Nominees announced for 2012 Canada Soccer player awards

The Canadian Soccer Association has announced the list of nominees for its 2012 Canada Soccer player awards. 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 BMO Canadian Players of the Year award. The award will celebrate Canada’s top-two soccer players in recognition of their 2012 achievements with both the national team and their respective club teams.

Six of the eight nominees for Female Player of the Year are Whitecaps FC alumnae: goalkeeper Erin McLeod, midfielders Carmelina Moscato, Sophie Schmidt, and Desiree Scott, and strikers Christine Sinclair and Melissa Tancredi.

Other Whitecaps FC nominees include: men's midfielder Bryce Alderson for U-20 Male Player of the Year; women's striker Jenna Richardson for U-20 Female Player of the Year; Residency goalkeeper Marco Carducci, and midfielders Marco Bustos and Kianz Froese for U-17 Male Player of the Year, and Girls Elite striker Summer Clarke for U-17 Female Player of the Year.

In 2012, Canada’s men’s national team posted four wins, two draws and three losses in nine international matches. In the CONCACAF 3rd Round of 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ Qualifiers, Canada posted an impressive 10 points, but missed a spot in the Final Round by one single point. For the second year in a row, Canada went undefeated at home, posting two wins and two draws at BMO Field in Toronto.

Canada's women's team, meanwhile, tied a national record with 14 wins, doing so with a 14W-1D-7L record in 22 matches. The highlight, of course, was a bronze medal at the London 2012 Women's Olympic Football Tournament. Canada also finished second at the CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifier in January, second at the Cyprus Women's Cup in March, and second at the Match world Women's Cup in July.

Voting for the 2012 BMO Canadian Players of the Year will be split evenly by Canadian media and Canadian coaches who have taken the Canadian Soccer Association’s national course at the B and A levels (including national-team coaches).

Along with the Canadian Players of the Year award, there are two additional awards that celebrate the top young prospects in Canadian soccer. Coaches from across the country will select four young stars from Canada’s World Cup squads – two Canadian U-20 Players of the Year and two Canadian U-17 Players of the Year.

The Canadian U-20 Players of the Year award is open to players eligible for the recent or upcoming FIFA U-20 World Cup events. The male U-20 nominees are born 1993 or later while the female U-20 nominees are born 1992 or later.

The Canadian U-17 Players of the Year award is open to players eligible for the recent or upcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup events. The male U-17 nominees are born 1996 or later while the female U-17 nominees are born 1995 or later.

Voting for the Canadian U-20 Players of the Year and Canadian U-17 Players of the Year awards will be split evenly by Canadian national staff 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, including performances at the CONCACAF and FIFA competitions.

Voting will begin immediately and will conclude on Friday, December 7, 2012. Voters will be asked to select three players (first place, second place and third place) in each category. All six winners will be announced during the week of December 10 to 14, 2012.

The Canadian Soccer Association provides leadership in the pursuit of excellence in soccer, nationally and internationally, in cooperation with its members and partners. The Canadian Soccer Association strives to lead Canada to victory and Canadians to a life-long passion for soccer.

CANADIAN MALE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

:: Patrice Bernier | CAN / Impact Montréal / Brossard, QC
Bernier won Impact FC's Most Valuable Player (Giueseppe Saputo Trophy) and Community Player awards in the Montréal club's inaugural season in Major League Soccer. He recorded nine goals and seven assists in 27 matches. He won Canada Soccer Player of the Month honours in both July and August. At the international level, he featured three times for Canada in 2012.

:: Julian de Guzman | USA / FC Dallas / Scarborough, ON
De Guzman split his 2012 MLS campaign between Toronto FC and FC Dallas, recording one goal and three assists in 28 appearances. With FC Dallas, he scored a memorable goal against Vancouver Whitecaps FC. He won Canada Soccer Player of the Month honours in June. At the international level, he played in a team-high 774 minutes and won Canada's Man of the Match honours in two FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.

:: Dwayne De Rosario | USA / DC United | Scarborough, ON
De Rosario recorded seven goals and nine assists in 26 matches with DC United in 2012, helping the team finish second in the MLS Eastern Conference standings. During the season, he became the seventh player to score 100 goals in Major League Soccer. At the international level, he scored one goal in five matches. That 20th career goal made him Canada's all-time leader in goals at the international "A" level.

:: André Hainault | USA / Houston Dynamo | Hudson, QC
Hainault recorded two goals and two assists in 25 regular-season matches for Houston Dynamo. In the playoffs, he scored a goal to help Houston reach the MLS Cup final for the second year in a row (to be played on 1 December 2012). He also scored a goal in CONCACAF Champions League. At the international level, he played in eight of Canada's nine matches.

