Calgary, AB (October 20, 2023) – Cavalry FC defender Daan Klomp and forward Ali Musse have been nominated for the Canadian Premier League Player of the Year Award.

Musse made an immense impact throughout the 2023 season for Cavalry, where he netted five goals and provided six assists in 26 appearances. The Somali international joined Cavalry FC in 2021 and has been consistent in back-to-back seasons, having scored seven goals and provided three assists during the 2021 season. He leads the team in chances created with 46 and is one of the top-ranked in the league in shots with 54, crosses and corners with 99, passes in the opposition’s box with 117, and possession won in the final third 19 times. Musse ranks second in the league for dribbles with 70 and has won 154 duels defensively. He has made himself known widely across the league as a two-time CPL Player of the Week and was featured seven times in the Gatorade CPL Team of the Week.

Klomp joined Cavalry FC in 2021 and has impressed since. This season, the defender had an immense involvement 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 per cent 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. These elements led to Cavalry FC securing their most successful defensive record in club history. In contrast, Klomp secured 11 appearances in the CPL Team of the Week, and September’s CPL Player of the Month.

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 Player of the Year award will receive a unique piece of Inuit soapstone art, carved by artist Pitseolak Qimirpik. The Nikisuittuq statue is a type of inukshuk, a stone landmark built to lead a traveller home. Its top stone points toward the North Star, making it an important landmark in navigation.

The 2023 CPL Awards ceremony will take place on October 26. The 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 2:00 p.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.