Canada – Peru men’s international friendly The Canadian Soccer Association announced today that the kick off time for the Saturday 4 September Canada-Peru men’s international friendly has been changed to 17.30 ET from 19.30 ET. Tickets for the match went on sale to the public today at 10.00 ET through Ticketmaster (Ticketmaster.ca or 416.872.5000). http://www.canadasoccer.com/news/viewArtical.asp?Press_ID=4341 The match will mark Canada’s return to international action following the completion of this summer’s 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. Canada has already faced two South American opponents in 2010 falling to FIFA World Cup™ quarter-finalists Argentina and drawing with Venezuela in May
Tickets for Canada-Honduras in Montréal on sale Tuesday 20 July Canada will host 2010 FIFA World Cup™ participant Honduras on Tuesday 7 September at Stade Saputo in Montréal, QC. The match, presented by BMO, will kick off at 19.30. "This is simply an excellent opportunity for the national team and its players," said national head coach Stephen Hart. "Playing at home is always special and I am certain both the players and Canadian fans will welcome this announcement." http://www.canadasoccer.com/tourney/FIFA_WC/national.asp
FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking (CONCACAF ZONE) Last Updated 14 Jul 2010 Ranking Zonal Ranking Team Pts Jul 10 +/- Ranking May 10 +/- Pts May 10 13 1 USA 969 1 12 24 2 Mexico 872 -7 -23 46 3 Honduras 644 -8 -90 49 4 Costa Rica 584 -9 -126 76 5 Trinidad and Tobago 405 19 52 83 6 Jamaica 368 -2 -31 90 7 El Salvador 343 -18 -109 94 8 Panama 323 -20 -111 100 9 Canada 295 -37 -221 114 10 Cuba 215 12 21 118 11 Guatemala 204 -4 -37 119 12 Guyana 203 3 -2 123 13 Suriname 187 14 34 128 14 Barbados 174 7 19 129 15 Antigua and Barbuda 168 -10 -50 130 16 Haiti 167 -39 -195 133 17 Grenada 158 -9 -40 147 18 St. Kitts and Nevis 110 4 -3 150 19 Netherlands Antilles 108 4 5 159 20 Bermuda 91 -25 -69 160 21 St. Vincent and the Grenadines 87 3 -4 161 22 Nicaragua 86 -6 -15 170 23 Puerto Rico 52 -4 -24 173 24 Cayman Islands 39 0 0 179 25 Bahamas 34 2 0 180 26 Dominica 33 3 0 182 27 Belize 32 -3 -4 182 28 Turks and Caicos Islands 32 2 0 185 29 Dominican Republic 26 2 0 188 30 St. Lucia 19 3 0 191 31 British Virgin Islands 18 3 0 197 32 Aruba 11 1 0 199 33 US Virgin Islands 5 0 0 202 34 Anguilla 0 0 0 202 35 Montserrat 0 0 0
CANADA v. UKRAINE FFU vice-president Volodymyr Lashkul informed that Ukrainians will meet the team of Argentina at one of the domestic stadiums, but it is not yet decided on which one. Four days before this on October 8 blue-yellows will host a match against another representative of the north-American continent - Canada’s national team. This match will probably be played in Lviv. Volodymyr Lashkul also mentioned that negotiations as to the other friendly matches on September 7 (probable opponents are Wales, Northern Ireland and Uruguay) and November 17 (there are negotiations with the Federations of Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Portugal, Scotland, Russia, Serbia, Israel, Slovakia and Denmark, because there are no yet any agreement with the Football Association of Czech Republic) are being carried on. http://www.ffu.org.ua/eng/teams/teams_main/5579/
