Joe MacCarthy
01-07-2006, 03:47 AM
Players In The News
Friday, January 06, 2006
Canada’s 2005 Players of the Year
http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/media/viewArtical.asp?Press_ID=2369
http://www.canadasoccer.com/images/media/poty_2005.jpg
From left to right: Ryan Gyaki, Christine Sinclair, Kara Lang, Dwayne De Rosario
Ottawa, Ontario – The Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) is proud to announce the four winners of the 2005 Canada Soccer Player of the Year Awards.
2005 Male Youth Player of the Year: Ryan Gyaki
In 2005, Ryan Gyaki had finally shrugged off the injuries that had threatened to leave the young Calgary native off Dale Mitchell’s lineup for the U20 CONCACAF Qualifying tournament in Honduras in January.
And Mitchell was incredibly happy he had.
In Honduras, Gyaki was responsible for all four of Canada’s goals in what was a truly remarkable performance. Canada and Gyaki first dispatched of Mexico 2-1 in the opener despite surrendering an early goal to the tricolores. Two days later against host Honduras, a deft lob from Gyaki an hour into the contest sealed Canada’s spot in the 2005 World Championship’s in Holland. Then, just to round off the three-game tournament, Gyaki entered the game against Jamaica with the score 0-0 as a 63rd minute substitute. It took him a mere 12 minutes to find his scoring touch and send the Reggae Boyz home pointless.
In a scene that had to be witnessed, the Honduran crowd (preparing to watch Mexico v. Honduras in the late game) stood and applauded the Canadians as they headed for the tunnel. But in typical Canadian fashion, the Canucks stood at the touchline and returned the applause.
Co-captain Gyaki and the Canadians could not duplicate that superb tournament when they competed in the World Championships that summer, but for those who witnessed the qualifying tournament in San Pedro Sula, there is little doubt of Gyaki’s worthiness to be called Canada’s Young Player of the Year.
2005 Female Youth Player of the Year: Kara Lang
For most, it is easy to forget that Kara Lang is only 19 years old. It seems as though she has been around forever and with 50 senior appearances already under her belt, the Oakville native has quickly become the face of women’s soccer in Canada.
But the affable Lang is still a teenager and in 2005 she did what many 19 year olds do – she headed to college. But unlike most, Lang was headed to UCLA where she was counted upon to lead the Bruins to the 2005 College Cup. For most freshmen, such a task would seem daunting but not for someone whose full-international career began at 15 years-old.
And as usual, Kara delivered.
Lang finished second in team scoring (40 points) and appearances (26) in her first year and helped lead the UCLA Bruins to a place in the 2005 College Cup Final where they lost 4-0 to the University of Portland.
In 2005, Lang made six appearances with the Women’s National Team in what was a relatively slow year. But her two performances against Germany in September stand out. Lang played a mere 95 minutes in two games against the World Champions but still managed a goal in each contest.
2005 Male Player of the Year: Dwayne De Rosario
Dwayne De Rosario was one of two (Patrice Bernier is the other) Canadian internationals that was ever-present in Frank Yallop’s line-up in 2005, and for good reason.
As amazing as it may sound, in early 2005 it appeared as though De Rosario would be without a club. But in March, just before MLS 2005 kicked off, the league and the ‘Quakes scrambled to re-sign the Scarborough-native and were probably happy they had.
He made 28 appearances in 2005 for Dominic Kinnear’s men, scoring nine goals and 13 assists while leading the ‘Quakes (now Houston) to the top of the MLS league table in 2005.
De Rosario also became the first player in MLS history to win back-to-back Goal of the Year awards in 2005 for his sublime free-kick against hated rivals LA Galaxy on October 15th.
The striker was also the 2005 runner-up to New England’s Taylor Twellman for the MLS Player of the Year.
'Dwayne is definitely a deserved winner of this award,” said Canadian Head Coach Frank Yallop.
Yallop, who also coached De Rosario at the San Jose Earthquakes where they won two MLS Cups together, heaped further praise on the striker.
“He had an outstanding season at San Jose in 2005 and was certainly worthy of receiving the team MVP; and the goal he scored against LA was stunning.
