Ismael Kone, Jade Rose named Canada Soccer Young Players of the Year

Dec 13, 2023 | 11:48 AM

Ismael Kone and Jade Rose have been named Canada Soccer Young Players of the Year.

Canadian national team coaches also chose Samuel Charron as Para Soccer Player of the Year and Safwane Mlah as Futsal Player of the Year.

Canada’s Male and Female Players of the year are expected to be named later this week.

Kone, who also won the award last year, made six appearances for Canada in 2023 and scored his first home goal in November against Jamaica. At the club level, the 21-year-old midfielder from Montreal made more than 30 appearances for Watford in England’s second-tier championship.

Rose, a junior at Harvard, made nine appearances for Canada this year but missed out on the World Cup through injury. She was named a third-team all-American by the United Soccer Coaches after helping Harvard reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row.

The 20-year-old from Markham, Ont., also won the award in 2020 and 2021.

It’s the fourth time Charron has been named the Para Soccer Player of the Year. The 25-year-old from Ottawa scored his milestone 50th international goal for Canada in 2023 and led the team in goal-scoring for the seventh time.

The Canada captain now has 51 career goals in 60 seven-a-side international matches.

Mlah, a 22-year-old from Montreal, won the 2022-23 Futsal Québec Cup Sporting Montreal F, and reached the final of the 2023 Futsal Canadian Championship. 

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 13, 2023

The Canadian Press