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 Friday the nominees for the Player of the Year award, honouring the best player in the league during the 2024 regular season.
Forge FC’s Kyle Bekker, Tristan Borges and Alessandro Hojabrpour, Cavalry FC’s Tobias Warschewski and York United FC’s Brian Wright 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 Player 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.
Bekker, 34, continued to pull the strings for Forge in his sixth season with the club, as the Hamilton-based side went on to win the regular season and lift the CPL Shield for the first time. The midfielder once again proved himself key to Forge’s progressive play. He finished the season tied for second among all CPL players in assists and ranked sixth among all CPL players in total chances created with 36. This is Bekker’s second nomination for the award in as many years and his fifth nomination overall. He previously won the honour in 2020.
Borges, 26, was the heart of Forge’s attack in 2024 and his individual performance over the regular season earned him his first Player of the Year nomination since he won the league’s inaugural award in 2019. Borges led all CPL players with 0.74 goal contributions per 90 minutes in 2024, finished the season tied for second with teammate Bekker for most assists among all CPL players with six, and created the third most chances among players in the league with 41. His contributions up front were key to Forge capturing the CPL Shield.
Hojabrpour, 24, has been a top, if sometimes unsung, talent in an accomplished Forge team since his arrival at the club in January 2022. But it was in 2024 that he cemented himself as one of the most dominant players in the CPL. His composure, possession play and ability to move the ball in transition could dictate results for the 2024 regular season winners. Hojabrpour tied teammate Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson for first in the league with a +14 on-field goal difference and led the CPL with 252 progressive passes. He finished second in the league in successful passes in the opposition half, second among CPL midfielders in percentage of duels won and third in most ball recoveries. This is his first nomination for the award.
Warschewski, 26, made a significant impact for Cavalry in his return to the CPL. The 2024 Golden Boot winner as the league’s top scorer, Warschewski netted 12 times for the Cavs and finished tied for first among CPL players with 0.57 goals per 90 minutes. Warschewski also made his presence known in the air and with the ball at his feet, leading CPL players with 48 dribbles completed and winning 183 duels, more than any player in the league. He finished the season ranked fourth among CPL players in aerial duels won with 57, the most by a non-defender in 2024. This is his first nomination for the award.
Wright, 29, led the line as the Nine Stripes number nine in 2024. A contender for the 2024 Golden Boot award until the final day of the regular season, Wright racked up nine goals — the most he has ever scored in a single CPL campaign and good for fourth in the league overall — and tied for second among CPL players with six assists. His 15 goal contributions were the most by a CPL player in 2024 and his 45 aerial duels won were the third most by a non-defender. Wright was a focal point in an historic year for York United. This is his first nomination for the award.
The winner of the Player of the Year award will receive a unique piece of Inuit soapstone art, conceived of by artist Pitseolak Qimirpik and carved by Ruben Komangapik. The Nikisuittuq statue is a type of inukshuk, a stone landmark built to lead a traveller home. Its top stone points toward the North Star, making it an important landmark in navigation.
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.