Cavalry FC captain Marco Carducci up for Canadian Premier League Golden Glove award

Calgary Cavalry FC goalkeeper Marco Carducci has been nominated for the CPL's Golden Globe Award, as the league's top goalkeeper. (Calgary Cavalry FC)

Cavalry FC goaltender Marco Carducci had his playoff preparations interrupted Thursday by the news that he's been nominated as the best goalkeeper in the Canadian Premier League for 2023.

Carducci was joined on the short list by Forge FC’s Triston Henry and Valour FC’s Rayane Yesli.

The winner, to be decided in a vote of CPL club technical leadership and media, will be announced Oct. 26 in Hamilton ahead of the Oct. 28 CPL final.

Carducci is after his third Golden Glove award, having won in 2019 and 2022 and nominated in 2021. The 27-year-old from Calgary played all 28 games for Cavalry, who conceded the fewest goals of any CPL team this season (27) en route to finishing atop the standings.

Cavalry FC takes on Pacific FC Saturday afternoon at ATCO Field, with the winner advancing to the CPL final Oct. 28 in Hamilton.

Congrats to our Roman Wall, @mcarducci96, on being nominated for the @CPLsoccer 2023 Goalkeeper of the Year.

Read more 🔗 https://t.co/NHKoyFit6Y#CavsFC #CPL #CPLAwards pic.twitter.com/Q6KPdd1oVd

— Cavalry FC (@CPLCavalryFC) October 19, 2023

Carducci led the league in total passes among goalkeepers (963) and finished second in the league in shutouts (eight). The Cavalry captain finished in the top five among goalkeepers with saves (63), recoveries (211) and save percentage (70 per cent).

Henry, 30, posted a league-high nine shutouts for Forge and helped the Hamilton-based team post the second-best defence in the CPL and the best on the road.

Henry’s stellar season saw him finish among the league leaders for goalkeepers in many categories including total recoveries (221), passing accuracy (87 per cent) and 24 saves from outside the box.

The 30-year-old from Toronto won the award in 2020 and was also nominated in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Marco Carducci, Dec. 10, 2022 Cavalry FC goalkeeper Marco Carducci signed a three-year extension with the team Friday

Yesli's 81 saves were second among all CPL goalkeepers in 2023. The 24-year-old Yesli finished among the league leaders in categories in save percentage (69.57), total passes (565) and recoveries (212).

The six-foot-seven 'keeper, who played for the University of Montreal, earns the nomination despite playing for a team at the bottom of the standings with a record of 6-14-8.

Voting for the CPL’s annual awards is based on performances during the regular season, not including Canadian Championship, CONCACAF or playoff action.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2021