Forge FC captain Kyle Bekker has been nominated for the Canadian Premier League’s Player of the Year Award for a sixth time.
Bekker, who won the award in 2020, is up against Atletico Ottawa’s David Rodríguez and Sam Salter, Cavalry FC’s Sergio Camargo and Forge teammate Daniel Nimick.
The winner, decided in a vote of the technical leadership from the eight CPL clubs as well as select media, will be announced Friday in Ottawa as part of the championship game festivities.
The 35-year-old Bekker finished the regular season fourth among all CPL players in chances created (49) and led Forge midfielders in both forward passes (323) and total successful passes (1,058), finishing fifth and fourth in the league, respectively.
Salter, 25, won the Golden Boot with a league-record 19 goals. He also tied a league mark with 23 goal contributions and set a league record with 45 shots on target.
Camargo, 31, tied for third among all CPL players in assists (six) and ranked sixth in total goal contributions (14). His eight goals and six assists marked new single-season career highs.
Nimick, 25, led all CPL players in progressive carries (282), blocks (24) and possessions won in the defensive third (99). He is also up for Defender of the Year.
Rodríguez led the CPL in assists (nine), tying the single-season league record previously set by Sean Rea with Valour FC in 2022, and finished second in total goal contributions (18) behind Salter. Rodríguez also led the league in chances created (67), the second-highest single-season total in CPL history, and set a league record for most touches in the opposition box in a season (147).
Bekker, Salter, Nimick and Rodríguez are also nominated for Players’ Player of the year in 2025.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 3, 2025
The Canadian Press
