Canada Soccer

Alphonso Davies has been voted the Canadian Player of the Year after a standout season with Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team and yet another breakout season with Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Of note, he helped Canada climb to current third-place position in qualifying and within a point of reaching the Concacaf Gold Cup and Concacaf Nations League Group A.
 
Davies of Edmonton, Alberta was honoured from a vote shared by Canadian media and Canadian coaches. Davies shared the 2018 Canadian Players of the Year award with co-winner Christine Sinclair from Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team.
 
“He has been a standout performer for club and country and that is just a consistent reality now for Alphonso Davies,” said John Herdman, Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team Head Coach. “For club, he picked up many an accolade, culminating with what looks like one of the biggest signings our country has ever seen.
 
“For Canada, every time he has been asked to take a responsibility and support the team, even playing out of position, he has shown his character. He is just a humble guy who loves the game and will do whatever it takes to be successful.”

In 2018, Davies won Vancouver Whitecaps FC Player of the Year honours after leading the league in duels won (258) and setting a record for dribbles completed (123). He scored eight goals, co-led the team with 11 assists (youngest player in league history to record double digit assists), was selected to the annual All-Star Game, and was named MLS’s best prospect in their 22 Under 22 Ranking. In July, his rights were transferred to Bayern Munich on an MLS-record transfer fee that could total more than $22-million US ($29-million Canadian), with Davies joining the German champions in late November after he turned 18 years old.
 
At the international level, his four assists in three matches were the second-most in a single season for Canada since 2000 when assists have been regularly recorded. He played in all 270 minutes of Concacaf Nations League Qualifying, fired six shots, and completed 95% of his team-best 151 attempted passes.
 
With one match remaining in 2018-19 Concacaf Nations League Qualifying, Canada sit third amongst 34 nations with the fourth and decisive match scheduled for Sunday 24 March in Vancouver at BC Place at French Guiana. Canada must finish amongst the top-six nations to qualify for both the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup and Group A of 2019-20 Concacaf Nations League.
 

Help Canada climb to 3rd in #CNL Qualifying
Score the Whitecaps goal of the year
Move to Bayern on a record transfer deal
Win your 1st Canadian Player of the Year award#CANMNT #Phonzie https://t.co/ICVkNouqa6 pic.twitter.com/sd8k7mfBR4

— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) 12 décembre 2018

2018 Canada Soccer Player Awards
This marks the 26th edition of the Canada Soccer Player Awards, with Alphonso Davies a first-time winner and Christine Sinclair a 14th-time winner for the Canadian Player of the Year award. Amongst men’s footballers, Davies finished first in voting ahead of runner up Atiba Hutchinson, third-place Jonathan Osorio, fourth-place Milan Borjan, and fifth-place Scott Arfield.
 
As part of the 2018 Canada Soccer Player Awards, Derek Cornelius and Jordyn Huitema were named Canadian Youth International Players of the Year, Jacob Orellana was named Canadian Futsal Player of the Year and Damien Wojtiw was named Canadian Para Soccer Player of the Year. James Pantemis, meanwhile, was named the 2018 winner of the Allstate Canadian National Teams Good Hands Award.
 
Following the Canada Soccer Player of the Year Awards, the 2018 Canada Soccer Moment of the Year fan voting will run from 17 to 30 December across Canada Soccer's digital channels. Fans will have the opportunity to choose from a top-10 list of moments over the past 12 months. Throughout the holiday period, fans can follow as the top moments are featured on Canada Soccer’s digital channels: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. From there, they can vote for their favourite moment on CanadaSoccer.com.
 
Fans who register with their vote will be eligible for #CanadaRED prize packs, to be distributed ahead of the announcement of the 2018 Canada Soccer Moment of the Year on 7 January 2019.
 

Christine Sinclair has been voted the Canadian Player of the Year in recognition of another successful season highlighted by scoring the winning goal that qualified Canada for the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™. It was the nation’s most important goal of the year as Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup for a seventh consecutive time.
 
Sinclair from Burnaby, British Columbia was honoured from a vote shared by Canadian media and Canadian coaches.  She is one of two winners of the 2018 Canadian Players of the Year award. Her co-winner from the Men’s National Team will be announced on Wednesday 12 December.
 
“Christine Sinclair showed that you can continue to add layers to your performance, regardless of age, if you work hard,” said Kenneth Heiner-Møller, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team Head Coach. “Her great physical shape helped her play every minute for Portland Thorns FC and also led Canada to yet another FIFA Women’s World Cup™.”
 
“Her ability to lead her line as well as the players around her while at the same time performing at her level is simply remarkable and unique. Sinclair is a notorious goalscorer, but she should also get credit for her ability to set up goals. She is an important part of the build up play for both her club and our Women’s National Team.”
 
In 2018, Sinclair played all 2,160 minutes for Portland Thorns FC as they finished second in the league. She scored nine goals, finished second in the league with seven assists, and won the Thorns Supporters’ Player of the Year award. In the playoffs, she helped the Thorns reach the Championship Final.
 
At the international level, she led Canada in goalscoring for the 15^th time in 19 years, scoring eight goals and two assists in 12 international matches. She finished second on Canada with 979 minutes played as the Women’s National Team won eight of 12 matches, including a 7:0 win over Panama on 14 October to qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™.
 
With a second-place finish at the Concacaf Women’s Championship, Sinclair collected her eighth Concacaf medal since 2002 (one gold, six silver, one bronze). With 177 international goals to her credit in all competitions, she is in second place just seven goals back of all-time leader Abby Wambach (184).
 

Score winning goal to qualify your country for the FIFA Women's World Cup
Captain your club to the NWSL Championship Final
Win (yet) another Canadian Player of the Year award#CANWNT

LEGEND https://t.co/IhxHkOwFdm pic.twitter.com/4AW1CDfEe1

— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) 11 décembre 2018

2018 Canada Soccer Player Awards
This marks the 26th edition of the Canada Soccer Player Awards, with the 2018 Canadian Players of the Year to be announced on 11 and 12 December. Amongst women’s footballers, Christine Sinclair finished first in voting ahead of runner up Kadeisha Buchanan, third-place Jessie Fleming, fourth-place Janine Beckie, and fifth-place Ashley Lawrence.
 
As part of the 2018 Canada Soccer Player Awards, Derek Cornelius and Jordyn Huitema have been named Canadian Youth International Players of the Year, Jacob Orellana has been named Canadian Futsal Player of the Year and Damien Wojtiw has been named Canadian Para Soccer Player of the Year. James Pantemis, meanwhile, has been named the 2018 winner of the Allstate Canadian National Teams Good Hands Award.
 
Following the Canada Soccer Player of the Year Awards, the 2018 Canada Soccer Moment of the Year fan voting will run from 17 to 30 December across Canada Soccer's digital channels. Fans will have the opportunity to choose from a top-10 list of moments over the past 12 months. Throughout the holiday period, fans can follow as the top moments are featured on Canada Soccer’s digital channels: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. From there, they can vote for their favourite moment on CanadaSoccer.com.
 
Fans who register with their vote will be eligible for #CanadaRED prize packs, to be distributed ahead of the announcement of the 2018 Canada Soccer Moment of the Year on 7 January 2019.