Winner to be decided by club technical leadership and media voting, to be announced during 2024 CPL Awards ceremony on Nov. 7
Toronto, ON –The Canadian Premier League announced on Wednesday the nominees for the Defender of the Year award, honouring the best defender during the 2024 regular season.
Forge FC’s Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson, Valour FC’s Themi Antonoglou, and Cavalry FC’s Daan Klomp are nominated for the award in 2024. The winner will be decided through voting by technical leadership from all eight CPL clubs as well as by select media members, representing local and national outlets, who consistently covered the 2024 CPL regular season. The winner will be revealed at an in-person ceremony in Calgary, Alta. on Thursday, Nov. 7 as part of the 2024 CPL Final festivities.
The 2024 CPL Awards ceremony will be streamed on CBC Gem and cbcsports.ca and broadcast live on dedicated soccer channel OneSoccer, beginning at 8 p.m. ET/6 p.m. MT. The show will be hosted by Andi Petrillo with appearances by current and former CPL players and coaches, as well as special guests from the Canadian soccer community.
Voting for the CPL’s Defender of the Year award is based on performances during the 2024 CPL regular season, not including Canadian Championship, Concacaf Champions Cup or 2024 CPL Playoffs action.
Achinioti-Jönsson, 28, continued to cement his reputation as one of the best centre backs in CPL history by once again anchoring Forge’s backline in 2024. He was the only outfield player in the league to play every minute of his team’s campaign and regular season winners Forge finished the 28-game calendar tied for the second-best defensive record in the league thanks in large part to the contributions from the Swedish defender. Achinioti-Jönsson was on the field for Forge’s 10 clean sheets, the most by any player in the CPL. He led the league in successful passes (1,533), finished second among CPL players in blocks (22) and ranked fifth among his peers in aerial duels won (51). This is Achinioti-Jönsson’s second nomination for Defender of the Year since the award was introduced by the league in 2022. He won the inaugural honour that season.
Antonoglou, 23, made a significant impact for Valour FC in his first season in the CPL. An attack-minded defender, the native of Toronto dominated the left side of the field for Valour, making hard work for his opponents because of his pace on the wings and his ability to deliver precise crosses into the box. That delivery helped Antonoglou finish the regular season ranked first among CPL players with seven assists, becoming the first defender to ever lead the league in that category. It wasn’t just Antonoglou’s ability to carry the ball out of the back that made his season special. He also showed off his ability to anticipate play by leading the CPL with 60 interceptions and ranking joint-third among all CPL players in tackles won (51), the most by any defender in 2024. This is Antonoglou’s first nomination for the CPL’s Defender of the Year award.
Klomp, 26, will do some extra defending this season, as he looks to uphold his title as Defender of the Year. The winner of this award in 2023, Klomp continued his dominance at the back for Cavalry, helping the team to a league-best defensive record for a second season running. He finished first among all CPL players in blocks (23), ranked second among his peers in aerial duels won (88) and finished third in the league in successful passes (1,412). The native of the Netherlands also contributed offensively once again this season by chipping in six goals. It marked the most goals Klomp has contributed to a regular season campaign for Cavalry since he joined the club in 2021, and he finished year as the second most proficient defender in the goal scoring department.
The winner of the Defender of the Year award will receive a unique piece of Inuit soapstone art, conceived and carved by artist Ruben Komangapik. The Walrus statue was chosen to honour the CPL’s best defender because the animal is one of the ocean’s toughest creatures, feared even by polar bears and killer whales, like a tenacious defender who is a true guardian of the gates for his squad.
OneSoccer is available as an affordable streaming service through the OneSoccer.ca website, via Roku, Chromecast and Apple TV devices, on streaming service fuboTV Canada and with the OneSoccer app for iOS and Android devices. It is also available as a linear channel on Optik TV (Channel 980), the pay-TV service operated by TELUS. Channel 980 is currently available to all Telus Optik TV customers through a Free Preview, which runs from Monday, Oct. 14 to Wednesday, Nov. 20.