TFC youngster Lazar Stefanovic shows poise early in season
"Laz has been thrown into two games and we'd like to think it's all going to pay dividends down the road," coach Robin Fraser said.
It’s only two substitute appearances off the bench, so nobody is heralding Lazar Stefanovic as the “next Drew Moor” for Toronto FC quite yet.
Still, the young centre back has shown great poise in offering TFC’s back line a bit of stability when coach Robin Fraser has brought him off the bench through the first four matches of the MLS season.
Both of Stefanovic’s runouts came in less-than-ideal situations. The first time, he subbed on in the 74th minute of Toronto’s 2-0 road loss to FC Cincinnati on March 9. Then he replaced an injured Kevin Long just before halftime of the Reds’ 2-1 defeat to the Chicago Fire in last Saturday’s home opener.
On both occasions, Stefanovic, an 18-year-old from Oakville, Ont., managed being thrown into the deep end with aplomb. If the rookie had any nerves, you’d never have known it.
