The Canadian Premier League announced on Wednesday the finalists for the 2022 Coach of the Year award, honouring the coach voted most influential within his club by his peers, a shortlist headlined by Atlético Ottawa’s Head Coach Carlos González.

González, Pacific FC’s James Merriman and Forge FC’s Bobby Smyrniotis make up the three-man shortlist, based on voting by the head coach and one assistant coach from each CPL club.

González, 36, led Atlético Ottawa to a regular-season title in his first year as the club’s head coach. González, who was familiar to Ottawa CEO Fernando Lopez from his time coaching with Atlético’s sister club Atlético de Madrid, took the club from bottom of the table in 2021 to the top in 2022 by instilling his team with defensive organization and the ability to convert on the counter-attack. Atlético lost just five regular season matches in 2022 under González.

Merriman, 37, made the jump from assistant to head coach with Pacific FC following the departure of last year’s CPL Coach of the Year Pa-Modou Kah in January. He had a challenge ahead of him on the heels of Pacific’s 2021 CPL Final win, to stay consistent despite the departure of several key contributors from the championship team. Merriman’s teams controlled the ball and defended high up the pitch with intensity to earn a shot at a championship repeat, as Pacific finished fourth in the CPL’s regular-season standings.

Smyrniotis, 43, earns his fourth Coach of the Year nomination in as many seasons. Forge maintained its reputation as a force in the CPL in 2022, finishing second in the regular-season standings. The team’s 14 wins under Smyrniotis were tied with Cavalry FC for most by any team this season. Forge led the league with 47 goals and conceded just 25 times, proving once again that the team is the full package under Smyrniotis.

Voting for all the CPL’s annual awards will this year be based on performances during the regular season, not including Canadian Championship, Concacaf or playoff action. Coaches could not vote for themselves, and assistant coaches could not vote for their club’s head coach. This is the first year the CPL’s Coach of the Year will be voted in by his peers. The winner will be revealed at an in-person ceremony during the league’s 2022 Final Weekend.

The winner of the Coach of the Year award will receive a unique piece of Inuit soapstone art, conceptualized by artist Palaya Qiatsuq. The Owl statue symbolizes wisdom, guidance and knowledge, while its heightened vision gives it the ability to see what others cannot. The Coach of the Year requires similar attributes to earn the honour.

The in-person CPL awards ceremony will be held ahead of the league’s playoff championship match, to be played either Saturday, Oct. 29 or Sunday, Oct. 30 depending on the host city. The highest-seeded team remaining in the playoffs will earn the right to host the CPL Final.