Patrice Bernier has had quite the year playing for the Montreal Impact. Going from a starter, to an unused substitute, and back to a starter again, the Canadian international had to adapt to different positions and different midfield partners before becoming a regular in Head Coach Jesse Marsch's starting XI.

Much like the team, Bernier's adjustment to the league was slow. After starting the first four matches of the year, he fell out-of-favour went on to play only 107 minutes in the next eight fixtures. Ever since then, he has been a starter in all but two matches.

Bernier has made the most of his time on the pitch. With one match to go in the season, he leads the Impact goals with nine and is in second on the team in assists with eight, two behind Felipe. He says this is his best season of his career statistically speaking.

His surprise team lead in goals comes largely from his ability to convert from the penalty spot. He scored all of his six attempts this season. Bernier leads the MLS in this category. The only player to have taken as many spot kicks as him is Chris Wondolowski. Wondolowski, the league's leading scorer, only scored four times from six attempts.

Another reason for Bernier's personal success lies in the 4-2-3-1 formation the Impact started to use just before the midway point of the season. The formation gives the three central midfielders freedom to find space and create goal scoring opportunities.

Marsch found success using Bernier as a defensive midfielder with Collen Warner and with Felipe playing the attacking midfield role. With opposing team's focusing on Felipe most the time, Bernier took advantage of this by using the extra freedom to sneak up the pitch and provide another attacking option. When Felipe was man-marked, Bernier became the new number 10 and therefore gave the Impact another alternative to continue their attack.

Without the ball, Bernier has been the team's best player for recovering possession. His defensive abilities make him a deadly box-to-box player. The Canadians' experience playing in Norway, Germany and Denmark gave him the tactical awareness a player of his position needs. Bernier always seems to be in the right places and knows exactly when to put pressure on the ball or to play safe.

Statistics alone are not what makes Bernier our Montreal Impact 'Player-of-the-Year'. When he signed with the club on December 19, 2011, Bernier already knew of the responsibility he would have being the local player. The Brossard, Quebec native has the extra pressure to please fans on and off the pitch. Bernier has stepped up to this role and always took the time to talk to fans, sign autographs and partake in the team's community events.

Bernier has not only impressed his team this season, but also New York Red Bulls star Thierry Henry. After Montreal's 3-1 win over the Red Bulls on July 28, Henry had full praise for Bernier.

"I think Montreal's new acquisitions are good for the league and especially for the team," he said back in July. "The fans want to see players like Nesta, Di Vaio, Rivas and Ferrari. But, saying that, the key of this team is Patrice Bernier by a distance. You should give more credit to Bernier; he was the man of this team for a very long time, even when we played them before."

The league has also acknowledged Bernier's play twice this season. He was named the MLS 'Player-of-the-Week' for weeks 13-15 and the MLS 'Player-of-the-Month' for August.

"I'd say it was a good season, especially July and August," he said. "Just being able to play my way and being able to help the team was good. It was a good season individually and I'm happy I that I was able to perform at the level I wanted to.

Even if the Impact did not make the playoffs this season, Bernier believes everything is in place to be successful next season.

"We definitely have a good base," he said. "We created a high standard of play this year, and even if we didn't make the playoffs, we still have a standard that we will respect next year. If next year we get to the same place or further, there's no reason why we shouldn't make the playoffs."