Biased? Of course I am. But hear me out.

Sean Rea and Woobens Pacius have had good seasons, but is this even a discussion? Using data from our terrific analytics partners, StatsBomb, here are the comprehensive reasons why Osaze De Rosario should walk away with the CPL's Best Canadian Under-21 Player award on Friday night.

THE EVOLUTION OF A GOAL SCORER

When we look back on Osaze's season, his first two goals made inevitable headlines: both special strikes from long-range.

But, throughout the campaign, our coaching staff worked with him to hone his craft and develop into a multi-dimensional striker: a player that sniffed out a chance in the area and made no mistake, regardless of the situation. Looking at these two shot charts below, we can clearly see how Osaze evolved into a fox in the box and began to take shots from positions offering a higher expected goal per shot value. To watch this learned behaviour come to the fore in crucial moments was a testament to his willingness to improve and execute accordingly. The one-touch finishes vs Cavalry and Forge were some of the highlights for me, though the instinctive positioning was evident in away wins over HFX Wanderers and Pacific, while his aerial prowess was under-rated too. There was the the powerful downward header at the far post at home to Valour and then the brilliant leap and expert finish in the 2-2 draw with Atletico Ottawa: his 12th goal of the season.

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