Coach Greg Vanney recalls the first time he saw Jacob Shaffelburg training with the Toronto FC first team.
Defender Chris Mavinga went to retrieve a ball with Shaffelburg, playing on his wrong wing, steaming toward him from distance.
Mavinga is one of the MLS team’s most athletic players but found himself suddenly forced to kick into high gear to beat the pacy teenager to the ball.
“Outstanding ... the kid can run all day and he’s incredibly fast,” Vanney said after Shaffelburg’s first start, June 26 against Atlanta.
“He puts a ton of pressure on the backline and outside backs .