Canada Selects Squad For Stage III

Canada’s men’s national team has called upon 18 players for its next match in the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Qualifiers. The Canucks will have two days of training together before the 20 August match against Jamaica at BMO Field in Toronto.

Canada will play six matches against three teams in Stage III of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ Qualifiers. Three of those matches are in Canada: 20 August against Jamaica in Toronto (Ticketmaster.ca / 416.872.5000), 6 September against Honduras in Montréal (admission.com or 514.790.1245) and 15 October against Mexico in Edmonton (Ticketmaster.ca / 780.451.8000). Tickets to the Toronto and Montréal matches have been selling very well while details regarding the Edmonton on-sale date should be announced shortly.

Canada will also play Mexico on 10 September in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Honduras on 11 October (venue yet to be announced), and Jamaica on 19 November in Kingston, Jamaica. Canada needs to finish amongst the top-two teams in Group B to advance to CONCACAF Stage IV in 2009.

Canada’s 20 August roster features three new players that were unavailable in Stage II against Saint Vincent & the Grenadines (Canada won 3:0 in Kingstown and 4:1 in Montréal). Iain Hume of Brampton, ON, Daniel Imhof of Smithers, BC and Kevin McKenna of Calgary, BC have all been called for the 20 August match.

Hume is also one of four players that has switched teams during the European off-season. Hume transferred from Leicester City to Barnsley FC in the English Championship. The three other off-season moves were Patrice Bernier from FC Kaiserslautern (GER) to FC Nordsjælland (DEN), Ali Gerba from FC Ingolstadt (GER) to Milton Keynes Dons FC (ENG), and Paul Stalteri back from loan at Fulham FC (ENG) to Tottenham Hotspur (ENG).

Of note from the four team competing in CONCACAF’s Stage III Group B (Canada, Jamaica, Honduas, Mexico), Ali Gerba is tied for second with four goals after two matches. Jamaica’s Luton Shelton leads the group with five goals (Stage II against Bahamas) while Mexico’s Jared Borgetti is tied at second with four goals (Stage II against Belize).

With nine goals in his international career, Gerba is now tied with teammates McKenna and Tomasz Radzinski for eighth on the all-time Canadian list. Dwayne De Rosario, who scored twice against Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, is fourth on the Canadian list with 15 goals, four back of the all-time leader and current head coach Mitchell (19).

As for appearances, Paul Stalteri is the most-experienced player, having most recently tied Lyndon Hooper with 67 caps for third place on the all-time list. He trails Mark Watson (78) and Randy Samuel (82). Elder statesman Pat Onstad (40 years young) is just one cap shy from tying Craig Forrest (56) for most appearances by a Canadian goalkeeper. Onstad does have the edge, though, with 21 career shutouts.

Goalkeeper Greg Sutton has the fewest caps of any player (11) while Issey Nakajima-Farran, who scored Canada’s first goal against Saint Vincent & the Grenadines in Kingstown, has the fewest caps of any outfield player (15). Nakajima-Farran is also the youngest player on the team at 24 years of age, about half a year younger than Iain Hume.

The 20 August match kicks off at 19.30 ET at BMO Field in downtown Toronto. It will be the 10th FIFA World Cup Qualifiers™ match ever played in Toronto, but the first at BMO Field. To date, Canada has a record of four wins, three draws and two losses in those matches.

Staff
Head of delegation … Victor Montagliani

Head Coach … Dale Mitchell
Assistant Coach … Stephen Hart
Assistant Coach … Nick Dasovic
Goalkeeper Coach … Paul Dolan

Manager … Morgan Quarry
Equipment manager … Mike Moretto
Video Co-ordinator … Vic Mendes

Physiotherapist … Eddie Cannon
Physiotherapist … Ted Tilbury
Doctor … Dr Michael Campbell