Soccer: Nelsen snubbed for award

New Zealand soccer flagbearer Ryan Nelsen has been surprisingly overlooked for Canterbury's international player of the year award.

Nelsen should have been a sitter for the international accolade at Friday's Mainland Soccer prizegiving after captaining DC United to the Major League Soccer title in the United States last November, then commanding a regular place for Blackburn Rovers in the English Premier League.

Despite winning the Canterbury sportsperson of the year title at last month's Hadlee Awards, Nelsen did not even make the list of finalists for the international award.