The George Gross Memorial Trophy is awarded to the most valuable player

Most Valuable Player

In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...

 of the Canadian Soccer Championship. It is named after the late George Gross, a highly-respected sports journalist

Journalist

A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...

 who covered soccer for the Toronto Telegram

Toronto Telegram

The Toronto Evening Telegram was a conservative, broadsheet afternoon newspaper published in Toronto from 1876 to 1971. It had a reputation for supporting the Conservative Party at both the federal and provincial level. The paper competed with the liberal Toronto Star...

and Toronto Sun

Toronto Sun

The Toronto Sun is an English-language daily tabloid newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for its daily Sunshine Girl feature and for what it sees as a populist conservative editorial stance.-History:...

.

The inaugural recipient of the Trophy was Matt Jordan

Matt Jordan

Matt Jordan is a former soccer goalkeeper. He is currently the Director of Soccer Operations for the Montreal Impact of Major League Soccer.-Youth and College:...

 of the Montreal Impact

Montreal Impact

Montreal Impact was a Canadian professional soccer club based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1992, the team played in the North American Soccer League , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid until the 2011 season. The owner Joey Saputo now operates the MLS team Montreal ImpactThe...

, who was named MVP of the 2008 Canadian Soccer Championship after posting two clean sheets and only allowing two goals in four games, en route to Montreal

Montreal

Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

's tournament victory.

Dwayne De Rosario

Dwayne De Rosario

Dwayne Anthony De Rosario is a Canadian soccer player who currently plays for D.C. United in Major League Soccer. He also plays for the Canadian national team.-Early career:...

 became the first Canadian winner of the Trophy in 2009 after scoring three goals in a 6-1 Toronto FC

Toronto FC

Toronto FC is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada....

 victory over Montreal in the final game of that year's tournament. De Rosario became the first repeat winner in 2010

2010 Canadian Championship

The 2010 Canadian Championship was a soccer tournament hosted and organized by the Canadian Soccer Association that took place in the cities of Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver in 2010...

.

Joao Plata

Joao Plata

Joao Jimmy Plata Cotera is an Ecuadorian footballer who plays for Toronto FC in Major League Soccer on loan from LDU Quito.-LDU Quito:...

, an Ecuadorian Forward/Winger succeeded his former short-lived teammate and captain the following year after scoring the series-tying goal and then assisting on the championship winner in the second leg of the final, becoming the first South American

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

 trophy winner in 2011

2011 Canadian Championship

The 2011 Canadian Championship was a soccer tournament hosted and organized by the Canadian Soccer Association that took place in the cities of Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver in 2011. As in previous tournaments, participating teams included the Montreal Impact, Toronto FC and Vancouver...

.

Year	Player	Position	|Nationality	Team
2011 2011 Canadian Championship The 2011 Canadian Championship was a soccer tournament hosted and organized by the Canadian Soccer Association that took place in the cities of Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver in 2011. As in previous tournaments, participating teams included the Montreal Impact, Toronto FC and Vancouver...		Forward		Toronto FC Toronto FC Toronto FC is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada....
2010 2010 Canadian Championship The 2010 Canadian Championship was a soccer tournament hosted and organized by the Canadian Soccer Association that took place in the cities of Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver in 2010...		Attacking Midfielder		Toronto FC Toronto FC Toronto FC is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada....
2009 2009 Canadian Championship The 2009 Canadian Championship was a soccer tournament hosted and organized by the Canadian Soccer Association that took place in the cities of Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver in 2009...		Attacking Midfielder		Toronto FC Toronto FC Toronto FC is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada....
2008 2008 Canadian Championship The 2008 Canadian Championship was a soccer tournament that took place in the cities of Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver in 2008....		Goalkeeper		Montreal Impact Montreal Impact Montreal Impact was a Canadian professional soccer club based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1992, the team played in the North American Soccer League , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid until the 2011 season. The owner Joey Saputo now operates the MLS team Montreal ImpactThe...