

Posted by

Steve Bottjer ,

December 5 2013 Email

Steve Bottjer

On Twitter:

@BottjerRNO

With Canadian men’s program in flux and in a rebuilding mode in 2013, it makes it particularly difficult to look across this year’s nominees and find someone who stands apart as a player who excelled for both club and country. A handful of players had very good club campaigns, from Patrice Bernier’s key role in the Montreal Impact qualifying for the MLS postseason for the first time to Jonathan Osorio and Russell Teibert enjoying breakout seasons at the MLS level. Atiba Hutchinson continues to be one Canadian competing at the highest level each week and continually showing his class as arguably Canada’s best and most indispensable player.



Given that the the Canadian National Team struggling and not playing a consistent lineup throughout the year, the onus for selecting a Canadian Male Player of the Year ultimately falls heavily on how Canadian players performed at the club level. We asked a handful of contributors to RedNation Online to give us their thoughts on this year's award and who, if anyone, deserves the accolade in 2013.



RNO Roundtable: Who is the Male Canadian Player of the Year?



Here are the nominees:



- Patrice Bernier | CAN / Impact Montréal | Brossard, QC

- Julian de Guzman | GRE / Xanthi | Scarborough, ON

- Marcus Haber | ENG / Notts County | Vancouver, BC

- Atiba Hutchinson | TUR / BesiktasJK | Brampton, ON

- Will Johnson | USA / Portland Timbers | Toronto, ON

- Nik Ledgerwood | SWE / Hammarby Fotboll | Lethbridge, AB

- Jonathan Osorio | CAN / Toronto FC | Brampton, ON

- Tosaint Ricketts | TUR / Bucaspor Kulübü | Edmonton, AB

- Russell Teibert | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC | Niagara Falls, ON



Ian Clarke: Atiba Hutchinson



2013 was not much of a year to remember on the national team front, and to be honest at the club level it wasn't that much better. Prior to 2012's World Cup Qualifying debacle, the previous years had some clear choices for who would win - De Rosario as MLS MVP, Simeon Jackson almost single-handily promoting Norwich City to the Premiership, Atiba Hutchinson becoming the best player in Denmark, to name the most recent ones.



It will be tough to deny Will Johnson, but I'm still going to lean towards the player who right now is the heart of the Men's National Team and still playing at a level and class above the rest.



Atiba Hutchinson is my choice due to being an integral part of getting PSV Eindoven back into the Champions League via their second place finish in the Eredivise for 2012/13. Played out of position at right back, he showed his all around ability and, while it is far from where he performs the best, he still got the job done. And in spite of this, was able to sign on with a legitimate Turkish Super League challenger in Besiktas, back at the midfield position, where he has so far helped them keep pace near the top of the table with the likes of Fenerbahce and Galatasaray.



Armen Bedakian: Jonathan Osorio



The nominee choices were full of forwards and midfielders, without a nod given to defenders like Doneil Henry who played in a large part of his team’s season this year. That being the case, a forward should be judged on his goalscoring and a midfielder in his production, whether that be assists, goals and pass accuracy. In this regard, the three players I have chosen as my finalists were critical pieces for their respective teams. Russell Teibert was an assist leader at one point in the season; Will Johnson pushed his team all the way to the MLS playoff semi-finals with some clutch performances; Jonathan Osorio, in his rookie year, scored numerous goals and became a starter at Toronto. The obvious choice is to put Johnson on top, but I reckon that Osorio has shown enough potential to warrant this spot in that, in one season, he played a big role for both club and for country. We always knew Johnson was a talented player; Osorio came out of left-field under the shadow of Kyle Bekker and showed the country he’s the next midfield talent to talk about.



Kamal Hylton: Will Johnson



If I can be frank, nobody involved with the Canadian Men's National Team in 2013 should be awarded anything given the utter disaster the year was. None of these players covered themselves in glory on the international stage.



However, when factoring in performances at the club level you can't go wrong with Will Johnson. His move from Real Salt Lake came as something of a surprise and to be named captain of the Portland Timbers by a first year MLS coach in Caleb Porter was a big step up and he responded in a big way. Although much of the credit for the Timbers success goes to the "Porterball" attacking approach, with the majority of accolades going to players like Diego Valeri and Darlington Nagbe, the tone was set by the leadership qualities the Toronto native displayed. His partnership with Colombian Diego Chara is particularly influential as it allowed Johnson to play more of a box to box role to the tune of 9 goal and 5 assists.



Although MLS MVP will come down to the forwards and top goal scorers like Mike Magee, Marco Di Vaio and Robbie Keane, I'd personally give Will Johnson much more Consideration. Although the old cliché of "goals win games" is a true statement, being a well-rounded player counts for a little more in my book and few where better in this regard than Johnson.



Aaron Nielsen: Will Johnson



There has been a lot of talk about the success of the Portland Timbers this MLS season and the coaching of Caleb Porter and the play of Attacking Midfielder Diego Valeri. However, the MVP of the Timbers this season - and he would even get my vote as MVP in the league - is Will Johnson. His midfield presence provided Valeri the space needed to create the chances he did, while Johnson also helped offensively scoring nine goals and three assists during the regular season. Johnson also made 85% of his passes and on the defensive end made 76 tackles, 42 interceptions, and 50 clearances. Johnson was on the Canadian National Team Gold Cup squad but only played once and was subbed off in the 50th minute. If the Canada national team wishes to improve, they need to utilize players like Johnson better and, in my opinion, he should be the Captain for the 2018 World Cup qualification.



My second pick would actually be Kenny Stamatopoulos for what he achieved in the Sweden Allsvenskan while being the starting keeper of AIK Stockholm, who finished in 2nd Place. Stamatopoulos had a record of 17 wins, 5 draws and 4 losses with a goals against average just above one and he added nine shutouts. Stamatopoulos played twice for Canada in 2013, losing both games 1-0.



Ryan Stead: Will Johnson



I select for the 2013 Canadian Player of the Year, Will Johnson. Will has been a stalwart in the midfield for the Portland Timbers this season. With his 9 goals and solid two-way play he has proven himself as not only an exceptional player but an exceptional leader. He has been a durable factor in the Timbers season, earning an All-Star berth in the process.



Though he might not be the most vocal in the dressing room, he’s the first one in a scrum and the last to leave. His tough workman-like approach has earned him the Portland captaincy and he wore it with the bravado one expects from a Canadian. At 26, he’s not only a tough MLS veteran but an example for his teammates and countrymen. He’s a leader that gives his teammates an example to follow. Though others (even on the list of nominees) have played at bigger clubs or might have more skill, Will’s competitiveness has not only won him respect from his teammates and peers. He deserves to be this year’s Canadian Player of the Year.



Steve Bottjer: Will Johnson



Given that the Canadian National Team struggled mightily in 2013, the focus for selecting a Male Player of the Year essentially comes down to club performances. While he likely benefits from the fact that many here in North America would have seen him play more club matches than the other nominees on the list, in my opinion, Johnson is the clear choice 2013 Male Canadian Player of the Year. He was the engine in the midfield and team captain of a Portland Timbers side that essentially went from being one of the worst teams in the league in 2012 to a squad that finished in first in the Major League Soccer Western Conference in 2013. As part of the MLS 2013 Best XI, Johnson was arguably the best two way player in the North American top flight over the past year.