:: Lars Hirschfeld | NOR / Vålerenga Fotball | Edmonton, AB
Hirschfeld made 28 appearances for Vålerenga Fotball in 2012, posting six clean sheets in league play. He also made two appearances in Europa League, with two clean sheets to his credit. At the international level, he made seven appearances and posted five clean sheets. He became just the fourth Canadian goalkeeper to record five clean sheets in a single year.

:: Atiba Hutchinson | NED / PSV Eindhoven | Brampton, ON
After helping PSV Eindhoven finish third in the 2011-12 Eredivisie standings, Hutchinson has pushed his Dutch club to the top of the 2012-13 standings after 14 matches (with two goals scored). He has also featured for PSV in Europa League. He won Canada Soccer Player of the Month honours in April and October. At the international level, he recorded one assist in seven matches for Canada.

:: Kevin McKenna | GER / FC Köln | Calgary, AB
McKenna spent the first half of the calendar year in the German Bundesliga, but then suffered relegation with FC Köln for the 2012-13 campaign. In the new campaign, McKenna won Canada Soccer Player of the Month honours in September then scored in back-to-back FC Köln victories in November. At the international level, he scored one goal in eight matches and earned Man of the Match honours once.

:: Olivier Occean | GER / Eintracht Frankfurt | Brossard, QC
In the first half of the calendar year, Occean helped SpVgg Greuther Fürth win promotion to the German Bundesliga. Occean recorded seven goals and two assists in the second half of 2011-12, also winning Canada Soccer Player of the Month honours in February and March. For 2012-13, he has joined Eintracht Frankfurt in the top flight. At the international level, he scored one goal in five matches for Canada.

CANADIAN FEMALE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

:: Diana Matheson | NOR / Lillestrøm SK Kvinner | Oakville, ON
Matheson scored the famous bronze-medal winning goal at the London 2012 Olympics. She won Canada's Player of the Match honours in three international matches and was named Most Valuable Player at the Match world Women's Cup in Switzerland. She won Canada Soccer Player of the Month honours in June and October. In November, she helped Lillestrøm SK Kvinner win the Norwegian league title.

:: Erin McLeod | Edmonton, AB & Calgary, AB
McLeod made 13 appearances for Canada in 2012, tying her personal-best with six clean sheets. She won Canada's Player of the Match honours in the famous London 2012 bronze-medal victory over France on 9 August. She won Player of the Match honours in Canada's 1:0 bronze-medal victory over France on 9 August. She also recorded a clean sheet against host Great Britain in the London 2012 quarter-final stage.

:: Carmelina Moscato | Mississauga, ON
Moscato was a rock on Canada's defence, making 15 appearances including six-straight at the London 2012 Olympics. She was one of three Canadian players to appear in all 570 minutes at the Olympics. She helped Canada post a clean sheet six times, including a 2:0 win over host Great Britain and 1:0 win over France in the bronze-medal match at the London 2012 Olympics.

:: Sophie Schmidt | Abbotsford, BC
Schmidt appeared in all 22 of Canada's 2012 matches, recording career bests with four goals and a team-best seven assists. She had a two-goal game in February against Scotland and then earned Player of the Match honours in July against New Zealand. She won Canada Soccer Player of the Month honours in March. At the club level, she played for Kristianstads DFF in Sweden.

:: Desiree Scott | CAN / WSA North Stars | Winnipeg, MB
Scott appeared in 21 matches for Canada in 2012, in fact appearing amongst the starting XI in all 21 of those matches. She co-led the team by earning Canada's Player of the Match honours five times, including twice at the CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifiers and once at the London 2012 Olympics. She won Canada Soccer Player of the Month honours in January. At the club level, she played for Winnipeg's WSA North Stars.

:: Christine Sinclair | Burnaby, BC
Sinclair set a national record with 23 goals in 22 matches in 2012, seven more than her previous record in 2007. With those 23 goals plus six assists, she was directly involved in more than 65% of Canada's 44 goals. She earned Player of the Match honours five times, including a memorable hat trick night at Old Trafford in Manchester. She won Canada Soccer Player of the Month honours in May and August.

:: Melissa Tancredi | Ancaster, ON
Tancredi recorded eight goals and five assists in 21 matches for Canada in 2012, including four goals at the London 2012 Olympics. She was Canada's Player of the Match in the London 2012 opener against Japan. With a goal against Japan, a goal against South Africa and two goals against Sweden, she won Canada Soccer Player of the Month honours in July. She was second behind Sinclair in goal scoring.

:: Rhian Wilkinson | NOR / Lillestrøm SK Kvinner | Baie d’Urfé, QC, CAN
Wilkinson recorded six assists in 21 matches for Canada in 2012, including two assists at the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifiers and two assists at the London 2012 Olympics. In Newcastle, she recorded a memorable assist against Sweden on the first of two Melissa Tancredi goals. She won Canada Soccer Player of the Month honours in February. In November, she helped Lillestrøm SK Kvinner win the Norwegian league title.

Nominees announced for 2012 Canada Soccer player awards

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