Nottingham Forest man Richie Laryea was in fine form for Canada last night as they defeated Curacao 2-0 to secure a place at the Gold Cup in the summer. Now, the Canadians face a mouthwatering game against Honduras with a point taking them to the Nations League Finals.
Laryea is a lively performer and this performance was no different. The 28-year-old claimed an assist for his country as he teed up Jonathan David to open the scoring on the night.
Forest signed the wing-back in January 2022. He was added to the ranks from Toronto FC as an alternative option to Djed Spence in the right-sided role.
The form of Spence, however, meant that regular action wasn’t forthcoming and Laryea started just one game for the Reds during the second half of 2021/22.
Last night he was in fine form though and he received some praise from the official website of the MLS who delivered an in-depth report on the win for Canada.
They wrote: “Richie Laryea’s assist to set up Jonathan David was a thing of beauty. There aren’t many players that would have the confidence to look off Alphonso Davies’ overlapping run in this situation, but the 28-year-old had no fear.
“The Toronto FC defender, on loan from Premier League side Nottingham Forest, was one of six Canadian players to play the full 90 minutes, and he was lively for all 90 – on both sides of the ball. An industrious shift worthy of a MOTM nod.”
Laryea in fine form and national media have delivered an interesting verdict
Quite clearly, Laryea is a man in fine form. His Forest experience hasn’t knocked his confidence and although he’s now back with Toronto FC on loan, he will hope that he gets a chance at Forest.
That will likely depend on what league the team plays in next season. Should the Reds drop back into the Championship then there is every chance he will earn a shot.
Laryea is 28 now, however, and he’s in his prime. He’s still got plenty of years left in him and certainly, his form for Canada showcases a player in the form of his life.
It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Laryea but Forest will be watching his performances with intrigue at the moment.