TYLER PASHER, THE CANADIAN ARJEN ROBBEN

Sam Mbonu

The 2021 Major League Soccer regular season would be described as a coulda, woulda, and shoulda for Canadian winger, Tyler Pasher because of how injuries hampered his optimum contribution to the Houston Dynamo campaign last season.

Tyler Pasher’s rise to stardom in the MLS came as no surprise. The Canadian winger whom I nicknamed Canadian Arjen Robben joined Houston Dynamo from Indy Eleven, a USL Championship side where he earned the division All-League team in 2020.

Pasher had a seven-year stint with Newcastle United's academy before returning to Canada with Toronto FC’s academy but never earned any contract with the Canadian-based MLS team.

When Tyler Pasher came to Houston Dynamo, the team knows exactly the raw talent the Canadian winger possess, even ex Houston Dynamo manager, Tab Ramos was flabbergasted at how quickly Tyler Pasher adapted to the intensity of life of the league with eye-catching performances on game days.

On his MLS debut against San Jose Earthquake in the 2021 MLS regular season at the PNC Stadium, the Canadian winger starred in Houston Dynamo’s 2-1 home win and had 86.4% passing accuracy, great crosses. His five-star performance warranted praises from the then manager, Tab Ramos but injuries would throw a clog in his wheel for further MLS appearances for the Houston Dynamo.

His exploits earned him a national team call-up by Canada for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Tyler Pasher replaced Tajon Buchanan in Canada 4-1 win over Haiti.

Tyler Pasher style of play earned him the nickname, The Canadian Arjen Robben from me, his skill sets, his nimble feet while on the ball and the naturally left-footed former Canadian youth international loves to take defenders on and works relentlessly on both sides of the ball is a reminiscence of Dutch legend, Arjen Robben. Tyler Pasher's dexterity on the ball is phenomenal, his left foot is his most lethal weapon.

The Canadian international played a total of 19 regular-season games for Houston Dynamo amidst injury-plagued debut season. He accrued only 844 minutes under erstwhile manager Tab Ramos but the little time he spent on the pitch; his contribution was immense.

To highlight his contribution to the team in the 19 games he was able to play last season, Tyler Pasher was able to complete 211 out of 284 passes attempted which represent a 74.3% success rate and that is an average of 30.3 passes per 90 minutes according to MLSsoccer.com.

Suffice to say that his emphatic finish against FC Cincinnati in week 11 was nominated as the goal of the week. Despite the limited time on the field due to injury, Tyler Pasher's conversion rate stood at 50% with 7 shots on target and 4 goals scored.

As the team prepares for the 2022 season, every Houston Dynamo fan will be hoping and wishing that Tyler Pasher, the Canadian Arjen Roben will have an injury-free season under new manager, Paulo Nagamura.