De Rosario is male selection for 2011 BMO Canadian Players of the Year award

The Canadian Soccer Association announced today that Dwayne De Rosario is the male selection for the 2011 BMO Canadian Players of the Year award. De Rosario was honoured in a vote shared by Canadian media (50%) and Canadian coaches (50%).

De Rosario of Scarborough, ON wins the award for the fourth time. His 2011 co-winner – a selection from the women’s national team – will be announced on Thursday.

“You must admire anyone who faces such an uncertain start of the season only to excel as he did in 2011,” said Canadian national head coach Stephen Hart. “Through the right mentality, he never allowed his on-field performance to suffer. He deserves to be recognised for the year he put together.”

The highlight from De Rosario’s 2011 Canada season was equalising the national record for goals scored at the international “A” level. De Rosario co-led the Canadian team with four goals – the third time he has led or co-led the nation – to bring his career total to 19 goals, equal to the mark Dale Mitchell established from 1980 to 1993.

Three days after setting the national record for goals, De Rosario was recognized for his 2011 season at the club level – he was named Major League Soccer Most Valuable Player. Previously a two-time runner-up, De Rosario won the award after leading the league with 16 goals and being named to the Best XI for a record sixth time.

De Rosario split his 2011 MLS campaign between three clubs – Toronto FC, New York Red Bulls and DC United. It was after his trade to DC United that De Rosario caught fire. He won MLS Player of the Week honours three times – weeks 20, 21 and 28 – and won MLS Player of the Month honours in August. After joining DC United in June, he scored 13 goals in 18 matches.

For Canada, De Rosario’s 2011 season featured his fifth participation in a CONCACAF Gold Cup and his fourth participation in a FIFA World Cup Qualifiers cycle. In those official matches, De Rosario scored two goals in three matches at the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He then scored two goals in six matches during the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in September, October and November.

De Rosario wore the captain’s armband for the last four matches as Canada won its group to advance to CONCACAF Round 3 of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. He scored his record-tying goal from the penalty spot on 15 November in front of friends and family at BMO Field in Toronto.

De Rosario converts the penalty to tie Canada’s all-time goalscoring record

De Rosario’s 19 career goals have been scored in 66 matches from 1997 to 2011. He has also scored 93 career goals in 274 matches in an 11-year MLS career with the San Jose Earthquakes, Houston Dynamo, Toronto FC, New York Red Bulls and DC United.

“As the Bank of Soccer in Canada, we are proud to take part in recognizing the country’s very best in soccer and celebrate our top players’ achievements on the field with the 2011 BMO Canada Soccer Player Awards,” said Sandy Bourne, Vice President, Corporate Marketing, BMO Financial Group. “From all of us at BMO Financial Group, I would like to congratulate Dwayne De Rosario for his outstanding performance this year, both with the Canadian Men’s National Team and with DC United.”

Earlier this week, De Rosario’s national teammate Ashtone Morgan was named a co-winner of the Canadian U-20 Players of the Year award (along with Amélia Pietrangelo) while Bryce Alderson was named a co-winner of the Canadian U-17 Players of the Year award (along with Ashley Lawrence). De Rosario’s co-winner of the 2011 BMO Canadian Players of the Year award will be announced on Thursday.




FINAL LIST / LISTE FINALE

Male Nominees from Canada’s national team


1. Dwayne De Rosario (47.7)
2. Simeon Jackson (20.7)
3. Josh Simpson (9.55)
4. André Hainault (8.95)
5. Marcel de Jong (3.55)
6. Will Johnson (3.3)

CANADIAN PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

2011 – Dwayne De Rosario & TBA
2010 – Atiba Hutchinson & Christine Sinclair

2009 – Simeon Jackson & Christine Sinclair

2008 – Julian de Guzman & Christine Sinclair

2007 – Dwayne De Rosario & Christine Sinclair

2006 – Dwayne De Rosario & Christine Sinclair

2005 – Dwayne De Rosario & Christine Sinclair

2002 – Charmaine Hooper

1998 – Tomasz Radzinski & Silvana Burtini

1996 – Paul Peschisolido & Geraldine Donnelly

1995 – Alex Bunbury & Charmaine Hooper

1994 – Craig Forrest & Charmaine Hooper

1993 – Alex Bunbury