Larin had a message for his critics Friday. The 31-year-old scored moments after subbing on in the second half as the Canadians salvaged a 1-1 draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina to kick off Group B play. Larin ran to the corner flag in the southwest corner of a pulsating Toronto Stadium before plugging his ears — a nod to his detractors for a lack of finish with the national team — before kissing the badge on his red jersey. “That’s for the fans, the reporters, and the journalists who say I shouldn’t be where I’m supposed to be,” said the product of nearby Brampton, Ont. “But I’ve always proved them wrong … I did it again. “Hopefully now they can shut up.” Larin has now scored 31 times in 91 appearances for Canada — ranked No. 30 in the world by FIFA — but had connected just once over his last 17 starts ahead of Friday’s performance. “He’s going to go down as one of Canada’s all-time greatest players,” said defender Alistair Johnston. “Sometimes I feel like he probably doesn’t get the respect that he deserves. He’s a really good player, and it was a massive goal for him to score that in front of his family, home World Cup … it’s a special, special goal. “We’re all over the moon for him.” Fellow second-half substitute Promise David said the play that broke the country’s goose egg came straight off the training pitch for a side that had struggled to finish from open play in the lead-up to the global showcase. Canadian midfielder Ismaël Koné fed the ball into David, who in turn flicked it into Larin’s path just inside the penalty area for him to beat outstretched Bosnia goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj in the 78th minute. “That was a great feeling,” David said. “Happy for Cyle to be the person to get that type of goal on that type of stage. Fricking great finish that we know he’s capable of.” Head coach Jesse Marsch had a brief conversation with Larin, who scored nine goals across 22 matches in England’s second-tier Championship division since January, about being dropped from the starting 11 prior to the lineup being announced. “You’ve had a great year at Southampton whether you’ve started or come off the bench,” Marsch said of his message. “You’ve had an impact in every game, and now you have to wrap your mind around that. “He was ready.” Larin took the initial omission, and then not entering the game when Canada made three changes in the 61st minute, in his usual low-key stride. “It’s just different tactics (Marsch) wanted out of this game,” Larin said. “But I’m always ready to come in and score. I want to play all the time, but sometimes you don’t have control over it all. “When I played, I scored.” David used to watch Larin score goals for Canada before setting him up for the biggest in the history of the men’s program against the well-drilled, 64th-ranked Bosnians. “To be able to fast-forward to 2026 and he’s still here, and I’m up there with him, it felt kind of cool to assist somebody you watched on TV,” said the 24-year-old striker, who also hails from Brampton. “I’ve grown close to him in this program … it was a relief to get that first goal.” Canadian winger Liam Miller said Larin offers a lot more to the group than just goals. “People take it for granted a little bit in terms of what he does off the ball,” Miller said. “What he does for the team, in terms of holding the ball up, and how important he’s off the pitch as well. I’m so happy for Cyle. I know he hasn’t scored in a long time for Canada, but you see him at Southampton every week. “You see his quality.” Larin showed just that on a memorable Friday afternoon in Toronto. “It means a lot,” he said. “I’ve shown I can score for this country many times, and I’ve done it again. “And I’ll keep doing it, always.” — With files from Gregory Strong This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2026. Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
