2022 Voyageurs Player of the Year

[Shway]

 

This is to vote the best Canadian Men's National Team Player by the Voyageurs of the Year.
This is based on the 2022 Calendar Year.

The rules are as follows:

• The deadline for submissions is 12:01 AM (Pacific) January 1st, New Years Day 2023.
• Select your ranking in the respective options of first, second, and third.
• A point system is used to calculate a players points total at the completion of polling:

                5 points for a 1st place selection
                3 points for a 2nd place selection
                1 point for a 3rd place selection

• The player with the highest final aggregate total will be declared the Voyageurs Player of the Year.
• Only one submission per person.
• For a player to be eligible for the Voyageurs Player of the Year the player must have been selected for a Canadian international in the past year.

Click here to vote.

*Don't worry fellas the votes will be made immediately this year.

Past Winners of this Award:
 

Previous Winners:

2020 Alphonso Davies
2019 Jonathan David
2018 Milan Borjan
2017 Scott Arfield
2016 Atiba Hutchinson
2015 Atiba Hutchinson
2014 Atiba Hutchinson 
2013 Will Johnson
2012 Atiba Hutchinson 
2011 Dwayne De Rosario
2010 Atiba Hutchinson 
2009 Michael Klukowski 
2008 Tomas Radzinski
2007 Julian de Guzman
2006 Atiba Hutchinson

Edited December 19, 2022 by Shway

[Shway]

Does anyone have the history of the award? I would like to include it in the main post. 

[Unnamed Trialist]

I voted Eustaquio, Buchanan and Vitória. I was thinking of the team since the January window, but also in the critical three games in Qatar, which weigh higher for me. I also considered club play, where both Staq and Tajon getting out of their group is notable, as well as their leagues from last spring.

I realise few will coincide with Vitória, but the guy is a stalwart and has been probably our most consistent player, apart from playing everything at his age, not showing his age at all, and being a leader on the field as well.

[Free kick]

my votes:

1- TB - Our best and most consistent player at the WC.   Was excellent in the qualifying campaign. Good showing at the club level.   

2-JD - Good year with his club and was amongst the best in Ligue 1.  That's a top five league in the world.   Could have finished first in my vote if he could have converted one or two of his chances at the WC.   But he is getting chances and getting chances is half of the battle in being a good fwd.  Would rather that than have a fwd who is not getting chances and/or cant created chances for himself.   Was very under rated in WCQ campaign.

3-Staq -  Was terrific at the club level and that's why he made my list.   Also good in WCQ but did not shine IMHO at the WC.  That's why he is not higher on my list.  

Edited December 19, 2022 by Free kick

[Stryker911]

31 minutes ago, Shway said:

Does anyone have the history of the award? I would like to include it in the main post. 

Previous Winners 2020 Alphonso Davies 2019 Jonathan David 2018 Milan Borjan 2017 Scott Arfield 2016 Atiba Hutchinson 2015 Atiba Hutchinson 2014 Atiba Hutchinson  2013 Will Johnson 2012 Atiba Hutchinson  2011 Dwayne De Rosario 2010 Atiba Hutchinson  2009 Michael Klukowski  2008 Tomas Radzinski 2007 Julian de Guzman 2006 Atiba Hutchinson

[dyslexic nam]

My votes:

1 - Tajon.  Is part of a great (and still ongoing) CL run by a Brugges team that punched above its weight, and IMO was our best player at the WC.  

2 - Phonzie.  Consistently strong in a world class Bayern team and got Canada’s first ever WC goal.  Only missed out on the first spot because of some of the habits that have been critiqued here.  

3 - Staq.  Like the other two, is still part of an ongoing CL campaign (after fighting for a starting spot and then making himself indispensable).  And he has consistently been immense for Canada.  

Staq could definitely be higher but there has to be some sort of bonus modifier applied for the first WC goal (which the other two assisted and scored respectively).  

[Greatest Cockney Rip Off]

My votes. 
 

