January 19 – Third time lucky. After twice being voted second in the CONCACAF Player of the Year, Bryan Ruiz has at last take the top honour of 2016. In the women’s vote Alex Morgan claimed her second title having won in 2014 and coming second in 2015.
Costa Rican Ruiz, a veteran of club and international football at 31, had an outstanding 2016 with Sporting Lisbon coming runners-up in the Portuguese league and pushing Costa Rica to the top of their World Cup qualifying group.
Morgan was the top national team goal scorer in 2016 alongside US teammate Carli Lloyd with 17 goals. Lloyd won FIFA’s Best Women’s Player of the Year for 2016.
Morgan scored five times in the CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship and twice in the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament. She also scored four goals in 15 games for the Orlando Pride in the National Women’s Soccer League.
Costa Rican and Real Madrid stopper Keylor Navas picked up the award for best goalkeeper of the year – he was player of the year in 2014. Ashlyn Harris, team mate of Morgan, picked up the women’s award, taking the title from 2015 winner Hope Solo.
CONCAC AF said that the 2016 awards had a record level of voting with nearly 1.3 million votes cast by fans from CONCACAF’s 41 Member Associations and around the world. The votes were compiled from three segments – member Associations’ national team coaches and captains (women’s and men’s); accredited media and fans – each accounted for one third of the final vote.
The 2016 full list of winners are:
CONCACAF Male Player of the Year
1. Bryan Ruiz (MF/FW), Costa Rica; Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR)
2. Hirving Lozano (FW/MF), Mexico; C.F. Pachuca (MEX)
3. Keylor Navas (GK), Costa Rica; Real Madrid C. F. (ESP)
CONCACAF Female Player of the Year
1. Alex Morgan (FW), United States; Orlando Pride (USA)
2. Tobin Heath (MF), United States; Portland Thorns FC (USA)
3. Crystal Dunn (FW), United States; Washington Spirit (USA)
CONCACAF Male Goalkeeper of the Year
1. Keylor Navas, Costa Rica; Real Madrid C. F. (ESP)
2. Alfredo Talavera, Mexico; Deportivo Toluca F.C. (MEX)
3. Nahuel Guzmán, Argentina; Tigres UANL (MEX)
CONCACAF Female Goalkeeper of the Year
1. Ashlyn Harris, United States; Orlando Pride (USA)
2. Stephanie Labbé, Canada; Washington Spirit (USA)
3. Yoselin Franco, Guatemala; UNIFUT (GUA)
CONCACAF Male Coach of the Year
1. Óscar Ramírez, Costa Rica National Team
2. Ricardo Ferretti, Tigres UANL (MEX)
3. Diego Alonso, C.F. Pachuca (MEX)
CONCACAF Female Coach of the Year
1. Amelia Valverde, Costa Rica National Team
2. Jill Ellis, United States National Team
3. Michelle French, United States Under-20 National Team
CONCACAF Male Referee of the Year
1. César Arturo Ramos, Mexico
2. Joe Fletcher , Canada (Assistant Referee)
3. Joel Aguilar, El Salvador
CONCACAF Female Referee of the Year
1. Carol Anne Chenard, Canada
2. Quetzalli Alvarado, Mexico
3. Kimberly Moreira, Costa Rica (Assistant Referee)
CONCACAF Goal of the Year
1. Jesús Corona, MEXICO v Venezuela, 80′
2. Eduardo Herrera, PUMAS UNAM v CD Honduras Progreso, 66′
3. Alexander Larín, ALIANZA FC (SLV) v New York Red Bulls (USA), 54′
Outstanding Performance Award
Canadian Women’s National Team and its Head Coach John Herdman
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