Canadian Players of the Year 2006

Dwayne De Rosario and Christine Sinclair named 2006 Canadian Players of the Year

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Christine Sinclair and Dwayne De Rosario

OTTAWA (ONTARIO) – International stars Dwayne De Rosario and Christine Sinclair have been named Canadian Players of the Year for the 2006 soccer season. The two stars were honoured in a vote shared by media and online fans.

Atiba Hutchinson, meanwhile, has been named the inaugural CanadaSoccer.com Fan’s Choice winner. Hutchinson received more votes than any other player in the online voting portion conducted by fans. De Rosario, Sinclair and Hutchinson join David Edgar and Jodi-Ann Robinson as 2006 Canadian Soccer Association honoured players after Canada’s two teen stars were named Canadian Youth Players of the Year on Thursday.

Amongst De Rosario’s highlights were MVP honours at the MLS All-Star Game and an MLS Cup championship with Houston Dynamo. Amongst Sinclair’s highlights were a W-League championship with the Vancouver Whitecaps and a two-goal performance against Jamaica to secure Canada’s spot in the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Sinclair, 23, played 17 times for Canada’s senior team in 2006, serving as team captain at both the Peace Queen Cup and CONCACAF Gold Cup. She scored 11 times for Canada, including the two-goal performance against Jamaica and a hat trick against the Republic of Korea in the Peace Queen Cup. Sinclair won a W-League championship with the Whitecaps and she was short-listed at year’s end for the FIFA World Player of the Year. She was also named the 2006 British Columbia Soccer Association’s Senior Athlete of the Year.

De Rosario, 28, played twice for Canada in 2006. He started the year by moving with his professional club to Houston and then finished it by winning an MLS Cup championship after a thrilling overtime and shootout against the New England Revolution. Already a two-time winner of the MLS Goal of the Year award, he scored another highlight-reel goal that was selected as one of the finalists for the award (won by his teammate Brian Ching). At the MLS All-Star Game against two-time Premiership champions Chelsea, he scored the lone goal and was named the game’s most valuable player.

In 2007, Sinclair has started the year in Canada’s senior women’s team residency camp in Vancouver. She will be a driving force for Canada on the road to the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup. De Rosario, meanwhile, recently took part in Canada’s January training camp in Florida and is now in camp with the Houston Dynamo as the team works to defend its MLS Cup title.

As for Hutchinson, 23, he was an overwhelming favourite to online fans who visited CanadaSoccer.com in the month of January. The former FIFA World Youth Championships All-Star Team defender (2003) became just the second Canadian player to score in a UEFA Champions League game (2006), following in the footsteps of Tomasz Radzinski. Hutchinson, who made four appearances with Canada’s senior team in 2006, is currently playing FC København (Copenhagen) in Denmark.

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David Edgar, Jodi-Ann Robinson named Canadian Youth Players of the Year

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Edgar & Robinson

OTTAWA (ONTARIO) – Canadian teenagers Jodi-Ann Robinson and David Edgar have been named Canadian Youth Players of the Year for the 2006 soccer season. The two stars were honoured in a vote shared by media and online fans.

Amongst Robinson’s highlights was a hat trick against Panamá in the CONCACAF U-20 qualifications in México in January. Amongst Edgar’s highlights was the opening goal in a 2:1 victory over Brasil in a May friendly.

Robinson, 17, played 13 times for Canada’s U-20 team in 2006, including appearances at the CONCACAF U-20 qualifications and the FIFA U-20 World Cup. She scored seven times for the youth team, including the hat trick against Panamá and a pair of goals in a friendly against Australia. Robinson also played four games at the senior level and won a W-League championship with the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2006.

Edgar, 19, played eight times for Canada’s U-20 team in 2006. On his 19th birthday in May, he scored the U-20’s team first-ever goal against Brasil. The goal helped Canada win 2:1, the country’s first over a Brasil men’s team in international competition. Near year’s end on Boxing Day, Edgar made his first appearance with Newcastle United’s first team in the Premiership.

In 2007, Robinson has started the year in Canada’s senior women’s team residency camp in Vancouver. She hopes to represent the country at the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup, although at the moment she is the second-youngest player in the camp. Edgar, meanwhile, has made more appearances with Newcastle United’s first team. He is expected to represent his country team at the FIFA U-20 World Cup this summer in Canada.

On Friday, the Canadian Soccer Association is expected to announce the two Canadian Players of the Year (senior teams) and an inaugural CanadaSoccer.com Fan’s Choice Award winner.