The Canadian Premier League revealed the finalists for the 2022 Coach of the Year award on Wednesday afternoon.

The award is handed out to the coach voted most influential within their club during the 2022 regular season.

There was a change to the voting process for the award this season, as it is now voted on by the league’s head coaches and one assistant coach of the club’s choosing, with 16 votes cast in total. Each coach was asked to submit a ranking of their top three choices, and results were tabulated based on a points system for first, second, and third-place votes. The three finalists listed below were the highest-voted candidates from this process.

Votes were collected following the conclusion of the regular season on Oct. 9, and were submitted prior to the start of the postseason.

The coach of the year is awarded the owl, a sculpture carved by Inuit artist Palaya Qiatsuq. The owl symbolizes wisdom, guidance and knowledge.

Here are the finalists for this year’s award:

Carlos González, Atlético Ottawa

González’s appointment was a key part of the major offseason turnover that Atlético Ottawa underwent in 2022. Under his guidance, the league’s last-placed team in 2021 climbed all the way to the top, earning the 2022 regular season championship.

Under González, Ottawa developed a play style and identity that led them to be the league’s most consistent side in 2022. Their defence-first mentality led them to allow their opponents to score more than a single goal in a match just five times in 28 games this season.

They were also excellent away from home, setting a new league record for points on the road with 28. They also tied the record for most wins on the road in a league season with eight.

Atleti also qualified for the league’s postseason for the first time in club history, and were the first team in the league to book their spot. The fact that González was able to do so in his first year in charge, with a roster mostly made up of players who had just joined the club, is impressive.

James Merriman, Pacific FC

Merriman is one of two first-year CPL head coaches to be a finalist for Coach of the Year in 2022, but is far from a new face within the league. The first-ever Pacific FC employee spent time as an assistant under Michael Silberbauer and then two seasons under Pa-Modou Kah.

With 2021 CPL Coach of the Year Pa-Modou Kah departing after Pacific won last year’s North Star Shield, Merriman stepped up into head coaching duties for 2022. The challenges were immediate, as Pacific lost four key starters during the offseason, including two to rival Forge FC.

This season was at times a challenging one for Merriman and his team, as they went on the longest winless streak in club history of seven straight matches. They followed that up, however, with a five-game winning streak, also a club record.

Pacific finished the season just three points behind top place Atlético Ottawa and were still alive in the regular season championship race going into the final match weekend of the season. Through it all, Merriman showed an ability to shepherd his side through difficult stretches, including balancing a first-ever appearance for the club in the Concacaf League.

Bobby Smyrniotis, Forge FC

Smyrniotis is the only coach to be a finalist for the award in each of the league’s four seasons. While he has yet to win the award, this streak of nominations points to both his and his club’s sustained excellence since the league’s inaugural season.

This year, that included a fourth straight playoff qualification, with Forge finishing second in the table just two points behind regular season champions Atlético Ottawa.

When they were at their best, Forge played some absolutely dominant soccer this year. They set a league-high +22 goal difference, while subsequently scoring the most goals (47) and allowing the fewest (25). They set a club-record win streak, starting in July, compiling six straight wins.

With one of the league’s deepest and most experienced groups, Smyrniotis wasn’t afraid to make significant tactical and personnel shifts during the season to get the best out of his squad.