Watch: Alphonso Davies opens the scoring for the Whitecaps against the Earthquakes

Hey, so remember when Bayern Munich bought that 17 year old Canadian kid from the MLS that no one outside of MLS watchers had ever even heard of? Well, it turns out he’s really quite good. In today’s game between the Vancouver Whitecaps and the San Jose Earthquakes, Alphonso Davies opened the scoring in the 22nd minute by making a nimble run in behind the defense.

I just have to say, the finish on the goal isn’t the impressive bit, it’s the buildup. Davies collects the ball in midfield and lays it off to an attacker so he can run at the defense. While the Earthquakes’ defense is preoccupied with the players on the ball, Davies takes the opportunity to slip in behind the fullback and get himself into position for a chance.

It pays off when the ball lands at his feet after missing the striker, and the young Canadian slots it home effortlessly. Davies had his head up and kept an eye on his teammates through the entire play, which is what made the goal possible.

One of the general problems with young wingers is that they rely too heavily on their physical attributes, forgetting that decision-making and positioning are more important. While he’s not playing in a top-5 European league, Davies demonstrates that he understands that already.

Davies may need to re-learn some things from scratch once he arrives in Munich, and it’s still to early to declare Davies the “next Messi” or something — let’s not forget that Mario Gotze and Xherdan Shaqiri happened — but the signs so far have the hype train steaming ahead.