“Dwayne’s a joy to coach because you never have to worry about getting less than 100% effort in his play, and as a fan of the game, he’s very exciting to watch.'
2005 Female Player of the Year: Christine Sinclair
What is there to say about Christine Sinclair that hasn’t been said already?
Perhaps a simple list of the awards she has won in 2005 would provide a clearer picture of the Burnaby native’s dominance - FIFA Player of the Year – short-list; Canada Soccer’s Female Player of the Year; NSCAA/adidas Scholar All-America Athlete of the Year; Honda Award Winner; NSCAA/adidas Scholar All-America first team; Soccer America and Soccer Buzz Athlete of the Year; Soccer America and Soccer Buzz first team All-American; CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) Academic All-American of the Year; CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team; CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 First Team; NCAA Today’s Top VIII Award (recognizes eight seniors among all collegiate divisions for excellence both on and off the field); Soccer Buzz West Region Player of the Year; Soccer Buzz All-West Region First Team; NSCAA All-West Region First Team; 2005 College Cup MVP; College Cup All-Tournament Team; WCC All-Academic Team; All-WCC first team; West Coast Conference Player of the Year…
Perhaps the clearest indication of Sinclair’s dominance in 2005 was the spectacular single season goal-scoring record she set (39). Her 88 points marks the second highest in NCAA season history, trailing only Mia Hamm’s 97 in 25 games in 1992. Her 110 career goals are second in NCAA history and her 252 points rank fourth all-time.
She is Portland’s all-time leader in goals, points, game-winners and shots.
But she also scored when it mattered most, finding the net twice in Portland’s 4-0 win over UCLA (and fellow Canuck, Kara Lang) in the Women’s College Cup final in 2005, thus giving her 25 post-season goals over her career – another NCAA record.
“Christine joined the senior program when she was just 17 years old,” said Women’s Head Coach Even Pellerud. “Since then she has taken small but consistent strides into her current position as one of the leading strikers and goal-scorers in the world of Women’s soccer. Although she is still a very young player, she has an excellent career behind her, but even more importantly, a very exciting future ahead of her.”
Tonight, Sinclair will likely add the M.A.C. Hermann award to her 2005 stockpile of trophies and accolades so needless to say, Sinclair might have the easiest pick in 2005.
Voting Totals
Male Youth Player of the Year
Fan Media Total
Ryan Gyaki 9.95 13.35 26.70
Jaime Peters 12.87 8.35 21.22
Andrew Hainault 9.20 6.85 16.05
Tyler Rosenlund 5.30 10.00 15.30
Nikolas Ledgerwood 4.21 5.05 9.26
Will Johnson 3.40 5.05 8.45
Josh Wagenaar 5.09 1.50 6.59
Female Youth Player of the Year
Fan Media Total
Kara Lang 22.08 18.20 40.28
Brittany Timko 8.63 13.65 22.28
Katie Thorlakson 6.76 12.15 18.91
Jodi-Ann Robinson 2.52 4.50 7.02
Amanda Cicchini 4.35 1.50 5.85
Sophie Schmidt 3.74 0.00 3.74
Emily Zurrer 1.94 0.00 1.94
Male Player of the Year
Fan Media Total
Dwayne De Rosario 11.50 17.20 28.70
Paul Staltieri 10.51 12.50 23.01
Julian de Guzman 6.81 6.25 13.06
Greg Sutton 8.34 4.70 13.04
Tomasz Radzinski 6.67 4.65 11.32
Patrice Bernier 3.64 4.70 8.34
Atiba Hutchinson 2.55 0.00 2.55
Female Player of the Year
Fan Media Total
Christine Sinclair 29.24 36.80 66.04
Charmaine Hooper 5.26 1.45 11.77
Randee Hermus 2.00 8.85 10.85
Karina LeBlanc 3.87 1.45 2.90
Amy Walsh 5.06 0.00 5.06
Diana Matheson 2.92 1.45 4.37
Candace Chapman 1.66 0.00 1.66
The Total number reflects 50% of the Fan voting and 50% of the Media voting.
