Thorns FC midfielder Tobin Heath and forward Christine Sinclair were both named today to the 2016 CONCACAF Best XI list.
Goalkeeper
Ashlyn Harris | United States; Orlando Pride (USA)
Defenders
Ali Krieger | United States; Orlando Pride (USA)
Kadeisha Buchanan | Canada; West Virginia University (USA)
Becky Sauerbrunn | United States; FC Kansas City (USA)
Ashley Lawrence | Canada; West Virginia University (USA)
Midfielders
Gloriana Villalobos | Costa Rica; Deportivo Saprissa (CRC)
Carli Lloyd | United States; Houston Dash (USA)
Shirley Cruz | Costa Rica; Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
Tobin Heath | United States; Portland Thorns FC (USA)
Forwards
Alex Morgan | United States; Orlando Pride (USA)
Christine Sinclair | Canada; Portland Thorns (USA)
The Basking Ridge, N.J., native, Heath caps off a stellar 2016 for club and country where she was named the U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year and her first NWSL Best XI after recording a goal and setting a new league record for assists (10) in 14 matches (13 starts) during the 2016 regular season, while leading the club to its first-ever NWSL Shield for the best regular-season record. Heath was instrumental in all offensive aspects for the club, as she led the team in assists, shots on goal (18) and corner kicks taken (61). She was named the NWSL Player of the Month for the month of April and also picked up NWSL Player of the Week honors for Week 6.
In 22 games with the U.S. Women’s National Team in 2016, Heath tallied career bests in goals scored (6) and assists (8), while recording the second-most minutes (1,747) on the team. Heath competed in her fifth world championship for the USA in the 2016 Olympic Games, where she recorded two assists in three matches started.
The Burnaby, B.C., native Sinclair was a crucial contributor for club and country as she recorded six goals and two assists in 11 matches (10 starts) during the 2016 NWSL regular season, while also helping guide the club to its first-ever NWSL Shield for the best regular-season record. She was named 2016 Canadian Player of the Year–her 13th win–as well as the NWSL Player of the Month for the month of June after recording three goals and an assist in four games and helping the club to a 3-0-1 record. Additionally, Sinclair set a new team record with seven consecutive games with at least one point recorded.
In 18 appearances with the Canadian Women’s National Team, Sinclair tallied seven goals and four assists, including the winning goal in the bronze medal match at the 2016 Olympic Games against host nation Brazil. For her achievements with Canada at the Rio Olympics, Sinclair was named the NWSL Player of the Olympic Games. In 2016, she also won her seventh CONCACAF medal (one goal, five silver, one bronze) after Canada finished second at the CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament. She became the world’s second-best goal-scorer with her 159th international goal, and finished the year at 165 goals in 250 career matches.
The CONCACAF Awards are designed to honor the year’s outstanding performers and achievements in confederation-sanctioned competitions involving national teams at all levels and age categories, including FIFA World Cup matches and qualifying for both genders. Performances also eligible for recognition included those achieved in professional club football leagues within the CONCACAF Member Associations, as well as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League.
The votes of three important stake-holding segments within the Confederation were counted in compiling the results. Member Associations’ national team coaches and captains (women’s and men’s), accredited media and fans each accounted for one third of the final vote.
