Vic Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 Bernier and Bélanger named CanadaSoccer.com Fans' Choices Thursday, 27 January 2011 10:56 Written by Canadian Soccer Association Patrice Bernier and Josée Bélanger have been selected as the 2010 CanadaSoccer.com Fans' Choices. The two national players were selected fan favourites in an online vote on the Canadian Soccer Association's official website, CanadaSoccer.com. Bernier received more votes than any other player, taking 24.9% of the men's vote. Dwayne De Rosario, Julian de Guzman and Atiba Hutchinson rounded out the top four. Bélanger received 22.6% of the women's vote. She finished ahead of Jonelle Filigno, Christine Sinclair and Melissa Tancredi. PATRICE BERNIER Midfielder Bernier plays professional soccer for FC Nordsjælland in Denmark. He has spent eight seasons with the national team, having made his debut at age 24 in 2003. A one-time member of Impact Montréal, Bernier has played in Norway, Germany and Denmark since 2002. He has represented Canada in two cycles of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and three CONCACAF Gold Cups. "I would first like to thank all the Canadian soccer supporters for their vote," said Patrice Bernier of Brossard, QC. "I am proud to have been named a CanadaSoccer.com Fans' Choice winner and it is with honour that I accept this distinction. "Although it is an individual honour, I would of course like to take the opportunity to thank the technical staff and all my teammates on the national team. "It is with the strength of our supporters that our national team can successfully progress towards the next FIFA World Cup. Together, we can continue to grow the game of soccer in Canada while bringing greater recognition to our sport." Bernier has made 45 appearances for Canada, the most recent of which was a 2:2 draw with Ukraine on 8 October 2010. He was also part of Canada's 2:1 victory over Honduras in Montréal at Stade Saputo on 7 September 2010. JOSÉE BÉLANGER Forward Josée Bélanger helped Canada win its second CONCACAF championship in 2010. A three-time CIS First Team All Canadian at the Université Sherbrooke, Bélanger was the 2010 Fédération de soccer du Québec female senior player of excellence. She scored the winning goal in the CONCACAF semi-final that qualified Canada for the FIFA Women's World Cup Germany 2011. Not only a CONCACAF champion at the national "A" level, she also won a gold medal at the CONCACAF Women's Under-20 Championship in 2004. "It is an honour to wear the Canadian jersey and to be able to represent my country at the next FIFA Women's World Cup Germany 2011," said Josée Bélanger of Coaticook, QC. "I would like to share my success with you, my formidable family, my extraordinary friends, my colleagues in Québec as well as you, the passionate fans of our sport. You have always been there to support me, be it from far away or close by, in this truly enriching experience. There are so many of you behind me that greatly encourage my pursuit of excellence. "A special thank you is also reserved to my teammates and my coaches for their support in helping me to improve throughout the season. "Thank you to all, the Canadian soccer fans, for your interest in our women's national team. I hope that we may inspire anew this wonderful passion for the beautiful game in 2011." Bélanger has made 11 appearances for Canada, having made her debut as a teenager on 30 July 2004. She scored five goals in 10 matches in 2010. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Posted February 2, 2011 Author Share Posted February 2, 2011 Definitely a large Québécois vote but all the power to them. Any area of the country could have backed their hero and kudos to the fans of la belle province. Josée Bélanger stepped up when it counted in 2010 and was instrumental in getting us to Germany with a huge CONCACAF tournament. She scored the winner in the semi-final and in the 1-0 final took the shot that forced the Mexican defender into a handball on the goal line. She was also a provider and gave great service on Jonelle Filigno's work of art on top of the six. She'll also be remembered for that tragic non-call in the final where she had both legs tripped up on a breakaway. A big game player in a tiny fiesty little package. There's also something special about winning this award after spending half a decade on the outside looking in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trident Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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