Haber named top USL-1 rookie
October 9, 2009 - USL First Division (USL-1) News Release
VANCOUVER, BC -- United Soccer Leagues announced the USL First Division Rookie of the Year award Friday at the 2009 USL-1 Championship Series kick-off media conference, honoring Vancouver's Marcus Haber as the top new professional as voted on by the league's coaches and general managers.
Haber, 20, earns the league's award after a fine first season with his hometown club. The Canadian youth international earlier claimed both the Whitecaps Newcomer of the Year and Fan Favourite awards locally after scoring eight goals and recording four assists for 20 points during the USL-1 regular season campaign.
His eight goals saw the forward finish in a tie for seventh in the league's goalscoring charts, while his 20 points left him seventh among the league's point leaders.
The native of Vancouver, BC, was also one of seven USL-1 players to appear in every regular season match for his club, with the striker earning two USL-1 Team of the Week honors during the year.
Haber is the first Whitecaps player to win the USL-1 Rookie of the Year award since Giuliano Oliviero won it back in 1995. Former Whitecaps striker and current Montreal Impact forward Joey Gjertsen was a finalist for the award in 2005, while Whitecaps winger Vicente Arze was nominated last season.
In the postseason, Haber scored in both legs of the Whitecaps playoff semifinal upset of USL-1 regular season champions and Pacific Northwest rivals Portland Timbers on October 1 and 4.
USL First Division Stories from October 9, 2009
- Marcus Haber Named 2009 Rookie Of The Year - Vancouver Whitecaps
- Haber named top USL-1 rookie - USL-1
- Timbers' Cronin Loaned to D.C. United of MLS - Portland Timbers
- Impact Starts The Championship Final Saturday In Vancouver - Montreal Impact
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
