2011 BMO Canadian Players of the Year – Male Nominees

These are the 2011 BMO Canadian Players of the Year – Male Nominees: Marcel De Jong Few Canadian players will have partaken in a more […]

These are the 2011 BMO Canadian Players of the Year – Male Nominees:

	Marcel De Jong Few Canadian players will have partaken in a more successful season of club football than Marcel de Jong. The Newmarket, ON native was a mainstay on the left side of the pitch for FC Augsburg in Germany as the club finished its 2010-11 season in second place in Germany’s second division and earned promotion to the Bundesliga. Despite battling injury on a number of occasions, de Jong has remained a vital part of FC Augsburg’s plans as the club battles to keep its place in the Bundesliga. De Jong featured in two matches for Canada during 2011 before having to leave the CONCACAF Gold Cup due to injury.
	Dwayne De Rosario It should come as no surprise that De Rosario, a three-time Canadian Player of the Year, is again in contention to win the award in 2011. De Rosario enjoyed a prolific Major League Soccer campaign that featured 16 goals and 12 assists before it inevitably culminated in his selection for the MLS MVP award. The veteran Canadian forward also played an important role for his country throughout 2011, scoring four goals from the penalty spot and taking part in 11 of Canada’s 12 matches. De Rosario also enjoyed the honour of captaining Canada during four of the team’s FIFA World Cup Qualifiers™.
	David Edgar After years of anticipation, David Edgar finally broke through into Canada’s first team in 2011 as the season has proved to be a major turning point for the Burnley FC defender. Edgar has cemented himself as one of the starting centre backs at Burnley in the English Championship and he has featured in virtually every minute of club football in the 2011-12 season thus far. His emergence as a consistent contributor at the club level has been matched by a regular contribution for Canada. Edgar made his national team debut against Greece in February and went on to feature for Canada in five FIFA World Cup Qualifiers™ matches. Edgar helped Canada keep clean sheets in all five of those appearances and won the praise of coaches and pundits alike for his composure at the back.
	André Hainault André Hainault played important roles for both club and country in 2011. He began his campaign for Canada by scoring the winning goal in the team’s 1:0 victory over Belarus in March. He later came up with two crucial playoff goals for the Houston Dynamo in MLS playoff action, including the match-winning goal in the Eastern Conference Final. The Hudson, QC native went on to take part in the MLS Cup Final. Hainault featured in seven matches for Canada in 2011, helping the back-line to keep three clean sheets.
	Simeon Jackson Playing the role of promotion hero in England is nothing new to Simeon Jackson, but the 2011 season saw the diminutive Canadian striker’s fortunes rise to a new level. Jackson came up with a scintillating end to his 2011 club campaign in the English Championship for Norwich City FC. The Mississauga, ON man scored nine goals in seven games during a run-in that culminated with Jackson scoring the goal that got Norwich promoted to the English Premier League. Jackson has since featured in six Premier League matches for Norwich and recently earned his first start in the top flight. Jackson featured in all 12 matches for Canada in 2011 scoring four goals including an opportunistic hat trick away to St. Lucia on 7 October.
	Will Johnson At only 24-years-old Will Johnson is already one of the more experienced players in the Canadian squad with over 20 appearances to his name. Johnson performed to his usual high standards throughout a 2011 MLS campaign that saw him take part in no less than 30 matches. He was also the only Canadian to participate in this year’s CONCACAF Champions League final in April. The Real Salt Lake man earned wide acclaim in the league for the dynamism and tenacity in midfield that helped propel the club to the MLS Western Conference Final. Johnson was again a stalwart in midfield for Canada featuring in 11 of the team’s 12 matches and scoring against St. Lucia on 2 September.
	Olivier Occean Olivier Occean enjoyed a standout 2010-11 club campaign with Kickers Offenbach in Germany and was rewarded in May with a transfer to SpVgg Greuther Fürth in Bundesliga 2. Since arriving at the club, Occean has had no trouble maintaining his red-hot goal scoring record. The man from Brossard, QC is currently the joint top scorer in Bundesliga 2 with 10 goals already in the 2011-12 club campaign. Occean also played a key role for Canada in 2011 scoring three goals in five matches for his country.
	Tosaint Ricketts While many Canadian fans were unfamiliar with Tosaint Ricketts coming into 2011, that is certainly no longer the case. Ricketts made his Canada debut against Greece in February and subsequently marked his home debut by scoring a dramatic late equalizer against Ecuador in Toronto on 1 June. Ricketts added another two goals to his name during Canada’s FIFA World Cup Qualifiers™ while impressing fans with his pace and determination up front. The Edmonton, AB native has also enjoyed a healthy tally of goals and assists during 2011 with his Romanian club side FC Politehnica Timisoara.
	Josh Simpson Few players have been more central to Stephen Hart’s plans for Canada than Josh Simpson. Canada’s speedy left-winger featured in all 12 of the team’s matches in 2011 and scored three goals during Round 2 of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers™. At club level, Simpson has continued to prosper in Turkey with Vestel Manisaspor. Simpson is a regular starter in Turkey and has continued to develop his reputation as one of the best attackers in the league during 2011.