MONTREAL - CF Montréal unveiled Wednesday the nominees for its end-of-season individual awards.
As chosen by the Club's technical staff, three players have been nominated for the Giuseppe-Saputo Trophy for Most Valuable Player: midfielder Mathieu Choinière, forward Mahala Opoku and goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois. Defender Gabriele Corbo, goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois and defender Joel Waterman are also in the running for Defensive Player of the Year.
Fans can now vote HERE for their end-of-season picks until Wednesday, October 18 at noon. Participants have a chance to win an authentic CF Montréal jersey autographed by the 2023 MVP.
Mathieu Choinière
A 2023 MLS All-Star leading the team with five goals this season, he also became the first CF Montréal Homegrown player to collect five assists in a single MLS season. In 28 games this season, including 27 starts, the Saint-Alexandre native logged a career-high 2,436 minutes of play.
Gabriele Corbo
The Italian central defender established himself as a pillar of Montreal’s backline in 2023 with 27 games played, including 24 starts and 2,195 minutes. This year, he also earned a spell of 15 consecutive starts. Corbo additionally leads all Montreal defenders with 31 interceptions and collected two assists.
Mahala Opoku
Acquired in July 2023 from LAFC, Opoku has quickly become a key player in the Montreal attack. In 11 games this season with the Bleu-blanc-noir, the 22-year-old Ghanaian has already tallied four goals and one assist. He notably scored the game winners against Charlotte on July 15 and Portland on October 7.
Jonathan Sirois
The Saint-Hubert native is in contention for both trophies this season. In his rookie MLS season, the Homegrown goalkeeper earned a starting role, setting two new Club records with 11 MLS shutouts, including nine at home. In 2023, he had 32 appearances and logged 2,797 minutes.
Joel Waterman
Waterman is up for Defensive Player of the Year for the second time in his career. In his fourth season with the Club, the Canadian international leads the team's defenders with 2,285 minutes played and 1,379 completed passes. He registered one goal and added three assists in 2023.
Lastly, the Jason Di Tullio Trophy recipient will be determined via private vote by the first team roster. This recognition is an annual award given in honour of former CF Montréal player and assistant coach Jason Di Tullio, who passed away on July 29, 2022. Throughout his career, Di Tullio demonstrated unparalleled courage and determination, particularly during his final battle with cancer. The “La Grinta” expression has since become synonymous with Di Tullio’s legacy at the Club. Since 2022, the award has been proudly given to the player who demonstrated the fiery and fighting spirit Di Tullio embodied all his life and the mark he left at CF Montréal.All end-of-season awards will be announced at the conclusion of the regular season. CF Montréal will play its final match of the MLS regular season on Saturday, October 21 (MLS Decision Day) at 6pm against the Crew in Columbus.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS (IN MLS)
2022 : Romell Quioto
2021 : Djordje Mihailovic
2020 : Romell Quioto
2019 : Orji Okwonkwo
2018 : Ignacio Piatti
2017 : Ignacio Piatti
2016 : Ignacio Piatti
2015 : Ignacio Piatti
2014 : Andrés Romero
2013 : Marco Di Vaio
2012 : Patrice Bernier
DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR (IN MLS)
2022 : *Alistair Johnston
2021 : Rudy Camacho
2020 : Luis Binks
2019 : Bacary Sagna
2018 : Evan Bush
2017 : Daniel Lovitz
2016 : Hassoun Camara
2015 : Laurent Ciman
JASON-DI-TULLIO TROPHY WINNER
2022 : Tomas Giraldo
