2019 Season Celebrated at Annual Awards Gala
October 25, 2019 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Ottawa Fury FC News Release
OTTAWA - The Ottawa Fury FC Annual Awards Gala was held on Friday evening in Otto's Club at TD Place, commemorating some of the high points of the 2019 USL Championship season.
It was an exciting season for Fury FC as the club made the playoffs for the first time since 2015 as Ottawa set multiple club records on the year including setting a new club record in goals. Second year Head Coach Nikola Popovic and returning General Manager Julian de Guzman constructed a team this season they believed had valuable experience in the USL Championship that could be complimented by some electrifying young talent. Through their shared vision of the "The Project", 2019 became more about implementing that plan with 18 Canadians on the roster all competing for various roles throughout the year.
While Ottawa narrowly missed out on advancing to the USL Championship Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, Friday evening served as a celebration of what the club had achieved over the year both on and off the field which was highlighted by the performance of some members. The club presented six awards: Community Award, Fans Player of the Year Award, Top Scorer of the Year Award, Newcomer of the Year Award, Player of the Year Award and the Young Player of the Year Award. OSEG Partner and Fury FC President John Pugh, OSEG Managing Partner and Executive Chairman, Roger Greenberg and Fury FC General Manager Julian de Guzman each took to the stage to share their highlights of the season.
Community Award (presented by Carole Bertrand, Charitable & Events Coordinator, Giant Tiger)
This award is given to the player that best represented the club in our community throughout the season.
Winner #23 Jadon Vilfort
Heavily involved with the Fury FC Club Affiliation program Jadon, found himself helping, coaching and leading many Fury In Training grassroots festivals here at TD Place. Jadon became a strong leader for many youth soccer players here in the Ottawa community as Jadon has always represented Fury FC with positive energy, professionalism and pride.
Fans Player of the Year Award (presented by Season Ticket Member, James Missen and Victoria Amira) This award was voted online by Fury FC fans
Winner #17 Christiano François
During his first season with the club Christiano quickly became a fan favourite with his speed and goal scoring ability. François collected 8 goals this season including one crucial goal at home at HFX Wanderers in the Canadian Championship here at home. The man who calls himself "The Cheetah" is sure to be a player fans will remember for a long time.
Young Player of the Year Award (presented by Paul Huggins, Team Chaplin)
This award is presented to the player under the age of 23 whose performance and hard-work stood out the most throughout the year, as selected by the team's technical staff.
Winner: # 26 - Thomas Meilleur-Giguère
Meilleur-Giguère returned to Ottawa for a third loan this season, and once again took a big step in his development as a professional. He established himself as a reliable and determined player, earning 31 starts and valuable experience that saw him grow tremendously on and off the field.
Newcomer of the Year Award (presented by Kristin Sabourin, Director of Business Development at Allstate Insurance)
This award is given to the player that was new to the squad for 2019 having a significant impact in the club's success.
Winner #14 Charlie Ward
Known best for some of his hilarious starting 11 poses, Charlie Ward quickly became a locker room leader and someone everyone wanted to be around off the field. On the field Charlie was the league leader in completed passes with 2,109 as Ward often was the chief in charge of changing plays on the fly for the club this season.
Top Scorer of the Year Award (presented by Francois Hardy, Casino Lac-Leamy)
This award is given to the player that recorded the most total points in the squad this season.
Winners #5 Wal Fall and #9 Carl Haworth
Both Wal and Carl had career seasons with Fury FC as both players collected 10 goals on the season doubling last season's top scorer mark of 5. Haworth's most notable goals this season came from outside of the box on free kicks while Wal became the PK expert collecting 7 goals inside of the box.
Player of the Year Award (presented by Graeme Ivory, Fury FC and TSN Broadcaster)
This award is given to the player chosen as the most valuable player to the team as chosen by the club.
Winner #9 Carl Haworth
Captain Carl is everything that Fury FC stands for as Haworth returned for this 6th season with the club and second straight as Captain. Through his incredible leadership both on and off the field Carl helped lead his club into the playoffs for the first time since 2015 and set a new career high in goals with 10 playing both a defender and forward at times this season.
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