Attakora-Gyan, Filigno named Canadian U-20 Players of the Year
The Canadian Soccer Association announced that Nana Attakora-Gyan and Jonelle Filigno have been named Canadian U-20 Players of the Year for the 2008 soccer season. The two stars were honoured in a vote shared by national-team coaches (50%) and Canadian coaches who have taken the Canadian Soccer Association’s national course at the B and A levels (50%).
Attakora-Gyan is a member of the Canadian U-20 team that has begun preparations for next year’s CONCACAF Men’s Under-20 Championship. He took part in all three U-20 camps, the first of which featured the anniversary rematch ag ainst Argentina at BMO Field in Toronto (a 1:1 draw on 11 May).
The Orangeville, ON defender is also a member of Major Le ag ue Soccer’s Toronto FC. In 2008, he played five games with the big club, making his MLS debut on 5 August 2008. He also took part in the inaugural 2008 Nutrilite Canadian Championship, although he did not feature in Toronto FC’s four games.
Filigno, meanwhile, split the 2008 season between the senior and U-20 teams. With the women’s U-20 team, whose title sponsor is Winners, she helped Canada win a gold medal at the 2008 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship. She scored four goals in the tournament: a hat trick ag ainst Costa Rica in the group phase and the winning goal in the semi-final ag ainst Mexico . She then helped Canada win the Torneo 4-Naciones in Chile , scoring the lone goal in the final match of the round-robin tournament. Finally at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Chile 2008, she scored one goal in two matches after missing the opener because of a knee injury.
With the Canadian national team, whose title sponsor is Winners and whose presenting sponsor is Teck, Filigno made 20 appearances as a 17-year old rookie. She helped Canada win the Cyprus Cup in March, finish second at the CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualification Tournament in April, finish second at the Peace Queen Cup in June (albeit she left midway to join the U-20s), and reach the quarter-final stage of the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament. She started 12 of her 20 games and scored her first-ever goal against Trinidad & Tobago in April.
Teibert, Lam-Feist named Canadian U-17 Players of the Year
Canadian teenagers Russell Teibert and Monica Lam-Feist have been named Canadian U-17 Players of the Year for the 2008 soccer season. The two stars were honoured in a vote shared by national-team coaches (50%) and Canadian coaches who have taken the Canadian Soccer Association’s national course at the B and A levels (50%).
Teibert is a member of the BMO Financial Group – Canadian men’s U-17 team. He took part in the Canadian team’s first camp in November as the team began preparations for the 2009 CONCACAF Men’s Under-17 Championship. He started the 2008 season as a member of the Canadian Soccer Association’s National Training Centre in Ontario , but also played briefly for TFC Academy ’s U-16 side. In August, he joined the Vancouver Whitecaps residency program; in December, he traveled with the Whitecaps FC Residency squad to Japan .
The Niagara Falls midfielder also won a silver medal at the 2008 BMO National Championships All Stars in Brossard, QC . At the Canadian U-17 camp in Mexico , he scored one goal and one assist in four games against local club teams. He even wore the captain’s arm band for part of the trip.
As for Lam-Feist, she is now a two-time winner of the Canadian U-17 Player of the Year award. She actually only spent part of her season with the Canadian women’s U-17 team (whose title sponsor is BMO Financial Group) as she spent most of it one level up with the women’s U-20 team (whose title sponsor is Winners). In June, she helped Canada win the CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship in Puebla , Mexico . She scored in each of the two opening matches. In September, she helped Canada with the Torneo 4-Naciones in Melipilla, Chile . In November, she scored two goals for Canada at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Chile 2008.
The Surrey, BC forward also got to play briefly with the national team, taking part in the team’s trip to China in January for the Four Nations Tournament. While she did not feature, she was the youngest player called into the national team this past season.
No comments yet.