By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
@GettyImages.
Toronto FC coach John Herdman entrusted the forgotten forward Cassius Mailula with his first start as a Red, as League1 Ontario side Simcoe County Rovers visited BMO Field for their preliminary round Canadian Championship tie.
Mailula, 22, was on the scoresheet for Toronto, as they walloped Simcoe County Rovers 5-0 to advance to the next stage of the Canadian Championship Cup.
Herdman handed Mailula his first start since joining Toronto in July 2023. It took 30 minutes for the South African to score his first goal for the eight-time Canadian Championship Cup winners.
“I’m really happy that he (Mailula) got his goal, he’s been really patient through the pre-season and the season,” said Herdsman during a post-match conference.
“When there’s one game a week and you’ve players like Osario, Insigne, Bernardeschi that play at the top of the box or so in those forward areas, it’s very difficult for Cassius to get game time and minutes.
And again, I think he is a young player. He’s coming from the league in South Africa where it’s very different, the style, the standard is very different and he is still trying to adapt to life here in MLS.”
So, every week, he keeps his head down, he works hard, and he always has a positive outlook. I think players like that they build resilience through MLS.”
Mailula joined Toronto last summer from Mamelodi Sundowns after racking up 16 goals and five assists in 32 matches across all competitions in his first season with the club. He made his pro debut in South Africa on September 7, 2022.