Your 2009 Canadian Players Of The Year

Jackson is male selection for 2009 Canadian Players of the Year award
Simeon Jackson is the male selection for the 2009 Canadian Players of the Year award. Jackson was honoured in a vote shared by Canadian media (50%) and Canadian coaches who have taken the Canadian Soccer Association’s national course at the B and A levels (50%).

Jackson of Mississauga, ON wins the award for the first time.

“This is a fantastic achievement for Simeon,” said Canadian national head coach Stephen Hart. “He had an excellent club season and performed admirably at the national level. Full congratulations to Simeon.”

In 2009, the 22-year old striker helped Gillingham FC earn a promotion to League One in England. In the second half of the 2008-09 season, he scored nine goals in 25 League Two appearances, including three goals in the final two playoff matches to earn Gillingham FC the promotion for the 2009-10 season. It was on 23 May 2009 in front of 53,706 fans at Wembley Stadium that Jackson scored the winning goal of a Gillingham FC 1:0 victory over Shrewsbury to secure the promotion. Jackson scored on a header in the 91st minute of play.

Just one week later, he made his international debut with the Canadian national team in a 1:0 victory over Cyprus in Larnaka. Again, Jackson scored the lone goal of the match, this one the first of his international career.

Over the summer, Jackson represented Canada at the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He helped Canada reach the quarter-final stage. He was called up again in November for a pair of friendly matches in Europe, thus earning him seven national appearances by year’s end.

As for the start of the 2009-10 England League One season, Jackson has been in fine form through the first 18 games of the season. He has scored 10 goals including an opening-day hat trick against Swindon Town on 8 August. He scored two additional goals in League Cup matches against Plymouth and Premiership opponent Blackburn. The 25 August goal against Blackburn was Jackson’s second of the year against a Premiership opponent; his first was a 4 January 2009 goal against Aston Villa in FA Cup action.

Sinclair is female selection for Canadian Players of the Year award
Christine Sinclair is the female selection for the 2009 Canadian Players of the Year award. Sinclair was honoured in a vote shared by Canadian media (50%) and Canadian coaches who have taken the Canadian Soccer Association’s national course at the B and A levels (50%).

Sinclair of Burnaby, BC wins the award for the fifth-consecutive year. Her 2009 co-winner – a selection from the men’s national team – will be announced on Friday.

“Christine is a superb leader for our national team,” said national head coach Carolina Morace. “I would like to pass along my full congratulations to her on yet another fine season.”

In 2009, Sinclair joined FC Gold Pride for the inaugural season of Women’s Professional Soccer. She led the team with six goals (tied for fifth in the league), 58 shots (third in the WPS) and 27 shots on goal (third in the WPS). Three of her goals came in three consecutive starts from 31 May to 17 June. She won WPS Player of the Week honours in Week 8 and was selected to the year-end WPS All-Star Team.

At the 2009 WPS All-Star Game on 30 August, Sinclair scored both second-half goals in a 4:2 victory over Umeå IK in St. Louis , MO.

At the international level, Sinclair scored four goals in seven games, leading her country in goals scored for the ninth time in 10 seasons. In each year of her international career she has scored at a rate of more than a goal for every two games played. Her four goals came in three consecutive games as Canada finished second at the 2009 Cyprus Women’s Cup, falling 1:3 in the final to England .

Sinclair is Canada’s all-time leader with 99 goals in 132 career appearances. In 2009, Sinclair passed Charmaine Hooper for most career starts (129) and tied Andrea Neil for most career appearances (132). Sinclair is also Canada ’s all-time leader with 11,706 minutes played.

Attakora, Stewart named Canadian U-20 Players of the Year
The Canadian Soccer Association announced today that Nana Attakora and Chelsea Stewart have been named Canadian U-20 Players of the Year for the 2009 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%).

Stewart split her 2009 international season between Canada ’s national and U-20 teams. She made six appearances at the national level under new head coach Carolina Morace, making her debut on 5 March 2009 at the Cyprus Women’s Cup. At the women’s U-20 level, she made four appearances as Canada began preparations for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Germany 2010. She served as a team captain at the U-20 level.

The defender/midfielder from The Pas, MB split her club season between Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Vanderbilt University . She played in 10 W-League games for the Whitecaps and 18 college games for Vanderbilt. She scored three goals for Vanderbilt.

As for Attakora, the North York , ON defender is now a two-time winner of the Canadian U-20 Player of the Year award. Like Stewart, he served as a Canadian captain at the U-20 level. In March, he represented Canada at the 2009 CONCACAF Men’s Under-20 Championship. He made his 20th appearance at the U-20 level on 9 March 2009, a 2:0 victory over Mexico .

At the club level, Attakora played 20 games for Toronto FC during the 2009 Major League Soccer season. He recorded two goals and four assists. He also played in four Nutrilite Canadian Championship games, helping Toronto FC win the 2009 Voyageurs Cup.

Teibert, Raymer named Canadian U-17 Players of the Year
Canadian teenagers Russell Teibert and Abigail Raymer have been named Canadian U-17 Players of the Year for the 2009 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%).

Raymer is a member of Canada ’s women’s U-17 team. She took part in the Canadian team’s first camp in October as the team began preparations for the 2010 CONCACAF Women’s Under-17 Championship in March. She started the 2009 season as a member of the Canadian Soccer Association’s National Training Centre in British Columbia , but also as part of Gordon Head Gold in the Lower Island Soccer Association’s 2008-09 Premier League. For the 2009-10 season, she joined the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Prospects development team.

In July, the Victoria , BC striker won a bronze medal with British Columbia at the 2009 BMO National Championships Nutrilite All Stars U-16 girls competition in Richmond , BC . It was her second medal at the national championships, having previously won a gold at the 2007 Nutrilite All Stars U-14 competition in Longueuil , QC .

As for Teibert, the Niagara Falls , ON midfielder is now a two-time winner of the Canadian U-17 Player of the Year award. He split the 2009 season between the national U-17 team and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency side. He served as Canada ’s captain at the 2009 CONCACAF Men’s Under-17 Championship in Tijuana , Mexico . He scored Canada ’s first goal of the opening match, a 1:1 draw with Honduras . At the club level, he took part in Whitecaps Residency trips to USA (Dallas Cup), Germany and Spain . Teibert also scored one goal and added four assists in 14 matches during the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development season. He scored his first PDL goal on 5 June against the Seattle Wolves.