Ismaël Koné and Jade Rose named Canada Soccer Young Players of the Year

Ismaël Koné and Jade Rose were named the 2023 Canada Soccer Young Players of the Year as selected by the Men’s and Women’s National Team Programs. The two U-21 players were selected for their performances at both the club and international levels in 2023.

Koné has won the award in back-to-back seasons while Rose has won the award three times in the last four seasons. Players born 2002 or later were eligible for the award. Alongside Koné and Rose, Samuel Charron was named the Para Soccer Player of the Year while Safwane Mlah was named the Futsal Player of the Year.

Both Koné and Rose were also nominated for the Canada Soccer Players of the Year Award in 2023. The two co-winners for that award will be announced later this week with one player from the Men’s National Team and one player from the Women’s National Team. Voting for the Canada Soccer Players of the Year award, conducted by Canadian coaches and media, closed on Tuesday 12 December.

Ismaël Koné featured in six Canada matches including a second-place finish at the 2022-23 Concacaf Nations League Finals. He scored his first home goal in November against Jamaica. At the club level from January through November 2023 with Watford FC, he made 33 appearances, played 1,984 minutes, scored one goal and got two assists. He was also named the Soccer Québec’s 2023 Canadian International Player of the Year.

Jade Rose featured in nine Canada matches and helped her nation qualify for yet another Olympic Games, but she missed her first FIFA World Cup through injury. She made her home debut in Toronto during Olympic Qualifiers. During the college season from August to November 2023 with Harvard University, Rose made 16 appearances, played 1,181 minutes, scored one goal and got four assists. Harvard reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row.

From 8 to 15 December, Canadian soccer fans will vote on the annual Allstate Canadian National Teams Good Hands Award, recognizing the top save by Canada’s National Team goalkeepers during international play. ​ New this year, fans will also vote on both a Men’s National Team Moment of the Year and a Women’s National Team Moment of the Year, with voting to launch later this month and the Top Moments to be announced at the end of the year.