When Cyle Larin was chosen with the top overall pick in January’s MLS Draft, the general consensus was that he would need some time to adapt before making an impact. Few could have predicted just how much the Canadian international would impress in his first professional season.
Larin established a new rookie scoring record in 2015, netting 17 goals in 27 appearances for Orlando City. The 20-year-old’s goal tally was good for a tie for fifth in the league, as Larin finished behind only established stars in Sebastian Giovinco, Kei Kamara, Robbie Keane and David Villa. That goal tally helped Larin be the runaway pick for SBI MLS Rookie of the Year.
Throughout the season, Larin saw his star blossom through several multi-goal performances. The UConn product scored his first hat-trick against New York City FC on July 26 before firing another against the New York Red Bulls two months later.
Whether it was with his head or feet, Larin proved to be a legitimate threat while feeding off the play of Orlando City captain Kaka. In stellar form throughout the season, Larin’s performances earned the 20-year-old several call-ups to the Canadian national team and he scored his first three international goals in 2015.
In total, Larin produced four multi-goal games, leading the way for an expansion club while emerging as a bonafide MLS forward.
Here is a rundown of the other candidates for the SBI MLS Rookie of the Year Award, as chosen by SBI Editorial Staff:
2. FATAI ALSHE
Drafted fourth overall by the San Jose Earthquakes, Fatai Alashe’s versatility came in quite handy throughout his first MLS season. The Michigan State product, who missed time while with the U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team, established himself as a defensive midfielder throughout the 2015 season, but was able to play centerback for the Quakes in a pinch as the team battled for playoff positioning. Although that battle fell short, Alashe developed a partnership with fellow youngster Marc Pelosi in the midfield throughout his 28 appearances, creating a bit of optimism as the Quakes’ young stars continue to grow.
3. MATT POLSTER
Coming out of SIU Edwardsville, Matt Polster was far from the most highly-touted prospect heading into 2015, but the Chicago Fire rookie was one of the team’s few bright spots in 2015. Playing in a deep-lying midfield position, Polster was among the league’s most consistent passers in 2105. The U.S. U-23 midfielder/defender displayed spectacular vision and maturity throughout his rookie campaign and, alongside Harry Shipp, it appears that the Fire have a midfield duo as the team pushes into a new era.
4. TIM PARKER
It took some time for Tim Parker to find his feet with the Vancouver Whitecaps, but when he did, the centerback established himself as a starter for one of the West’s top teams. The former St. John’s defender started 14 games this season, with nine of those starts coming after Aug. 15. Playing alongside one of the league’s best in Kendall Waston, Parker has seemingly locked down the second centerback role for a Whitecaps team that looks set to contend for years to come.
T5. AXEL SJOBERG
Playing for a young team built on its ability to defend, Colorado Rapids rookie Axel Sjoberg impressed as a centerback in 2015. The hulking central defender made 14 starts for the Rapids in 2015, while helping to secure five clean sheets. Sidelined with a knee injury throughout the summer months, Sjoberg proved a valuable contributor throughout his healthy moments, as the former Marquette Golden Eagle will look to lock down a more consistent starting gig for the Rapids in 2016.
T5. CRISTIAN ROLDAN
The Seattle Sounders are one of the most star-heavy teams in MLS, but that didn’t prevent Cristian Roldan from finding playing time throughout 2015. Throughout the season, Roldan proved himself as a consistent spark off the bench for Sigi Schmid’s club making 22 appearances with 11 coming in a substitute role. Roldan’s biggest contribution came in his final regular season appearance, as the midfielder provided an assist to help the Sounders defeat the Vancouver Whitecaps.
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What do you think of our selection? Which player stood out to you as Rookie of the Year in 2015?
Share your thoughts below.
SBI, can you please stop reordering the articles throughout the day? I check your site multiple times a day and when you change the order of the articles as they appear on the website some articles I’m very interested in reading fall through the cracks. For example, today you had the Dempsey and BWP articles (enjoyable reads) which throughout the day moved down “The Latest” list as you posted new articles but then eventually were moved back to the top of the “The Latest” list pushing newer articles (this one) down. I’ve missed multiple articles since the new website change because of this. Looking at the “The Latest” list is how I know if there is any new content I would like to read and when I see the same articles I’ve already read at the top I just assume there has been no new content uploaded. It seems like you can have featured articles that you would like to draw attention to while not messing with the “The Latest” list of articles you post throughout the day. I know this is petty and maybe just a me problem, but I ask that you at least give it consideration. Also, let’s be honest, your most frequent visitors are not being fooled by just reposting an earlier article again at the top of the list. It just draws attention to the fact that SBI is putting out less content than it used to. “The Latest” list should be just that, a timeline of articles that were posted on the website and the order should not be altered.
Website revamp has been a failure in my opinion – site is less navigable than before, fewer people comment, there’s no timestamp on any posts and the ads are even more annoying than before, something I would have thought impossible.
i really dislike that the “reply” is disabled after 2 or 3 responses. makes it hard to decipher to whom a commenter replied.
– Once you respond more than twice, one of you won’t get any alerts of a reply.
– If you want to respond point for point to great comment number 38 in a 300 comment post, you have to copy it, or bring it up in a new tab, or leave your message and go and find it, whenever you want to reference it specifically.
Those two things discourage comments. . .
The fact that they are consistently manipulating “The Latest”, and that the advertisements pop up in my scroll almost like sponsored content (Safari). . . it makes finding and engaging in excitement and strategy, less appealing.
All of those concerns voiced, I still really enjoy this community–as much as it has changed over time–it still feels better to talk about soccer on here than on the ESPN FC or MLS sites.
And I love the podcast–even though I feel The Total Soccer Show puts more craft into their breaking down of games and presentation–SBI is more laid back and dramatic ( with much better music).
I’m glad these comments are still up. Maybe that’s Ives showing a new side of the leaf.
Before, people’s comments have been erased for being thoughtfully critical. Some have even been banned, for doubting that our latest Q’s will be A’d, and asking for a well deserved, signed, USMNT scarf, for winning a contest a hundred episodes ago.
@amphibian707 I agree with your comments. The new site, for whatever reason, has discouraged the number of people commenting on stories. Sadly, with Ives moving over to Goal, the comments are one of THE main reasons I keep coming to this site. I enjoy reading the discussions and debate. Without that element and the constant changing of the order of the articles it makes this new site much less appealing. It looks better, but it doesn’t function better.
I also miss when Ives would come into the comment sections and address things like this. Maybe there is a specific reason why it is being done like this that we just don’t know about. He used to be very good about communicating with his readers in the comment section and listening to their opinions. I hope he does that again with this thread, or open up a new thread that is just a “How can we make this new website better?”
@slowleftarm if you don’t like the ads, you should use Chrome and just get Ad Block. I don’t have any ads on this site.
The irony is they reordered this post and put it back on top of “The Latest” list twice.