FC Toronto head coach John Herdman has given a glimmer of hope to Cassius Mailula, who got his first goal for the club on Wednesday evening.
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It has been far from smooth sailing for Mailula since making the switch from Mamelodi Sundowns to the MLS in July last year.
His adaptation process has taken longer than anticipated and in addition, he is competing with the highly experienced trio of Jonathan Osorio, Lorenzo Insigne and Frederico Bernadeschi, which has meant he has experienced very little game time in Canada.
However, Mailula has been chipping away at the block and made the most of a rare starting berth opportunity when he bagged his first goal in Toronto's 5-0 win over Simcoe County Rovers on Wednesday.
Speaking to the media after the match, Herdman commended the 22-year-old for his attitude in training and has hinted that there could be more game time in store for 'Cash Money' if he continues to grind and work hard.
"Yeah, I mean, I'm really happy he got his goal," he told journalists.
"He's been really patient through the preseason and through the season when there’s one game a week and you've got players like Osorio, and [Lorenzo] Insigne, [Federico] Bernadeschi that's playing the top of the box or in those forward areas, it's very difficult for Cassius there to get game time and minutes.
"And again, I think he’s a young player who’s come from a league in South Africa where it's different, the style, the standards are very different and he is still trying to adapt to life here in MLS, so you know, every week he keeps his head down, he works hard. He's always got a positive outlook. So, I think players like that build a resilience through MLS and this season might not be his season, it might be – but if he keeps doing what he’s doing, which is staying focused, he’s got a chance," he said.
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