Canadians Abroad Updated list July 18, 2010 Argentina Nico Aravana - Rosario Central (Argentina Primera) (1) Youth Emmanuel (Manny) Gomez - Tristán Suárez (Argentina Primera B Metropolitana) (3) Belgium Tomasz Radzinski - Lierse SK (Belgian Jupiler Pro League) (1) Mike Klukowski - Club Brugge (Belgian Jupiler Pro League) (1) Karl Martens - AFC Tubize (Belgian Jupiler Pro League) (1) Youth Raheem Alibhai - ROC de Charleroi-Marchienne (Belgian 2e Klasse) (2) Bosnia-Herzegovina Vladimir Vukovic - FK Laktasi (Premier Liga) (1) Chile Carlos Rivas Jr. - Universidad de Concepción (Chilean Primera Division) (1) China Rumba Munthali - Nanchang Bayi (China League) (2) Croatia Fabian Knezevic Jr. - Kamen Ingrad (Croatian 1.HNL Ozujsko) (1) Youth Adrian Russel Kekec - NK Solin (Croatian 2. HNL) (2) Czech Republic Andrew Kliment - FC Bohemians Prague (Czech Liga) (1) U19 Denmark Patrice Bernier - FC Nordsjælland (Danish Superliga) (1) Issey Nakajima-Farran - AC Horsens (Danish 1st Division) (2) Paris Nakajima-Farran - AC Horsens (Danish 1st Division) (2) England David Edgar - Burnley (English Premier League) (1) David (Junior) Hoillet - Blackburn (English Premier League) (1) Keenan Gracey - Wigan Athletic (English Premier League) (1) Youth Iain Hume - Barnsley (English The Championship) (2) Jaime Peters - Ipswich Town (English The Championship) (2) Simeon Jackson - Norwich City (English The Championship) (2) Marcus Haber - West Bromwich Albion (English The Championship) (2) Reserves Derrick Bassi - Middlesbrough (English The Championship) (2) Youth Matt Lam - Sheffield United (English The Championship) (2) Youth Jordan Santiago - Cardiff City (English The Championship) (2) Youth Terry Dunfield - Shrewsbury Town (English League Two) (4) Gavin McCallum - Hereford United (English League Two) (4) Elliott Godfrey - AFC Wimbledon (Nationwide Conference National) (5) Jon Henry-Hayden - Tooting & Mitcham United (Ryman Isthmian League Premier Division) (7) Mika Dronyk - Ringwood Town (Wessex League Premier Division) (9) Finland Tosaint Ricketts - MyPa Anjalankoski (Finnish Veikkausliiga) (1) David Monsalve - FC Inter Turku (Finnish Veikkausliiga) (1) Frank Jonke - AC Oulu (Finnish Veikkausliiga) (1) France James Chalk - Paris Saint-Germain (France Ligue 1) (1) U19 Nationaux Haidar Al-Shaïbani - Nîmes Olympique (France Ligue 2) (2) Abdoulaye Sylla - FC Metz (France Ligue 2) (2) Youth Germany Paul Stalteri - Borussia Monchengladbach (German Bundesliga 1) (1) Kevin McKenna - FC Köln (German Bundesliga 1) (1) Janeil Hoillet - FSV Mainz 05 (German Bundesliga 1) (1) U19 on loan from Blackburn (English Premier League) (1) Youth Rob Friend - Hertha BSC Berlin (German Bundesliga 2) (2) Marcel de Jong - FC Augsburg (German Bundesliga 2) (2) Adam Straith - Energie Cottbus (German Bundesliga 2) (2) Julien Latendresse-Levesque - Energie Cottbus (German Bundesliga 2) (2) U19 A Junioren Bundesliga Nord-NordOst Greg Smith - Energie Cottbus (German Bundesliga 2) (2) U19 Cody Cook - Energie Cottbus (German Bundesliga 2) (2) U19 Jerome Baker - - Energie Cottbus (German Bundesliga 2) (2) U19 A Junioren Bundesliga Nord-NordOst Olivier Occean - Kickers Offenbach (German 3. Liga) (3) Nik Ledgerwood - SV Wehen Wiesbaden (German 3. Liga) (3) Eddy Sidra - Energie Cottbus II (German Regionalliga Nord) (4) Kyle Porter - Energie Cottbus II (German Regionalliga Nord) (4) Riley O’Neill - SV Wilhelmshaven (German Regionalliga Nord) (4) Jonathan Beaulieu-Bourgault - Preussen Muenster (German Regionalliga West) (4) Alex Elliott - FSV Mainz 05 II (German Regionalliga West) (4) Zach Kalthoff - FC Kaiserslautern II (German Regionalliga West) (4) Gianluca Zavarise - VfL Bochum II (German Regionalliga West) (4) Massih Wassey - Schalke 04 II (German Regionalliga West) (4) Kent O'Connor - SV Eintracht Trier 05 (German Regionalliga West) (4) Maycoll Canizales-Smith (Miguel Campos) - Bonner SC (German Regionalliga West) (4) Robert Kerek - Bahlinger SC (Oberliga Baden-Württemberg) (5) Fabrice Lassonde - FC Ingolstadt 04 II (Oberliga Bayern) (5) Tomasz Machul - FK Pirmasens (Oberliga Sudwest) (5) Victor Collins - Neuruppin (Verbandsliga) (6) Greece Stathis Kappos - Apollon Kalamarias (Greek B Ethniki) (2) Hungary Igor Pisanjuk - Szolnoki MÁV (NB II East) (2) Italy Robert Stillo - Genoa (Serie A) (1) Primavera Marco South - Calcio Padova (Serie C1) Youth Julian Uccello - AC Bellaria Igea Marina (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione B) (4) on loan from FC Crotone (Serie B) (2) Gino Mauro - AS Pro Belvedere Calcio Vercelli (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione A) (4) David Masciantonio - Olbia (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione A) (4) Lithuania Stephen Ademolu - Ekranas Panevezys (Lithuanian A Lyga) (1) Sandro Grande - Suduva (Lithuanian A Lyga) (1) Luxembourg Andre Harris - Union Sportive Hostert (Seniors - 1. Division Classe 1 Série 2) (3) Mexico Isidro Sanchez Macip - Puebla FC (Mexican Primera Division) (1) Alex Martinez - Atlas (Mexican Primera Division) (1) U19 Netherlands Atiba Hutchinson - PSV Eindhoven (Dutch Eredivisie) (1) Graham Ramalho - Jong Groningen (Dutch Eredivisie) (1) Octavio Maginnis-Castro - FC Dordrecht (Dutch Jupiler League) (2) Selectie 2e elftal Northern Ireland Ian Mannus - Ballyclare (Irish First Division) (2) Norway Lars Hirschfeld - Valerenga (Norwegian Eliteserien) (1) Chris Pozniak - Haugesund (Norwegian Eliteserien) (1) Peru Michael Abusabal - Bolognesi (Peruvian Premier League) (1) U16 Poland Michal Misiewicz - Polonia Bytom (Polish Ekstraklasa) (1) Thomas (Tomasz) Jasiolek - Wisla Krakow (Polish Ekstraklasa) (1) Reserves Dawid Kwiek - Wisla Krakow II (Polish III Liga Grupa 4) (3) Portugal Pedro Pacheco - CD Nacional (Portuguese Liga) (1) Kyle Silva - Sporting CP (Portuguese Liga) (1) Youth Ricky Gomes - FC Porto (Portuguese Liga) (1) U17 Fernando Aguiar - SC Gondomar (II Divisão Norte) (3) Marco Brás - GD Sourense (III Divisão Serie D) (4) Justin Isidro - Caldas SC (III Divisão Série E) (4) Kyle Oliveira - FC Madelena (III Divisão Serie Acores) (4) Romania Tam Nsaliwa - Rapid Bucharest (Romanian Liga I) (1) on loan from AEK Athens (Greek Super League) (1) Scotland Nik Giannotta - Hibernian (Scottish Premier League) (1) U19 Robert Adam - Hearts (Scottish Premier League) (1) Youth Liam Connon - Ross County (Scottish First Division) (2) U19 Lucas Birnstingl - Dundee (Scottish First Division) (2) U19 Cameron McKay - Cowdenbeath FC (Scottish Second Division) (3) Robbie Tice - Ayr United (Scottish Second Division) (3) U19 Jake Inglis - Brora Rangers (Scottish Highland Football League) (5) Serbia Bojan Kajgo - FK Hajduk Belgrad (Prva liga Telekom) (2) Singapore Murphy Wiredu - Sengkang Punggol (Singapore S-League) (1) Anthony Bahadur - Sengkang Punggol (Singapore S-League) (1) Sweden Kenny Stamatopoulos - AIK (Swedish Allsvenskan) (1) Switzerland Daniel Imhof - FC St. Gallen (Swiss Super League) (1) Dominic Imhof - FC Tuggen (Swiss 1. Liga Group 3) (3) Turkey Josh Simpson - Manisaspor (Turkcell Süper Lig) (1) United States Pat Onstad - Houston Dynamo (Major League Soccer) (1) Andre Hainault - Houston Dynamo (Major League Soccer) (1) Adrian Serioux - Houston Dynamo (Major League Soccer) (1) Ante Jazic - Chivas USA (Major League Soccer) (1) Will Johnson - Real Salt Lake (Major League Soccer) (1) Dejan Jakovic - DC United (Major League Soccer) (1) Teal Bunbury - Kansas City Wizards (Major League Soccer) (1) Greg Sutton - New York Red Bull (Major League Soccer) (1) Edson Edward - FC Dallas (Major League Soccer) (1) Andres Arango - NSC Minnesota Stars (USSF Division II) (2) Mozesh Gyorio - FC Tampa Bay Rowdies (USSF Division II) (2) Tyler Rosenlund - Rochester Rhinos (USSF Division II) (2) Derek Gaudet - Portland Timbers (USSF Division II) (2) Ross Smith - Portland Timbers (USSF Division II) (2) John Jonke - Crystal Palace Baltimore (USSF Division II) (2) Nigel Marples - Charleston Battery (USL Second Division) (3) Pierre-Rudolph Mayard - Charleston Battery (USL Second Division) (3) on loan from Montreal Impact (USSF Division II) (2) Erik Lefebvre - Charlotte Eagles (USL Second Division) (3) Desmond Tachie - Charlotte Eagles (USL Second Division) (3) Tomer Chencinski - Harrisburg City Islanders (USL Second Division (3) Vince Petrasso - Harrisburg City Islanders (USL Second Division (3) Dominic Oppong - Harrisburg City Islanders (USL Second Division (3) Anthony Di Biase - Harrisburg City Islanders (USL Second Division (3) Mason Trafford - Real Maryland Monarchs (USL Second Division (3) Daniel Revivo - Richmond Kickers (USL Second Division (3) Wales John Toner - The New Saints (Welsh Premier League) (1) Dylan Hughes - Rhyl FC (Welsh Premier League) (1) Kevin Hughes - Rhyl FC (Welsh Premier League) (1) Jeff MacLean - Barry Town F.C. (Welsh Football League Second Division) (3) http://www.xtratime.org/forum/showthread.php?t=149440&page=9
Canada rally for 2-2 draw vs. Ecuador at BMO Field Dunfield, Ricketts net for Canucks in final tuneup before Gold Cup TORONTO — Tosaint Ricketts’ dramatic injury-time goal lifted Canada to a 2-2 draw with Ecuador at BMO Field on Wednesday night in the Canucks' final warm-up before next week's Gold Cup. Ricketts, who was a late attacking substitution for Stephen Hart’s side, potted his first international goal after receiving a quick free kick on the edge of the Ecuadorean penalty area, catching the visitors flat-footed as they argued with the referee. The late strike capped off an exciting match in which both teams looked confident in moving the ball around. Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Terry Dunfield opened the scoring in the 24th minute after receiving a nice pass from Josh Simpson, who had beaten a pair of defenders the left wing. Dunfield found himself all alone from 25 yards out, and sent a laser into the upper right corner of Marcelo Elizaga’s goal. The strike was Dunfield’s first for Canada at the senior level. http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/06/01/canada-rally-2-2-draw-vs-ecuador-bmo-field
De Rosario, de Guzman head Canada Gold Cup roster Hart's list includes MLSers Hainault, Johnson and Dunfield Canada take on Ecuador in a friendly at BMO Field in Toronto on June 1 before kicking off the Gold Cup six days later against the United States at Ford Field in Detroit. GOALKEEPERS (3): Lars Hirschfeld (Vålerenga, Norway), Milan Borjan (FK Rad, Serbia), Haidar Al-Shaïbani (Nîmes Olympique, France) DEFENDERS (6): Nik Ledgerwood (SV Wehen Wiesbaden, Germany), Mike Klukowski (Unattached), Kevin McKenna (FC Köln, Germany), Andre Hainault (Houston Dynamo), Dejan Jakovic (D.C. United), Jaime Peters (Ipswich Town, England) MIDFIELDERS (10): Julian de Guzman (Toronto FC), Terry Dunfield (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Will Johnson (Real Salt Lake), Josh Simpson (Vestel Manisaspor, Turkey), Pedro Pacheco (CD Santa Clara, Portugal), Atiba Hutchinson (PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands), Simeon Jackson (Norwich City FC, England), Marcel de Jong (FC Augsburg, Germany), Jonathan Beaulieu-Bourgault (SC Preußen Münster), Issey Nakajima-Farran (AC Horsens, Denmark) FORWARDS (4): Rob Friend (Hertha Berlin, Germany), Ali Gerba (Montreal Impact), Dwayne De Rosario (New York Red Bulls), Tosaint Ricketts (FC Politehnica Timişoara, Romania) http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/05/23/de-rosario-de-guzman-head-canada-gold-cup-roster
