For weeks, Steven Caldwell has lamented the inability of certain Canadian players to find minutes with their club teams and his prayers appear to be finally answered this week.
Mallorca forward Cyle Larin is set for a loan move as the 2026 FIFA World Cup quickly approaches. Not only will the loan be good for the Larin personally, but it could also pay dividends for Canada this June.
Last week came word that the 30-year-old Brampton, Ont. native’s loan move to Feyenoord from Mallorca was being terminated early. Over the weekend, TSN’s Matt Scianitti broke the news that Larin will be headed on loan to Championship side Southampton.
Larin has not played much this season. He’s played for a total of 412 minutes in 15 games across all competitions. His lone 90-minute shift came in a Europa League loss to Stuttgart in November. He’s started only three matches and scored just once, in an October Europa League victory over Panathinaikos.
The move is a massive one for Larin, who has found himself on the periphery of Jesse Marsch’s attacking options as 2026 has come around. With Jonathan David finally clicking at Juventus, Promise David scoring in buckets for Union SG and Tani Oluwaseyi seeing regular playing time and contributing for Villarreal, time is of the essence for Larin to force the issue with Marsch.
Relegated from the Premier League last season, Saints currently sit 14th in the Championship on 40 points. They’re 11 points clear of Blackburn Rovers in the drop zone and trail Wrexham by seven points for the final playoff spot. Southampton’s leading scorer this season with 11 league goals was Adam Armstrong, but he just completed a permanent move to Wolves. The opportunity to make a difference for Larin should be in the offing.
Elsewhere, Caldwell has locked another player into his starting XI in Sassuolo’s Ismaël Koné. Koné scored his fourth goal of the Serie A campaign on Sunday in a 3-1 win over Pisa. His good form was rewarded on Monday when his loan from Marseille was turned into a permanent with Sassuolo activating a buy clause in their deal.
Koné now joins Jonathan David, Alphonso Davies, Stephen Eustáquio, Tajon Buchanan, Richie Laryea, Moïse Bombito and Alistair Johnston as locks in Caldwell’s XI
Race for the Roster: Week 32 (4-4-2)
Forwards
STARTERS: Jonathan David (Juventus) and Tani Oluwaseyi (Villarreal)
BENCH: Promise David (Union SG), Daniel Jebbison (Preston North End, on loan from Bournemouth), Cyle Larin (Southampton, on loan from Mallorca) and Marcelo Flores (Tigres)
Midfield and Defenders
STARTING MIDFIELDERS: Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich), Ismaël Koné (Sassuolo), Stephen Eustaquio (Porto) and Tajon Buchanan (Villarreal)
BENCH: Jacob Shaffelburg (Los Angeles)INJ, Liam Millar (Hull City), Nathan Saliba (Anderlecht), Mathieu Choiniere (Los Angeles FC) and Ali Ahmed (Norwich City)
STARTING DEFENDERS: Richie Laryea (Toronto FC), Derek Cornelius (Rangers, on loan from Marseille), Moise Bombito (Nice) INJ and Alistair Johnston (Celtic) INJ
BENCH: Niko Sigur (Hajduk Split), Alfie Jones (Middlesbrough)INJ, Joel Waterman (Chicago Fire) and Luc de Fougerolles (Dender, on loan from Fulham)
Goalkeeper
STARTER: Dayne St. Clair (Inter Miami)
BENCH: Maxime Crepeau (Orlando City) and Owen Goodman (Huddersfield Town, on loan from Crystal Palace)
IN THE HUNT: James Pantemis (Portland Timbers) and Jonathan Sirois (FC Dallas)
