Ibee Ibrahim is only 16, but he has sent Toronto FC fans' hearts racing with delight and anticipation of things to come.
The American forward, who turns 17 next month, impressed in his Toronto FC debut in an exhibition game against Mexican side Pachuca, and then scored in his Major League Soccer regular-season debut in a 2-1 loss to the Chicago Fire last weekend.
The Ethiopian-born Ibrahim will be in the starting lineup when Toronto hosts Argentine club Independiente on Tuesday night, given another chance by coach John Carver to earn some valuable experience against a top international opponent.
Although many Toronto fans believe Ibrahim could be the long-term solution to the club's problems at forward, Carver believes it's important not to expect too much too soon from the young striker.
"I've seen young players before, and you throw them in and they have an impact straight away, but then they fall by the wayside because they get too much too soon," Carver told reporters this week.
"I'll judge when the time is right for him to come and play, but he certainly did himself huge favours on his league debut to get a goal."
Carver plans to bring along the teenager slowly, which is why he only let him play 60 minutes, and not a full game, against Pachuca.
"I have to manage his situation," said Carver. "I wanted to bring him off against Pachuca because he started to drift out of the game physically. Let's not forget he's only 16 and he's playing against top professionals. I've been in situations where I've had a 16-year-old go in and stay in the team. Sometimes you have to bring them out, give them a rest and then put them back in again."
Still, Carver concedes he has a special player on his hands.
"Everybody's excited at what we've seen from him. Of all the players we've got in the club in that position, his movement is the best. He understands when to run and where to run. He gives us a different dimension," explained Carver.
'Another learning curve'
Independiente is one of the top teams in Argentina.
Formed in 1905, the Buenos Aires club has won 14 Argentine Championships (third behind power houses River Plate and Boca Juniors) and a record seven Copa Libertadores (South American championships) titles, including four straight from 1972 to 1975.
"They will be great opposition for us, and they will be similar to Pachuca," said Toronto assistant coach Chris Cummins. "It will be another learning curve for some of the lads who are going to come in and it will be fantastic to see how we cope with them."
Toronto hosts the San Jose Earthquakes on July 19 (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 3 p.m. ET) and then tangles with Montreal Impact at BMO Field on July 22 in the final game of the Canadian Champions League (CBC Bold, CBCSports.ca, 7 p.m. ET).
Ibee Ibrahim is only 16, but he has sent Toronto FC fans' hearts racing with delight and anticipation of things to come.
The American forward, who turns 17 next month, impressed in his Toronto FC debut in an exhibition game against Mexican side Pachuca, and then scored in his Major League Soccer regular-season debut in a 2-1 loss to the Chicago Fire last weekend.
The Ethiopian-born Ibrahim will be in the starting lineup when Toronto hosts Argentine club Independiente on Tuesday night, given another chance by coach John Carver to earn some valuable experience against a top international opponent.
Although many Toronto fans believe Ibrahim could be the long-term solution to the club's problems at forward, Carver believes it's important not to expect too much too soon from the young striker.
"I've seen young players before, and you throw them in and they have an impact straight away, but then they fall by the wayside because they get too much too soon," Carver told reporters this week.
"I'll judge when the time is right for him to come and play, but he certainly did himself huge favours on his league debut to get a goal."
Carver plans to bring along the teenager slowly, which is why he only let him play 60 minutes, and not a full game, against Pachuca.
"I have to manage his situation," said Carver. "I wanted to bring him off against Pachuca because he started to drift out of the game physically. Let's not forget he's only 16 and he's playing against top professionals. I've been in situations where I've had a 16-year-old go in and stay in the team. Sometimes you have to bring them out, give them a rest and then put them back in again."
Still, Carver concedes he has a special player on his hands.
"Everybody's excited at what we've seen from him. Of all the players we've got in the club in that position, his movement is the best. He understands when to run and where to run. He gives us a different dimension," explained Carver.
'Another learning curve'
Independiente is one of the top teams in Argentina.
Formed in 1905, the Buenos Aires club has won 14 Argentine Championships (third behind power houses River Plate and Boca Juniors) and a record seven Copa Libertadores (South American championships) titles, including four straight from 1972 to 1975.
"They will be great opposition for us, and they will be similar to Pachuca," said Toronto assistant coach Chris Cummins. "It will be another learning curve for some of the lads who are going to come in and it will be fantastic to see how we cope with them."
Toronto hosts the San Jose Earthquakes on July 19 (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 3 p.m. ET) and then tangles with Montreal Impact at BMO Field on July 22 in the final game of the Canadian Champions League (CBC Bold, CBCSports.ca, 7 p.m. ET).