Gold Cup: Canada drop pretense, want revenge vs. US Sting of 2007 semifinal loss still there for Hutchinson, de Guzman DETROIT — After four long years, Canada finally get a shot at redemption against the United States. The last time the two sides faced each other was in the semifinal round of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2007, a game that ended in controversy. Midfielder Atiba Hutchinson — having intercepted a ball headed backward by American defender Oguchi Onyewu — thought he had leveled the score in stoppage time, but referee Benito Archundia rescinded the goal due to an offside call by his assistant. The decision left the Canadian players shocked, and it allowed the Americans to advance to the final — a game they won over archrivals Mexico. Four years later, and the Canucks say that the ending to that game still stings. http://www.mlssoccer.com/goldcup/ne...up-canada-drop-pretense-looking-revenge-vs-us
Gold Cup: Canada "devastated," head home ruing missed chance 1-1 tie with Panama eliminates Canucks, who now look ahead towards W.Cup qualifiers KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Canada came into this Gold Cup with arguably its greatest base of talent in men’s national team history. They leave with their tail between their legs, eliminated at the group stage for the first time in three tournaments. In the minutes immediately after their 1-1 draw with Panama on Tuesday at Livestrong Sporting Park that effectively knocked them out — even before the US win over Guadeloupe that officially put the nail in the Maple Leaf coffin — there was one simple word to sum it all up: disappointment. “We were so close,” Vancouver midfielder Terry Dunfield lamented to MLSsoccer.com. “No one wants to go home and ... it’s back to the Whitecaps now.” Canada were barely 60 seconds from securing a victory over Panama when Luis Tejada poked home a goalmouth scramble in second-half stoppage time that evened up matters and saw the Red Tide clinch top spot in Group C. As Panama celebrated wildly, Canada stood around in disbelief, knowing they blew their chance to go on. But they also know they shot themselves in the foot time and again in their three group-stage games by continuously failing to put the ball in the back of the net against the US, Guadeloupe and Panama. Canada failed to score a single goal in the run of play in this tournament, their only two strikes coming from the penalty spot courtesy of Dwayne De Rosario. “At the end of the day, if you don’t score, you don’t win,” head coach Stephen Hart said in the postgame press conference. “Simple as that.” http://www.mlssoccer.com/goldcup/ne...canada-devasted-head-home-ruing-missed-chance
Gold Cup Commentary: Questions still linger for Canada After surprising Gold Cup flop, Canucks have issues to address Despite a veteran-heavy team with loads of CONCACAF experience, Canada crashed out of the Gold Cup on Tuesday night after giving up a late goal to draw Panama 1-1 in the final game of the group stage. The early exit represents Canada’s worst showing at the continental championship since 2005, a stunning outcome for a side full of optimism heading into this year’s tournament. With the Canadians’ lackluster performance in the books, a number of questions come to mind ahead of World Cup qualification, which begins for the Canucks in September of this year. http://www.mlssoccer.com/goldcup/ne...-cup-commentary-questions-still-linger-canada
Canada falls just short against Germany Germany 2 Canada 1 While this match ended up as the German victory that most pundits had predicted, Canada legitimately served notice that they are a genuine contender for a World Cup title and showed just how far they have come as a team in recent years. Considering that Canada lost 5-0 to Germany the last time the teams met in a World Cup, this was an impressive performance by the Canadians, especially given the circumstances. While there is no point in speculating how this one might have turned out if Sinclair had been able to finish her early chance in the German box, it was plain to see that with some better finishing and a couple of instances of better defending on the German goals, Canada could have come out of this one with a victory or at least a draw. http://www.rednationonline.ca/CanadafallsshortagainstGermanyinopener.aspx
