Olivia Smith, Nathan Saliba named Canada Soccer Youth Players of the Year

Olivia Smith and Nathan Saliba have been named Canada Soccer’s Young Players of the Year.

Players born in 2004 or later were eligible for the award, which was decided by Canada Soccer youth team coaches.

Smith also won in 2019 when, at age 15, she made her senior debut for Canada in a 4-0 loss to Brazil.

The 20-year-old from Whitby, Ont., now has 13 senior caps, nine of which came this year. Smith scored three goals and added three assists for the senior side in 2024 and was named the Young Player of the Tournament at the CONCACAF W Gold Cup in March.

Smith also led Canada to the Round of 16 in September at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia.

Smith signed with England's Liverpool in June from Sporting in Portugal, where she was named the Portuguese league's best young player after scoring 13 goals and adding nine assists in 18 league appearances.

Smith, who can play both as an attacking midfielder and forward, became the first-ever woman to score for Liverpool at Anfield in a 2-1 defeat to Manchester City.

Saliba had a breakout season with CF Montreal in Major League Soccer, featuring 27 times with one goal and one assist.

The 20-year-old midfielder also made his Canada senior debut in September in a 2-1 win over the U.S. after being called in as an injury replacement for Sam Adekugbe of the Vancouver Whitecaps. He also saw action in Canada's 2-1 win over visiting Panama in October in Toronto.

In October, Saliba ranked 14th on the list of Major League Soccer's top under-22 players, as selected by a panel of select MLS staff, MLS Season Pass talent and club technical staff.

Earlier Loïc Kwemi was named Canada Soccer’s 2024 Futsal Player of the Year and Duncan McDonald earned Para Player of the Year honours.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 18, 2024

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press