In hopes and aspirations of building and growing the team to be better on the pitch, Soccer Canada officially announced that midfielder Atiba Hutchinson has been named Canadian Player of the Year.
He plays for the Men’s National Team and what a recognition for him as this is the sixth time in eight years as part of the 2017 Canada Soccer Player Awards.
He (Hutchinson) calls Brampton home and was honoured from a vote that is shared by Canadian coaches and media after another season of outstanding soccer by a Canadian athlete on the international stage.
Alongside a second consecutive Turkish Süper Lig title, Hutchinson led Beşiktaş JK to the quarter-finals of UEFA Europa League in the second half of the 2016-17 season and then to a Round of 16 qualification in UEFA Champions League as part of the 2017-18 season.
He helped Beşiktaş JK win their UEFA Champions League group undefeated with 14 points, a record for a Turkish club in the world’s pre-eminent international club competition.
Hutchinson is one of two winners of the 2017 Canadian Players of the Year award and the co-winner comes from the Women’s National Team will be announced December 14th.
In the back half of the 2016-17 season, he made 14 league appearances as Beşiktaş won back-to-back titles for the first time in more than 25 years.
He also made five appearances in UEFA Europa League as the team reached the quarterfinals, with Hutchinson wearing the captain’s armband in a 1:1 away draw against Olympiacos.
Over the course of the full 2016-17 season, he led the Turkish league with 96.4 passing accuracy.
In the first four months of the 2017-18 season he has had 15 appearances in domestic league and cup competitions, with Beşiktaş just five points back of first place with still five months to play.
In UEFA Champions League, he is among the top-20 players in passing accuracy (minimum 200 passes) with 94.5% through five matches.
In helping Beşiktaş win the group and qualify for the competition’s knockout phase, he is just the third Canadian player to reach the Round of 16 (following in the footsteps of Tomasz Radzinski and Paul Stalteri).
Hutchinson also wore the captain’s armband for two matches in the group phase, an away 2:1 win over Monaco and a home 1:1 draw with FC Porto.
After Canada reached the quarterfinals at the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup he returned to the Men’s National Team marking his 78th international “A” appearance to move into fifth place on the all-time list (tied with Mark Watson).
He was a leader in camp and an engine on the pitch as Canada won 2:0 over Gold Cup finalists Jamaica at BMO Field in Toronto, with Hutchinson wearing the captain’s armband for the sixth time in his career.
In 2017 voting for Canadian Player of the Year honors, Atiba Hutchinson finished first ahead of runner up Scott Arfield and top-six finishers Alphonso Davies, Patrice Bernier, Milan Borjan, and Junior Hoilett.
The 2017 Canada Soccer Player Awards are announced from 8-14 December, with the Canadian Para Soccer Player of the Year (Jamie Ackinclose) and Canadian Futsal Player of the Year (Nazim Belguendouz) announced on December 8th.
The Canadian U-17 Players of the Year (Alphonso Davies and Jordyn Huitema) are set to be announced December 11th.
This will be followed by the announcement for the Canadian U-20 Players of the Year (Kris Twardek and Jessie Fleming) December 12th with the Canadian Players of the Year announced December 13th and 14th.
Congrats to everyone!!
