Davies, Sinclair take home Canadian soccer top awards

TORONTO — Teenage midfielder Alphonso Davies has become the youngest winner of the Canadian Men’s Soccer Player for the Year Award.

Davies was chosen in voting by Canadian coaches and media.

Besiktas midfielder Atiba Hutchinson, who won the award the last four years, was runner-up with Toronto FC midfielder Jonathan Osorio third, Red Star Belgrade goalkeeper Milan Borjan fourth and Glasgow Rangers midfielder Scott Arfield fifth.

Davies, the former Vancouver Whitecap who turned 18 in November, is now with Bayern Munich thanks to a record-breaking $22-million US transfer deal that will see him play for the German powerhouse through 2023.

“He has been a standout performer for club and country and that is just a consistent reality now for Alphonso Davies,” Canada coach John Herdman said in a statement. “For club, he picked up many an accolade, culminating with what looks like one of the biggest signings out country has ever seen.

“For Canada, every time he has been asked to take a responsibility and support the team, even playing out of position, he has shown his character. He is just a humble guy who loves the game and will do whatever it takes to be successful.”

The previous youngest men’s winners were Simeon Jackson and Jim Brennan, who were 22 when they won in 2009 and 1999, respectively. Christine Sinclair was 17 when she won the women’s award for the first time in 2000.

Hutchinson had won the award six times since 2010 — a run interrupted by Will Johnson in 2013 and Dwayne De Rosario in 2011.

On Tuesday, the 35-year-old Sinclair won the Women’s Player of the Year Award for the 14th time.

The Burnaby native ewas a star on both the club and international stage.

Sinclair finished first in voting by Canadian media and coaches ahead of defender Kadeisha Buchanan, last year’s winner. UCLA midfielder Jessie Fleming was third, ahead of Manchester City striker Janine Beckie and Paris Saint-Germain wingbackmidfielder Ashley Lawrence.

Sinclair delivered the winning goal in the game that qualified Canada for next year’s Women’s World Cup in France — scoring a second for good measure in Canada’s 7-0 win over Panama in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Championship in October.

And she led Canada in scoring for the 15th time in 19 years, with eight goals and two assists in 12 international matches as Canada went 8-4-0.