The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association wishes to announce National Senior Men’s Team captain Kenwyne Jones as the Men’s Player of the Year for 2013. The Women’s Player of the Year is Kennya Cordner.
Both individuals will as a result of their accolades, also be football’s nominees for the First Citizen’s Sport Foundation Personalities of the Year for 2013.
Jones had one of his better years for the national team, scoring six goals in nine games following Stephen Hart’s appointment as head coach, that being almost half his overall tally of 13 goals in 61 appearances.
Jones netted the equalizing goal in T&T’s 2-2 draw with El Salvador in the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup, also scoring a penalty and assisting in T&T’s second goal in the all-important 2-0 victory over 2014 World Cup finalists Honduras to secure T&T’s passage to the quarter finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
For his performances at the confederation’s prime tournament, Jones was later named as one of the top players of the Cup. In September, the big forward scored two impressive goals in T&T’s 3-1 victory over Saudi Arabia at the OSN Cup in Riyadh and closed off the year with a strike against Jamaica in T&T’s 2-0 victory at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on November 19th to guide the country to the top ranking position in the Caribbean Football Union at the end of 2013.
“It’s an honour to be the footballer of the year for Trinidad and Tobago and an honour to be a nominee for the top sporting personality as well,” Jones told TTFA Media.
“It’s been my pleasure to represent my country again for the past year, a year which I think was a pretty good one for us. We had some challenges but we were able to get over that and show that we are doing what we to try and get the football back to a respectable level,” said the ex-Sunderland and Stoke City man.
“I am very proud of wearing the national colours and again I think it has been a very good year for myself and the national team. I hope I can continue to serve as an inspiration in whatever little way to my teammates and other aspiring footballers at home and wherever I am seen playing the game.”
Cordner became the first women’s player from the Caribbean to secure a professional contract in the United States’ top flight National Women’s Soccer League. She signed with Seattle Reign FC in Washington in June 2013.
In August 2013, Cordner also scored six goals for the Trinidad and Tobago senior team on their tour of England. She scored two goals in a 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur and four in a 7-1 victory over Queen’s Park Rangers.
“I am honoured to be named the top women’s player. Hard work pays off and I hope I can encourage and inspire others to continue working hard and go after their dreams,” Cordner said.
TTFA President Raymond Tim Kee offered congratulations to both players.
“I wish to specially congratulate both Kenwyne and Kennya for their outstanding efforts for the country in what was year of resurgence for both our men and women teams.
I salute both of them for their performances. And it was no easy choice in spite of their prolific displays as we had several other players who also delivered on the field of play and contributed to some of our successes in 2013,” Tim Kee stated.