RedNation Online weigh in with their picks for the 2011 Canadian Men's and Women's Player of the Year. With the Canadian Soccer Association announcing their nominees for their 2011 Canadian player awards on Monday, the debate has begun as to who the ultimate winners will be. Canadian media and coaches will be asked to select two players - one male and one female – for the Canadian Soccer Association’s top prize, the Canadian Player of the Year award in the Male and Female categories. The award will celebrate Canada’s top two soccer players in recognition of their 2011 achievements with both the national team and their respective club teams.
Voting for the Canadian Youth (U-20) Players of the Year and Canadian Junior (U-17) Players of the Year will be split evenly by Canadian national-team coaches and all other Canadian coaches who have taken the Canadian Soccer Association’s national course at the B and A levels. Coaches will be asked to consider each nominee’s success at the international and club levels.
A complete list of the nominees can be found at http://www.canadasoccer.com/nominees-announced-for-2011-canada-soccer-player-awards-p148093
After much consideration, here are RedNation Online's selections for the winners and two runners up for the three Male categories and for the Female Canadian Player of the Year category:
BMO Male Canadian Player of the Year
With 2010 Male Canadian Player of the Year Atiba Hutchinson injured for much of 2011 and with a decent number of Canadian players stepping up with strong years for both club and country, this year was actually an especially strong one in terms of the number of Canadian players who could legitimately be considered as real contenders for the distinction of the best male Canadian player in 2011. That said, even with midfielder Will Johnson as a key player on a Real Salt Lake squad that made it to the finals of the CONCACAF Champions League, Andre Hainault delivering inspired performances on the Houston Dynamo’s run to the MLS Cup finals, Olivier Occean being Canada’s most consistent goal scorer at the club level and Tosaint Ricketts emerging as an impact quality player for both club and country, three Canadian players stood out as Canada’s most distinguished male players in 2011.
Nominees:
Marcel de Jong | GER / FC Augsburg | Toronto, ON
Dwayne De Rosario | USA / DC United | Scarborough, ON
David Edgar | ENG / Burnley FC
André Hainault | USA / Houston Dynamo | Hudson, QC
Simeon Jackson | ENG / Norwich City FC | Mississauga, ON
Will Johnson | USA / Real Salt Lake | Toronto, ON
Olivier Occean | GER / SpVgg Greuther Fürth | Brossard, QC
Tosaint Ricketts | ROM / FC Politehnica Timişoara | Edmonton, AB
Josh Simpson | TUR / Vestel Manisaspor
Winner: Dwayne De Rosario
Already a three time Canadian Player of the Year, Dwayne De Rosario is RedNation’s pick for the 2011 Male Canadian Player of the Year. In a year in which he won the MLS Most Valuable Player Award and the MLS Golden Boot at the club level, De Rosario also tied Dale Mitchell to become Canada’s all-time leading scorer at the International level. In a remarkable year in which De Rosario used his play to silence his critics, delight his fans and quiet those who predicted that he had left his prime behind at age 33. While there were other Canadian players who were clearly deserving of getting the nod as Canadian Player of the Year, the 65 times capped Canadian International simple separated himself from the pack via easily measurable achievements and obvious distinctions at both the club and country levels.
1st Runner Up: Josh Simpson
Given that the Male Canadian Player of the Year of the award is decided by votes from coaches and the media, Simpson is at a little bit of a disadvantage compared to De Rosario by virtue of the fact that he plays his club soccer in a league that gets almost no coverage in Canada. But make no mistake, the Burnaby, British Columbia was one of the top performers for club and country in 2011 and he would be a fine choice to win the Male Canadian Player of the Year Award. In addition to being probably Canada’s most consistent high performer at the International level, Simpson has emerged over the last couple of years as one of the top players in the Turkish Super Lig. In his current campaign, his club Manisaspor presently sit 3rd in the league table and Simpson’s exemplary play has been one of main reasons that his squad sit up with Turkish Superclubs Fenerbahce and Galatasary within striking distance of the league title and a place in the UEFA Champions League.
2nd Runner Up: Simeon Jackson
While Jackson has struggled to earn consistent playing time with club Norwich City over the last several weeks and has been kind of up and down in Canada’s 2011 World Cup qualifying matches, the fact of the matter is that he probably scored the biggest and most dramatic goal of any Canadian player in 2011. With nine goals scored in seven games down the stretch in his previous season in the English Championship, the Mississauga, Ontario native topped off that remarkable run of form by scoring the goal that got Norwich promoted to the English Premier League, with a dramatic late winner against Portsmouth. Plus, Jackson also became the first Canadian International to score a hat trick while wearing the national team kit.
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Male Canadian U-20 Player of the Year
One name stood out in a category in which all of the players nominated look poised to be especially strong performers for club and country in the years to come.
