High praise came after Laba’s performance against New England Revolution.
After a man of the match performance which included the winning goal in Toronto FC’s 1-0 victory over New England Revolution on Sunday, TFC assistant coach Jim Brennan was full of praise for the young Argentinian, but said there was far more to come.
“You haven’t seen the best of Laba yet,” Brennan said. “It is always hard when you come to a new country and you don’t speak the language. You are also trying to settle in with a new team and to find your feet in a new formation. The way he has handled himself so far has been great to see. I think eventually Laba will be one of the top players in this league.”
Laba can play as a holding midfielder as well as an attacking midfielder, and this ability makes him an extremely useful asset at both ends of the pitch, scoring and assisting goals while pulling strings from in front of the defence.
“I am a player that tries to play both offensively and defensively, but only when there is an opportunity to go forward,” Laba told MLSsoccer.com via translator. “I enjoy going forward and playing defensively.”
Toronto FC manager Ryan Nelsen was quick to compliment his young player, both for the quality of his goal but also for his defensive play.
“Matías is naturally a very good reader of the game and he steps up extremely well and flows on with his pressure,” Nelsen said. “He is relentless and when he pressures that hard it is very difficult for the opposition to keep the ball. You have to be a very special player to be able to handle his type of pressure.”
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