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.
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.
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Canada’s Men’s National Team nominations
:: Patrice Bernier | CAN / Impact Montréal / Brossard, QC
\u200bBernier 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
\u200bDe 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
\u200bDe 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
\u200bHainault 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
\u200bHirschfeld 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
\u200bAfter 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
\u200bMcKenna 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
\u200bIn 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.
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