TORONTO — Alphonso Davies deservedly receives a lot of hype as the future face of Canadian men's soccer, but this year has seen the emergence of another budding young star.
On Saturday night, Jonathan David scored in Canada's 6-0 rout of visiting Cuba to kick off the group stage of the CONCACAF Nations League, further solidifying his role as one of the young pillars of the team's attack.
David, 19, is up to eight goals on the year for the national team. It's a new record for the men's side, and the Ottawa-raised forward cemented his name atop the single-season scoring list with a sublime marker that the youngster called his "best one at the pro level."
RECORD ALERT: With that goal, Jonathan David has set a new CANMNT Single Season Goal Record (8)
— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) September 8, 2019
🇨🇦2-0 🇨🇺 #CANMNT #CNL #OurHouse pic.twitter.com/wDHYbGDdwR
"I remember just making eye contact with Mark-Anthony [Kaye] and he played the ball in behind, and the ball was a bit behind me so I had to take the touch the way I did," David explained. "And after that, I saw the defender coming on my left side. So I took it around him, took a touch, [then] another touch, and then I found myself inside the box. From there I saw the defender close to me, and I said to myself, 'if I shoot now I think he's going to block it for sure.' So what I did, I just decided to fake the shot to see what happens. And he slid, and then after that the net was wide open. And I just I shot and I scored."
The first-touch flick to himself. The patience to wait out the sliding defender. The nutmeg of the goalkeeper.
— Rudi Schuller (@RudiSchuller) September 8, 2019
This Jonathan Davis goal had it all. #CANMNT pic.twitter.com/J3mBtagOwE
It was the type of goal that, if scored by a higher profile player, would be seen in highlight reels around the world. Instead, it was scored by perhaps the most low-key professional athlete in the country at the moment.
"I think what I like about Jonathan is he's so grounded," said Canada head coach John Herdman. "I call him "The Iceman." He's just deadpan."
That coolness has served David on the field, where he has carved out a superb young career in Belgium for KAA Gent. After breaking out with the club last season, David has continued his torrid form with six goals in 11 games in all competitions for Gent in the current campaign. For Canada, he now has 11 goals in nine appearances, putting him eighth on the all-time scoring list with four months to go before his 20th birthday.
According to Herdman, there's really no secret why David has been scoring so frequently from the outset of his fledgling career. The coach says his intelligence and versatility are the reasons why he's already been so successful.
"He's one of those forwards that can play anywhere in the front three, and I think that's the beauty for him — he's just got a real high IQ," Herdman said of David. "He makes things predictable for [his teammates], but not predictable for the opposition."
David will get another opportunity to add to his growing goal total when Canada faces Cuba on Sept. 10 in the Cayman Islands. Chances are high that he'll pot another goal and celebrate in his trademark laid-back manor.
"This is the way I am, I'm always somewhat calm," David said. "I don't get excited or too nervous for stuff. I just stay neutral. Let's see."