Calgary, AB (October 18, 2023) – Cavalry FC defender Daan Klomp has been nominated for the Canadian Premier League (CPL) Defender of the Year Award.

The Dutch international joined Cavalry FC in 2021 and has impressed since. This season, the defender made an immense impact after being the only outfield player to have played every minute of every match, accumulating a total of 2,520 minutes played. With 28 league appearances, four goals and one assist, Klomp has been key in crucial moments for the club in securing their league title. With 1,494 passes completed at a 90% accuracy, he has landed himself as one of the top defenders in the league – while also being one of the league leaders in aerial duels won, blocks, and possession won in the defensive third.

This year, voting for all the CPL’s annual awards will be based on performances during the regular season, not including Canadian Championship, Concacaf or CPL Finals playoff action.

The winner of the Defender of the Year award will receive a unique piece of Inuit soapstone art, carved by artist Ruben Komangapik. The Walrus statue was chosen to honour the CPL’s best defender because the animal is one of the ocean’s toughest creatures, feared even by polar bears and killer whales, like a tenacious defender who is a true guardian of the gates for his squad.

The 2023 CPL Awards ceremony will be broadcast live on the dedicated soccer channel OneSoccer, available as a linear channel on Optik TV (Ch. 980), the pay-TV service operated by TELUS, one of Canada’s “big three” telecoms companies, as well as on streaming service fuboTV Canada. OneSoccer is also offered as an affordable streaming service through the OneSoccer.ca website, via Roku, Chromecast, and Apple TV devices and with the OneSoccer app for iOS and Android devices.

Cavalry FC will play their final 2023 home match on ATCO Field at Spruce Meadows on October 21 at 2:00p.m. MT. as they host Pacific FC in the Canadian Premier League Playoffs semi-final. The winner will advance to the CPL Final against Forge FC at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, ON on October 28.