Friday, January 06, 2006
Canada’s 2005 Players of the Year
http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/media/viewArtical.asp?Press_ID=2369
http://www.canadasoccer.com/images/media/poty_2005.jpg
From left to right: Ryan Gyaki, Christine Sinclair, Kara Lang, Dwayne De Rosario
Ottawa, Ontario – The Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) is proud to announce the four winners of the 2005 Canada Soccer Player of the Year Awards.
2005 Male Youth Player of the Year: Ryan Gyaki
In 2005, Ryan Gyaki had finally shrugged off the injuries that had threatened to leave the young Calgary native off Dale Mitchell’s lineup for the U20 CONCACAF Qualifying tournament in Honduras in January.
And Mitchell was incredibly happy he had.
In Honduras, Gyaki was responsible for all four of Canada’s goals in what was a truly remarkable performance. Canada and Gyaki first dispatched of Mexico 2-1 in the opener despite surrendering an early goal to the tricolores. Two days later against host Honduras, a deft lob from Gyaki an hour into the contest sealed Canada’s spot in the 2005 World Championship’s in Holland. Then, just to round off the three-game tournament, Gyaki entered the game against Jamaica with the score 0-0 as a 63rd minute substitute. It took him a mere 12 minutes to find his scoring touch and send the Reggae Boyz home pointless.
In a scene that had to be witnessed, the Honduran crowd (preparing to watch Mexico v. Honduras in the late game) stood and applauded the Canadians as they headed for the tunnel. But in typical Canadian fashion, the Canucks stood at the touchline and returned the applause.
Co-captain Gyaki and the Canadians could not duplicate that superb tournament when they competed in the World Championships that summer, but for those who witnessed the qualifying tournament in San Pedro Sula, there is little doubt of Gyaki’s worthiness to be called Canada’s Young Player of the Year.
2005 Female Youth Player of the Year: Kara Lang
For most, it is easy to forget that Kara Lang is only 19 years old. It seems as though she has been around forever and with 50 senior appearances already under her belt, the Oakville native has quickly become the face of women’s soccer in Canada.
But the affable Lang is still a teenager and in 2005 she did what many 19 year olds do – she headed to college. But unlike most, Lang was headed to UCLA where she was counted upon to lead the Bruins to the 2005 College Cup. For most freshmen, such a task would seem daunting but not for someone whose full-international career began at 15 years-old.
And as usual, Kara delivered.
Lang finished second in team scoring (40 points) and appearances (26) in her first year and helped lead the UCLA Bruins to a place in the 2005 College Cup Final where they lost 4-0 to the University of Portland.
In 2005, Lang made six appearances with the Women’s National Team in what was a relatively slow year. But her two performances against Germany in September stand out. Lang played a mere 95 minutes in two games against the World Champions but still managed a goal in each contest.
2005 Male Player of the Year: Dwayne De Rosario
Dwayne De Rosario was one of two (Patrice Bernier is the other) Canadian internationals that was ever-present in Frank Yallop’s line-up in 2005, and for good reason.
As amazing as it may sound, in early 2005 it appeared as though De Rosario would be without a club. But in March, just before MLS 2005 kicked off, the league and the ‘Quakes scrambled to re-sign the Scarborough-native and were probably happy they had.
He made 28 appearances in 2005 for Dominic Kinnear’s men, scoring nine goals and 13 assists while leading the ‘Quakes (now Houston) to the top of the MLS league table in 2005.
De Rosario also became the first player in MLS history to win back-to-back Goal of the Year awards in 2005 for his sublime free-kick against hated rivals LA Galaxy on October 15th.
The striker was also the 2005 runner-up to New England’s Taylor Twellman for the MLS Player of the Year.
'Dwayne is definitely a deserved winner of this award,” said Canadian Head Coach Frank Yallop.
Yallop, who also coached De Rosario at the San Jose Earthquakes where they won two MLS Cups together, heaped further praise on the striker.
“He had an outstanding season at San Jose in 2005 and was certainly worthy of receiving the team MVP; and the goal he scored against LA was stunning.