1. Eustaquio - so important to how we play. Does a great a great job linking defence and attack (even when the passes to him are less than ideal. 
 

2. Larin - I know some of the important goals were late 2021 (and I could rightly get called on this), but his goals really propelled us through qualifying. Do we qualify without him?

3. Davies - this pick is for as much as he did off the field for Canada as he did on it. I don’t think it can be overstated what having a bona fide world class player does for the programme in terms of visibility and recruitment. You could even put him at top spot and I wouldn't argue. 

 

Having a think about these and to me, it shows how much of our achievements were due to how well we functioned as a collective. Yes, lots of individual talents but lots of players who were equally vital to our success in one form or another. 

[Shway]

1. David
2. Buchanan
3. Staq

David played in every game except one for the CMNT this year, and has the most goals scored. He's also on pace for having his best season in Ligue 1 albeit on a worst team from his title winning one. 

Buchanan has just been a game changer, and we have relied on him heavily in the absence of Davies. He showing that the attack isn't all about just Davies.

Staq has been our midfield general, and his game is continuing to evolve at Porto as he has cemented his place in the squad as a difference maker at a big club. 

Just missed out for me is ironman Johnston. He's played in every single game for Canada this year showing that we heavily depend on his versatility in defence and going forward. His game is so consistent, the only questionable game I've seen him play in was the Bahrain game on the dodgy pitch. He was a tough decision for me.

Edited December 19, 2022 by Shway

[Strait Red]

My votes

1. Eustaquio

2. Buchanan

3. David

[CanadaFan123]

Eustaquio, Johnston and Kone were my votes. Who won last year?

[InglewoodJack]

1. Stephen Eustaquio

- Most important player for country, made the biggest jump at the club level this year.

2. Alistair Johnston

- Emblematic of CANMNT's identity- a player who has no real business going toe to toe with some of the best players in the world, yet he did, got himself the biggest CANMNT-influenced move to date, would have zero issues if Atiba retired tomorrow and Herdman made him captain. Played in every game for country. He's not the only one who would, but he gives me the impression of someone who would hop on a flight the night of a Champions League knockout game to go play Haiti in a flash flood if Herdman asked him to.

3. Ismael Kone

- Emblematic of where CANMNT needs to go- in 3 days, it'll be exactly 10 months since he made his professional debut, and in such a short time, he became an integral part of our team, got on Europe's radar, and was one of our most positive takeaways from the World Cup. Our biggest disadvantage as a soccer country is that we don't have the academies europe has, so our players need to make these daring jumps from obscure leagues to professional teams pretty quickly, and he's been able to do it. Jamie Vardy is like the most exciting story in English football in the past I don't know how many years, and it's really not hard to see Kone have a similar story to tell at some point in the next 5 years if his next move is the big one. I moved into my flat a little over 4 years ago- to think when I was unpacking my boxes Kone was playing at a park a few blocks away, and in two weeks he'll be playing for Watford, and a few months later he'll be in Udinese likely, that's just insane. That's the kind of story we need.

FWIW I don't think Eustaquio wins this- just my observation, but he's by far the least talked about "star" of the team- unless they give it to Davies just because he's our best player, I think AJ has a real shot.
 

  

1 minute ago, CanadaFan123 said:

Eustaquio, Johnston and Kone were my votes. Who won last year?

Same post, posted at the exact same time. Insane.

Edited December 19, 2022 by InglewoodJack

[Obinna]

How I voted:

1. Tajon Buchanan
   • Canada
     • 13 caps, 1 goal
       • 3 World Cup caps, 0 goals
       • 6 Qualifying caps, 1 goal
     • Most impressive attacker at the World Cup
     • Arguably most threatening attacker in WCQ (2022 calendar year) 
   • Club Brugge
     • Belgian First Division A winner
     • Belgian Super Cup winner
     • Advanced to UCL knockout round (group runner-up)
     • Missed 12 league games, 4 UCL games due to injury
2. Stephen Eustaquio
   • Canada
     • 10 caps, 0 goals
       • 2 Word Cup caps, 0 goals
       • 4 Qualifying caps, 0 goals
     • Most impressive midfielder at the World Cup
     • Missed 2 key qualifying games and 1 World Cup game due to illness/injury
   • Porto
     • Liga Nos winner
     • Portuguese Super Cup winner
     • Advanced to UCL knockout round (group winner)
     • 5 goals in 19 games across all competitions (2022-23 season)
3. Alphonso Davies
   • Canada
     • 7 caps, 3 goals
       • 3 World Cup caps, 1 goal
       • 0 Qualifying caps, 0 goals (out due to injury)
     • Scored Canada's first ever World Cup goal
     • Tied for 2nd in team scoring with Cyle Larin (1 behind Jonathan David)
   • Bayern Munich
     • Bundesliga winner
     • German Super Cup winner
     • UCL Semi finalist (2021-2022 season)
     • Advanced to UCL knockout round (group winner) - 2022-23 season

HM

Jonathan David

• Top scorer for Canada
• Top scorer for Lille
• Arguably had a poor World Cup

Allistar Johnston

• Canadian Championship winner
• MLS Cup Quarter finalist
• Most games played for Canada (15)

 

Notes:

• Tajon and Stef were an easy one-two for me, but the order was difficult. Ultimately I felt Tajon's strong World Cup showing nicked it.
• 3rd was a tough call. I debated going with one of my two honourable mentions, but Davies scoring Canada's first ever World Cup goal was enough for me to give it to him.

 

 

Edited December 19, 2022 by Obinna

[ADP10]

I did Staq, Johnston, and Kone in that order too ahaha

[Floortom]

1. Davies 

2. Eustaqiuo

3. Buchanan

 

[Ruffian]

1. Eustaquio

2. Buchanan

3. David

[ADP10]

So Hutch has won it 6 times and everyone else on that list has won it once. That just shows how good Hutch has been and how bad our program once was for someone not to challenge him.

[CanadaFan123]

41 minutes ago, ADP10 said:

So Hutch has won it 6 times and everyone else on that list has won it once. That just shows how good Hutch has been and how bad our program once was for someone not to challenge him.

2014-2016 was a terrible time. It was the post JDG/DeRo et al era and prior to the establishment of any players from our current crop. No one was on his level back then. 

[Stryker911]

Went Eustaquio, Johnston, Buchanan. Were 3 of our most consistent players for country and all are dynamic for their club teams.

Was certainly not a great year for David and Davies. David went quiet for almost all of early 2022 for Lille. While Davies spent alot of time earlier this season out injured. I thought they would dominate this poll for the next decade, so both good and bad that they didn't make my top 3.

Also want to shout out to Crepeau. He actually only qualifies due to the 1-0 loss to Panama, but he won the Supporters Shield and Cup with LAFC.

[kacbru]

Eustaquio

Buchanan

Hoilett

Largely based on CMNT performance, first two are commented on by others.  I think Hoilett flies under the radar a bit too much - he has been our reliable swiss army knife.  Throw him in anywhere, anytime, and he finds a way to do what is needed.  Similar to what he's doing with Reading every single game.  

[RJB]

Was there a 2021 winner?

[RJB]

Buchanan 

Johnston 

Kamal Miller 

Sure would've liked two more spots, but then I would ask for more still 😂.  I think Tajon has just been such a quiet force for us, I've loved watching him play. As for Johnston, he played every game, and is such a steady workhorse. For Miller, I thought he was really good at the world cup, and has elevated his game. 

I know Eustaquio deserves mention, I loved the way Adekugbe played, and it's tough to leave off Atiba. Such is our depth 

 

 

 

 

 

[maccaliam]

1. Eustaquio 

2. Buchanan

3. Johnston 

[MM3/MM2/MM]

1. Eustaquio   2. Davies  3. Johnston

[sloth8]

1. Buchanan

2. Eustaquio 

3. Johnston 

Honourable mention for Hoilett.

[BearcatSA]

1. Eustaquio

2. Davies

3. Buchanan