Male Nominees (born 1991 or later):
Oscar Cordon | CAN / Toronto FC | Toronto, ON
Doneil Henry | CAN / Toronto FC | Brampton, ON
Jonathan Lao | GER / FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt | Markham, ON
Ashtone Morgan | CAN / Toronto FC | Toronto, ON
Matthew Stinson | CAN / Toronto FC | Toronto, ON
Russell Teibert | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC | Niagara Falls, ON
Winner: Ashtone Morgan
2011 was a breakthrough year for Toronto FC defender Ashtone Morgan. In his first season at the professional level, he earned a spot in the Toronto FC starting eleven and he looks to have all of the qualities necessary to be a key player for his club for years to come. Morgan’s excellent play in the MLS and CONCACAF Champions League also earned him his first two caps with the Canadian Men’s National Team.
1st Runner Up: Matt Stinson
Stinson was another TFC Academy Graduate who distinguished himself in his first season playing at the professional level. As a versatile player who always looked poised and confident beyond his years, he excelled playing at a number of different positions for Toronto FC and his play improved as the 2011 campaign progressed. Like Morgan, Stinson earned his first call-up to the Canadian Men’s National Team in 2011, but was unfortunately unable to participate due to injury.
2nd Runner Up: Russell Teibert
A two-time winner of the Male Canadian U-17 Player of the Year award, Teibert struggled with injuries in his first season at the MLS level, but in the eleven games that he appeared in for the Vancouver Whitecaps, he showed the skill, poise and work ethic necessary to be an impact player in the North American top flight.
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Male Canadian U-17 Player of the Year
With the Canadian Men’s U-17 team having a strong year and qualifying for and playing well in the U-17 World Cup, there a number of players who had exceptional years in this age group.
Male Nominees (born 1994 or later):
Bryce Alderson | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC | Kitchener, ON
Keven Aleman | ESP / Real Valladolid | Brampton, ON
Maxime Crépeau | CAN / Académie Impact Montréal | Candiac, QC
Luca Gasparotto | SCO / Glasgow Rangers | Ajax, ON
Samuel Piette | FRA / FC Metz | Le Gardeur, QC
Daniel Stanese | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps Residency | Pitt Meadows, BC
Winner: Bryce Alderson
Alderson capped off a year in which he captained Canada's U-17 Men's National Team and lead an impressive squad to Canada's first appearance at a U-17 World Cup since 1995 by signing a professional contract with the Vancouver Whitecaps for 2012. Mature beyond his years, technically strong and solid with the ball at his feet, the Kitchener, Ontario native combines excellent leadership abilities with an all around game in which he excels in all aspects of the sport.
1st Runner Up: Keven Aleman
A dynamic offensive player who has been compared to a young Dwayne De Rosario, Aleman was a key player on the Canadian Men’s U-17 team that performed so well in 2011. The former TFC Academy forward has genuine star potential and is a definite player to watch in the years to come.
2nd Runner Up: Maxime Crepeau
Another young player who showed enormous potential in terms of both his skill and leadership abilities. Crepeau is considered by many to be the crown jewel among the prospects currently developing at the Montreal Impact Academy and he was a key player for Sean Fleming’s U-17 team that energized Canadian soccer fans with their qualification for the U-17 World Cup.
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Female Canadian Player of the Year
While 2011 was a year in which the Canadian Women’s National Team endured the highest of highs and the lowest lows within a single calendar year, it was also year in which one player continued to play the game at a remarkable level of consistency.
Female Nominees from the Winners – Women’s national team – presented by Teck:
Candace Chapman | USA / SkyBlue FC | Ajax, ON
Christina Julien | CAN / Ottawa Fury | Williamstown, ON
Kaylyn Kyle | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC | Saskatoon, SK
Karina LeBlanc | USA / SkyBlue FC | Maple Ridge, BC
Diana Matheson | NOR / Lillestrøm SK Kvinner | Oakville, ON
Kelly Parker | USA / Atlanta Beat | Saskatoon, SK
Sophie Schmidt | Unattached / sans club | Abbotsford, BC
Christine Sinclair | USA / Western New York Flash | Burnaby, BC
Rhian Wilkinson | NOR / Lillestrøm SK Kvinner | Baie d’Urfé, QC
Winner: Christine Sinclair
Already a six time winner of the Female Canadian Player of the Year, Sinclair is a shoo-in to take home the honour for the seventh time in 2011. She was once again one of the top five players in the world at both the club and International levels. While her skill and intelligence have been known commodities to Canadian soccer fans for years, she won further praise and admiration when she played through a broken nose and scored a truly world class goal in the Women’s World Cup against Germany. Sinclair is not only a Canadian Soccer Player of the Year, she legitimately deserves to be named Canadian athlete of the year for both her heroics in 2011 and her remarkable career as a whole.
1st Runner Up: Sophie Schmidt
A midfield workhorse and ball winner, Schmidt was Canada’s midfield engine in a year in which she set a national team record for matches played in a season and lead Canada with 1,944 minutes played at the International level. She was also a key player in helping Canada to finish first at the Cyprus Women’s Cup and the Pan American Games.
2nd Runner Up: Karina LeBlanc
The veteran keeper earned her 95th cap for Canada in 2011 and was a key performer in Canada winning gold at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara.
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