With Ashtone Morgan winning a starting spot with Toronto FC in 2011, Matt Stinson impressing at a number of positions throughout the year and Doneil Henry earning plaudits for shutting down Brek Shea in a win or your eliminated Champions League match, the 2011 Toronto FC campaign that has just concluded was very much a season long story that could have been titled "The Kids are all right".

As those players are primed to build on the success they enjoyed in their first full seasons in the MLS, it's easy to forget that it was another TFC Academy Graduate who was the breakout homegrown player at the end of 2010. Forward Nicholas Lindsay showed hints of genuine star quality in four MLS appearances at the end of the Toronto's fourth season in the league before an injury forced him to miss the entire 2011 season and Reds supporters can now take some additional hope from the fact that they can also add his name to an already impressive list of young and impressive talent that is developing under TFC Head Coach Aron Winter.

RedNation Online recently had the chance to catch up with Lindsay to discuss his return from injury, his goals for the future and his thoughts on the current state of Toronto FC as it looks to turn the corner into an MLS Playoff squad next year. And if there are three words to describe the state of mind of the 19 year old Toronto native as he continues to work his way back to full fitness, they would have to be positive, thankful and determined.

You don't have to spend a lot of time around Lindsay to realize that he possesses a natural character of positivity and he is quick to state that he has plenty to be positive about as he works to resume his professional soccer career at the ripe age of 19 years old. According to the TFC Academy Graduate, the offseason rehab that he has done on his injured knee has been completely successful and he is expected to be back at 100% fitness in time for the start of training camp next March. And if the attacked minded winger has his way, he will actually return to the pitch in the greatest shape of his young career.

"With respect to training, I am back to full fitness. I have been working out a lot and I'm working to get stronger. I have had a lot of time to rehabilitate and I can't wait for next season to happen. I'm going to be back at full strength. It's been a good journey. I feel so much stronger and so much better and I'm almost there with respect to getting back to 100%. And I think that because I have pushed myself so hard, I will be back to 100% and even beyond that. Not just with my legs, but with my entire body, I've really been trying to get stronger and faster and I have been working on a lot of things in terms of my whole body to make sure that I am 100% and more for next season," says Lindsay.

While the quick and talented forward admits that his injury was originally as stressful an experience as you would have expected it to have been for any young man just embarking upon a sports career that is the dream of many who play the beautiful game, Lindsay will also tell you that he is also thankful for an experience that he believes has helped him to grow as a person.

"It was something that was really hard at the beginning, but it is now something that I have overcome and it has made me a stronger person. I thank God every day just for blessing me and giving me the chance to come back and prove myself. At the end of last season I was doing pretty well with three assists in three games and now I really just can't wait to get back playing."

For anyone that watched the attacking style of play that TFC developed under Winter during this past season, it's not a stretch to see the team's Dutch style tactical approach fitting a player like Lindsay to a T and the Canadian U-20 International admits he is pretty excited by what he has seen so far and the possibilities inherent in the system for a player of his ilk.

"I really do like the change in the system. The 4-3-3 would give me even more of chance to showcase my talents 1v1 and playing on the wing on either side in the top three. I really can't wait to play in that role, to adjust to it and to show what I can bring to the team. The system is something that I really like and think that I can adjust to well."

While Lindsay had to watch all of the action from the sidelines and team box at BMO Field this year, he also believes that having used that time to analyze the game and his role on the team from a different vantage point than on the field has been beneficial.

"I learned a lot by watching in terms of what my role would be. I have been able to think about what I can do in that position (in the system) and also just learning about how the team plays. I have been able to understand and comprehend different things that I can do when I come back to playing and how I can be most effective in terms of helping the team."

Lindsay also admits that he has been inspired by the success that his former TFC Academy teammates - Morgan, Stinson and Henry - had with the Senior team in 2011 and buoyed by the opportunities that many young players have had under Aron Winter.

"I feel like I have been so motivated and everything feels like it is coming together and that 2012 is going to be a big season for us as a team. And for myself, I feel like it can be a breakthrough for me. Last year I got my foot in the door and it was just the beginning, and I thought I did make a good effect (at the end of last season). And to see how Aron Winter has worked and been able to showcase a number of the young guys, I feel like I have a lot to prove and a lot to show in terms of helping the team. And every way that I can, I'm going to prove myself to everyone and just kill it out there."

It's been a long road back for Lindsay and, while it isn't completely over for the prodigious young talent in terms of his full physical recovery, he can see a light at the end of the tunnel and just needs to remind himself that good things genuinely do come to those that show patience.

"Recently I have been training a bit with the ball and working on my fitness. With respect to games, everything will fall into place at the right time. Right now it is just about being patient."