Julian de Guzman named Canadian male soccer player of the year

In a season filled with highs and lows, Julian de Guzman was named the winner of the 2008 Adidas Canadian male soccer player of the year.

The Toronto native was chosen in a vote weighted evenly between Canadian media and coaches who have taken the Canadian Soccer Association's national course at the B and A levels.

This is the first year the male player of the year award - first handed out in 2005 - has gone to a player other than Dwayne De Rosario, who is de Guzman's teammate when the two play for Canada.

De Guzman, 27, scored two goals in seven games for Canada this past year, including one during the disastrous World Cup qualifying campaign.

"With the national team it was pretty disappointing with not being able to qualify for the World Cup," said de Guzman, whose only two previous international goals came against Costa Rica in 2007.

A positive aspect of de Guzman's season was his play for Deportivo La Coruna, which he helped earn a spot in the UEFA Cup, along with being named the team's player of the year.