The Fédération de soccer du Québec held its annual Gala de la Mi-Temps on Saturday evening in Laval. The event’s goal was to celebrate the work of athletes, staff, clubs, events and soccer associations across the province during this past year.
Montreal Impact midfielder and captain Patrice Bernier won the award of Male Professional Player of the Year. Along with his 20 games played in the regular season, Bernier started all playoff games, registering two assists against Toronto FC last Tuesday.
His first-team teammates David Choinière and Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla also won the honours in their respective categories.
Choinière was named Senior Player of the Year. The Impact winger signed his first MLS contract on June 28 and played his first MLS regular season game on October 23. Louis Béland-Goyette, who recently signed a first-team contract, and Thomas Meilleur-Giguère, from FC Montréal, were also nominated in this category.
Tabla was named Young Player of the Year, as Impact U16 players Jean-Arnaud Tano and Yohan Le Bourhis were also finalists in this category. The former scored five goals and registered five assists in USL in 2016, as well as being called up by Canada U20 to play on the international stage. He then signed an MLS contract on October 20, which will be valid as of the 2017 season.
