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Ryan Telfer’s feel-good story shouldn’t just invoke warm feelings among Toronto FC fans.

It shouldn’t just elicit flowery stories about the sudden success of a Canadian talent.

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No, the Mississauga native’s emergence at the not-so-young age of 24 should evoke concern.

While some will remember Telfer’s game-winning heroics last Friday night in a massive 2-1 win over visiting Orlando City as one of the great performances by a TFC rookie, I’ll remember it as a defining moment for the newly formed Canadian Premier League.

It took an unprecedented injury crisis for Telfer to get his chance in Major League Soccer.

Most of us still wouldn’t know Telfer’s name if Toronto FC hadn’t sacrificed everything during a deep — and extraordinarily costly — run in CONCACAF Champions League.

He’d still be with TFC II, grinding with a minor-league squad full of immature teammates while trying to make the leap following years of toiling in Ontario’s League One and OUA.

Put it this way: Telfer was wrapping his second season with the York University Lions a few years back while TFC closed in on its first MLS Cup appearance. Nobody knew him.

“All (Canadian) kids have are opportunities to fail,” York coach Carmine Isacco told the Sun this week after watching his former player shine on national TV. “There’s a bunch of Ryan Telfers out there that are missed all the time.”