“Dwayne’s a joy to coach because you never have to worry about getting less than 100% effort in his play, and as a fan of the game, he’s very exciting to watch.'
2005 Female Player of the Year: Christine Sinclair
What is there to say about Christine Sinclair that hasn’t been said already?
Perhaps a simple list of the awards she has won in 2005 would provide a clearer picture of the Burnaby native’s dominance - FIFA Player of the Year – short-list; Canada Soccer’s Female Player of the Year; NSCAA/adidas Scholar All-America Athlete of the Year; Honda Award Winner; NSCAA/adidas Scholar All-America first team; Soccer America and Soccer Buzz Athlete of the Year; Soccer America and Soccer Buzz first team All-American; CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) Academic All-American of the Year; CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team; CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 First Team; NCAA Today’s Top VIII Award (recognizes eight seniors among all collegiate divisions for excellence both on and off the field); Soccer Buzz West Region Player of the Year; Soccer Buzz All-West Region First Team; NSCAA All-West Region First Team; 2005 College Cup MVP; College Cup All-Tournament Team; WCC All-Academic Team; All-WCC first team; West Coast Conference Player of the Year…
Perhaps the clearest indication of Sinclair’s dominance in 2005 was the spectacular single season goal-scoring record she set (39). Her 88 points marks the second highest in NCAA season history, trailing only Mia Hamm’s 97 in 25 games in 1992. Her 110 career goals are second in NCAA history and her 252 points rank fourth all-time.
She is Portland’s all-time leader in goals, points, game-winners and shots.
But she also scored when it mattered most, finding the net twice in Portland’s 4-0 win over UCLA (and fellow Canuck, Kara Lang) in the Women’s College Cup final in 2005, thus giving her 25 post-season goals over her career – another NCAA record.
“Christine joined the senior program when she was just 17 years old,” said Women’s Head Coach Even Pellerud. “Since then she has taken small but consistent strides into her current position as one of the leading strikers and goal-scorers in the world of Women’s soccer. Although she is still a very young player, she has an excellent career behind her, but even more importantly, a very exciting future ahead of her.”
Tonight, Sinclair will likely add the M.A.C. Hermann award to her 2005 stockpile of trophies and accolades so needless to say, Sinclair might have the easiest pick in 2005.
Voting Totals
Male Youth Player of the Year
Fan Media Total
Ryan Gyaki 9.95 13.35 26.70
Jaime Peters 12.87 8.35 21.22
Andrew Hainault 9.20 6.85 16.05
Tyler Rosenlund 5.30 10.00 15.30
Nikolas Ledgerwood 4.21 5.05 9.26
Will Johnson 3.40 5.05 8.45
Josh Wagenaar 5.09 1.50 6.59
Female Youth Player of the Year
Fan Media Total
Kara Lang 22.08 18.20 40.28
Brittany Timko 8.63 13.65 22.28
Katie Thorlakson 6.76 12.15 18.91
Jodi-Ann Robinson 2.52 4.50 7.02
Amanda Cicchini 4.35 1.50 5.85
Sophie Schmidt 3.74 0.00 3.74
Emily Zurrer 1.94 0.00 1.94
Male Player of the Year
Fan Media Total
Dwayne De Rosario 11.50 17.20 28.70
Paul Staltieri 10.51 12.50 23.01
Julian de Guzman 6.81 6.25 13.06
Greg Sutton 8.34 4.70 13.04
Tomasz Radzinski 6.67 4.65 11.32
Patrice Bernier 3.64 4.70 8.34
Atiba Hutchinson 2.55 0.00 2.55
Female Player of the Year
Fan Media Total
Christine Sinclair 29.24 36.80 66.04
Charmaine Hooper 5.26 1.45 11.77
Randee Hermus 2.00 8.85 10.85
Karina LeBlanc 3.87 1.45 2.90
Amy Walsh 5.06 0.00 5.06
Diana Matheson 2.92 1.45 4.37
Candace Chapman 1.66 0.00 1.66
The Total number reflects 50% of the Fan voting and 50% of the Media voting.