Soccer is becoming one of the top sports in Canada. Almost three million players, young and old, graced the pitch in the North American country in 2006, according to the Big Count. Most Canadian footballers play in the Canadian Premier League, the United Soccer League, and the Major League Soccer. Betway offers different betting options for Canadian soccer. Recently, Canada Soccer named Jayden Nelson and Olivia Smith as the Youth Players of the Year. In this post, we discuss the two Canadian players and the football award.
Canada Soccer Players Awards
Canada Soccer organized the voting for this year’s Canada Soccer Player Awards from November 27 to December 8, 2019. It awards amateur and experienced footballers. The awards include the male and female Canadian Players of the Year and the Youth Players of the Year. Coaches and media personalities vote for nominated players.
Canadian Soccer allows coaches alone to vote of the Canadian Youth International Players of the Year. It celebrates Canadian youth who have made many achievements at the National Youth Teams. The soccer organization assesses how young footballers have performed in international championships.
Canada Soccer named Olivia Smith and Jayden Nelson as the 2019 Canadian Youth International Players of the Year. It recognized them for their stellar performance in international youth tournaments. Punters can use a soccer betting app to predict which players will receive certain awards.
Jayden Nelson
Nelson was part of Canada’s U-17 squad that competed in the FIFA U-17 World Cup. The nation hadn’t competed in the tournament since 2011. The young player scored five goals in the CONCACAF tournament. He received two Man of the Match awards. Also, Jayden scored a hat trick when his team thrashed Guatemala 4-2. He won the Player of the Match award in Canada’s last group game against New Zealand.
Jayden has had a successful year representing the country in various competitions, according to Andrew Olivieri, the Program Director of Canada’s Soccer Men. The player has great dribbling and scoring skills. He is still developing his football career in local and international games. Jayden mentors other young footballers since he makes an impact in each game. He has the right mindset to improve his gameplay.
Olivia Smith
Kenneth Heiner-Moller spotted Olivia Smith in 2018 while on a tour with Canadian youth teams. He called Olivia for an invitational competition in January in Yongchuan. The 15-year-old midfielder has caught the attention of other coaches since she started her football career. She might be the youngest Canadian international footballer to play in an international match. Jordyn Huitema, Jessie Fleming and Kara Lang also played their first international senior games at the age of 15.
Heiner-Moller said in a conference that she is planning to improve Canada women’s squad after losing 4-0 to Japan. The coaches and players had lengthy discussions after the game. The country was eliminated from the World Cup tournament after it lost 1-0 to Sweden.
Many Canadian footballers play in local and international tournaments. The nation has several professional soccer leagues. Canada’s national women’s team was ranked 7th in the latest FIFA World Rankings. Jayden Nelson and Olivia Smith won the 2019 Youth Players of the Year award. You can wager on any Canadian footballer at Betway.
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