De Rosario, Pacius, Rea up for Best Canadian Under-21 Player
October 12, 2022 – Canadian Premier League (CPL) – Valour FC News Release
Toronto, ON – The Canadian Premier League announced on Thursday the nominees for this year’s Best Canadian Under-21 Player award, honouring the best player aged 21 or younger during the 2022 regular season.
Rea, 20, had a breakout season in 2022 after he was loaned back to Valour FC by CF Montreal in Major League Soccer in April. The 20-year-old winger from Montreal, Que. finished the regular season with a league-leading nine assists. His five goals were four more than he contributed while on loan with Valour during the 2021 season. Rea won the CPL’s Player of the Month nod for August, after picking up two goals and two assists and twice earning Gatorade Performance of the Match honours for Valour. He was named to the CPL’s Gatorade Team of the Week six times in 2022.
Voting for all the CPL’s annual awards will this year be based on performances during the regular season, not including Canadian Championship, Concacaf or playoff action.
The winner of the Best Canadian Under-21 Player will be awarded a unique piece of Inuit soapstone art, conceived by artist Taqialuk Nuna. The Polar Bear statue is awarded annually to the CPL’s Best Canadian Under-21 Player because, like a developing player, the animal grows from a playful young cub to one of the most respected and formidable animals roaming Canada’s North.
The in-person CPL awards ceremony will be held ahead of the league’s playoff championship match, to be played the weekend of either Oct. 29 or Oct. 30. The highest-seeded team to reach the playoff final will earn the right to host the championship match.
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