The Canadian Premier League announced on Tuesday the nominees for this year’s Best Canadian Under-21 Player award, honouring the best domestic player aged 21 or younger during the 2023 regular season.
Vancouver FC’s James Cameron, 18, Valour FC’s Matteo De Brienne, 21, and Forge FC’s Kwasi Poku, 20, are nominated for the award in 2023. The winner will be decided through voting by CPL club technical leadership and selected media members representing local and national outlets who consistently covered the 2023 CPL regular season. The winner will be revealed at an in-person ceremony in Hamilton, Ont. on Thursday, Oct. 26 as part of the festivities surrounding CPL Final weekend.
Cameron joined Vancouver FC on a development contract in May 2023, making his professional debut on June 11. The local product, a native of North Vancouver, went on to start in the team’s next five games, logging 468 minutes over the course of his six-game developmental contract. His high work rate earned Cameron his first professional contract, a multi-year deal, in July 2023. Cameron finished the season with 1,504 minutes, ranking fourth among domestic Under-21 players, and led Vancouver with 70 total tackles and 129 duels won. Cameron’s crowning moment in 2023 was his first professional goal, a 91st minute game winner against Atlético Ottawa in September. His performance that night earned Cameron his second and final Gatorade Team of the Week nod of the season.
De Brienne continued to impress in his second season with Valour as a regular contributor for the side with the ability to play on the wing, up front and at left back. The native of Ottawa got off to a particularly strong start to the 2023 season, earning a place in the Gatorade Team of the Week in weeks two, five and eight, as his ability to come out on top in duels, win possession for his team and create chances going forward was on full display. De Brienne once again showed his ability to produce showstopping goals in 2023, including a rocket of a long-range effort against York United FC in June. He finished the season with three goals and three assists and made 40 interceptions overall.
Poku, 20, made 21 appearances for Forge in his second season with the club, seven more starts year over year than 2022, while establishing himself as a key piece within the defending CPL champions’ lineup. Poku excelled in his position as an attacking winger in 2023, showcasing his progressive one versus one attacking and crossing ability. He was named CPL Player of the Week, and included in the Gatorade Team of the Week, in week 24, as the standout player in Forge’s 3-1 victory over Pacific FC. Poku played a big part in two goals that day, recording one assist, managing two successful dribbles on five attempts, and winning five of nine duels The Canadian under-20 national team player finished the regular season with two goals and two assists.
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 2023 CPL Awards ceremony will be broadcast live on dedicated soccer channel OneSoccer, available as a linear channel on Optik TV (Ch. 980), the pay-TV service operated by Telus, one of Canada’s “big three” telecoms companies, as well as on streaming service fuboTV Canada. OneSoccer is also offered as an affordable streaming service through the OneSoccer.ca website, via Roku, Chromecast and Apple TV devices and with the OneSoccer app for iOS and Android devices.