Canadian Premier League Scouting Database – Tyler Crawford

Vancouver FC haven’t enjoyed the perfect start to life in the 2023 Canadian Premier League, but they have been one of the league’s strongest promoters of young talent – epitomizing one of the key goals of the league. One of their most flamboyant figures has been 16-year-old TJ Tahid, who became the CPL’s youngest scorer just last month.

But a more consistent performer that’s been at the heart of everything good for the Eagles has been 19-year-old Tyler Crawford, after just a single-season playing college soccer as a freshman for Michigan State. We break down the talent that is Tyler Crawford, and discuss whether he has the chops to continue progressing his career into future MLS stardom or beyond.

DEFENSIVE PRINCIPLES

At the start of his Vancouver career, Tyler Crawford seems to have more tendencies toward the defensive side of the game. He excels in 1v1 situations, times his challenges well, and often utilizes his full-blown speed to beat any player to a loose-ball.

Partially a product of their low-possession, Vancouver have shipped more goals and conceded more shots than any other team in the league so far this season. But Crawford can hardly be to blame for the team’s defensive woes.

Above anyone else in his team’s back-line, Crawford is often the quickest to react to any change that occurs. Often instructed to follow the opposition right winger’s movement inside, this can often vacate space down his side for a full-back to exploit high up the pitch. But Crawford is great at quickly coming across to handle these situations. Not only is he ready for the switch of play to his side, anticipating the move, but he’s quick to spring in the opposite direction to leap into action.

He’s often quick to sense danger, and equally quick to snuff it out. On the one occasion where Crawford lacked that same vigour, Cavalry ended up scoring a crucial go-ahead goal in the club’s 3-1 loss. The example serves as a great reminder of the importance of reacting quickly to the situation and then slowing down closer to the ball, even if the intention is not to fly into tackles.

This is something that Crawford must continue to emphasize in his game at every moment. Once he’s in those 1v1 battles, he has the composure and patience to coolly manage the situation. He maintains decent distance away from the opposition attacker as they slow the play down, and remains on his toes and quick on his feet to immediately react as they speed back up. He also tends to follow the movement of the player’s chest in 1v1 situations, allowing him to stay grounded and wait for the right moment to challenge.

This has helped Crawford to 2.2 tackles and over 11.0 successful defensive actions per 90, all part of that defensive approach for the Eagles. His duelling ratios could still improve as he gains experience and learns to hone in that tremendous speed to remain even more patient at the best of times, but he’s still performed consistently well on the 1v1 front throughout the season.

Higher up the pitch, the 19-year-old can be an excellent player to have in any counter-pressing moment, helping to stop quick attacks the other way. That speed comes to life in helping to quickly race back from a high position to break up play, and he’s not afraid to go to ground when required. This is one area where the former Michigan State man has been incredibly effective, ranking second for left-backs in the league with the fewest fouls per 90 (0.39).

So although Vancouver have rarely been brilliant on the defensive end this season, Crawford has always accomplished his tasks with a calm composure beyond his years. This is a great sign for any club looking to secure his signature, as the 19-year-old will only grow in physicality and experience with age.

ATTACKING PRINCIPLES

On the attacking front, Crawford hasn’t quite yet mastered all the up-and-down tasks of a high-flying wing-back to truly catch the eye. He currently boasts a decent 0.8 key passes per 90 according to Sofascore, which becomes more impressive given Vancouver’s 38% possession.

But most high-level clubs will be looking for full-backs that excel in possession and create loads of chances from the wing, and Crawford hasn’t been able to accumulate enough of the right opportunities to strut his stuff. He’s yet to score or assist, and ranks second from bottom on shots per 90 of CPL left-backs (0.1). Part of that comes down to not having enough moments to truly engage in the attack, where he’s competed in fewer than 3 attacking duels per 90 (2.81).

Nevertheless, Crawford has shown signs that he could become a dynamic wing-back capable of generating chances and showcasing his best self in attack. Impressively, the 19-year-old Canadian has won 65% of his dribbles, and has accumulated nearly 0.7 shot assists per 90.

Most importantly, Crawford remains cool under pressure and makes sensible decisions whenever releasing the ball onto others. You can see the thought process behind every move that he makes, and he’s demonstrated the complete capability to play on a one-touch when required.

In a system that has often lacked connectivity and chemistry between the thirds, it’s unsurprising to see Crawford’s passing stats dip below average. His timing of forward thrusts could improve, particularly when timing his crosses into the box. He sometimes delays the moment and receives a tackle, and other times is too quick to put the ball into the box when the defender remains in a solid position to block the pass.

But he’s also had other moments where he’s delivered excellent passes into the penalty area to strikers who just can’t find the finish. Part of that low crossing success might come down to confidence to beat players with skill in 1v1 attacking thrusts, where he’s heavily reliant on his speed, and positional awareness to get into the right areas of the field.

That said, the 19-year-old’s pace makes him the ideal candidate for underlapping and overlapping runs, and the sheer number of chances he’s been able to create in a low-possession team indicates that he could be great if given more opportunities to go forward.

Even at that, his passing accuracy and forward passing accuracy rank above the likes of Maxim Tissot and Ashtone Morgan, again suggesting that it’s not as though he wouldn’t work if given more of a creative role in a different set-up.

Crawford’s tenacity and work ethic will lead to positive outcomes as he continues to develop his attacking acumen, and it would be fascinating to see if the Burlington-born player could have what it takes to play in a higher possession team like Forge. In a case like that, we may see his attacking numbers skyrocket.

All and all, Tyler Crawford is one of the Canadian Premier League’s most exciting talents, and should be set for a big season regardless of Vancouver’s form. Left-back is not an easy position for many teams to fill, and every club in Canada should be looking to the Vancouver man as a potential future starlet for their side.

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What do I do for Canadian Premier League clubs / players?

-> Opposition Analysis
-> Scouting & Recruitment
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