WCQ SECOND ROUND GROUP D CANADA v. SAINT LUCIA SEP 2 @ SAINT LUCIA OCT 7 @ PUERTO RICO SEP 6 v. PUERTO RICO OCT 11 @ ST KITTS & NEVIS NOV 11 v. ST KITTS & NEVIS NOV 15 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_FIFA_World_Cup_qualification_(CONCACAF)
Canada: Mission 2014? I sat and watched the entirety of the World Cup Qualifying draw and as each country was drawn in each region I had more than a few fistpumps of joy. But nothing compared to the draw for Canada. Before I get into how lucky Canada truly was for this draw, I’m going to address the feeling of dread that Canadian fans get when these draws come around. Under no circumstance should Canadian fans feel dread when these draws take place. CONCACAF is a region in which Canada should be able to advance to the pre-hex round with no problems. And much of the dread was around whether drawing Guatemala would be a potential short-circuit for Canadian football. Posted by Lars Lowther http://www.rednationonline.ca/Mission2014.aspx
Hart: No underdogs in World Cup Qualifying With the Canadian Men’s National Team having recently learned the specifics surrounding their draw for their 2014 World Cup Qualification cycle, Stephen Hart and the Canadian Soccer Association held a conference call with the media to discuss Hart’s thoughts on the draw and his preparations for first round of World Cup qualifying. With many CMNT supporters quite positive about the fact that Canada will initially face off against world soccer minnows in the form of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Puerto Rico and Saint Lucia, the Canadian Men’s National Team Head Coach indicated that while he is confident of Canada’s chances heading into the opening round of qualification, Canada won’t be taking any team lightly. http://www.rednationonline.ca/HartNounderdogsinWorldCupQualifying.aspx
Hart announces squad for World Cup qualifiers Men’s Canadian National Team Head Coach has announced his 19-man roster for Canada’s first two World Cup qualifying matches as Canada begins the long road of attempting to qualify for Brazil 2014. The Canadian national team will begin its qualifying campaign against St. Lucia at BMO Field in Toronto on September 2nd and will then head to Puerto Rico for their second fixture on September 6th. Hart has called up sixteen players who were involved in Canada’s 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup squad, as well as strikers Iain Hume and Olivier Occean and defender Ante Jazic. “There were some complications in picking the squad. I wanted to pick players who were playing, but it really didn’t work out that way because a number of positions could not be filled. But with those that were available I thought we got the best possible squad together,” said Hart on a conference call with members of the media on Wednesday afternoon. CANADA TEAM 1- GK- Lars Hirschfeld | NOR / Vålerenga Fotball 2- D- Nik Ledgerwood | GER / SV Wehen Wiesbaden 3- M- Mike Klukowski | TUR / Manisaspor 4- CB- Kevin McKenna | GER / FC Köln 5- D- André Hainault | USA / Houston Dynamo 6- M- Julian de Guzman | CAN / Toronto FC 7- M- Terry Dunfield | CAN / Toronto FC 8- M- Will Johnson | USA / Real Salt Lake 9- M/F- Tosaint Ricketts | ROM / FC Politehnica Timiþoara 10- M- Simeon Jackson | ENG / Norwich City FC 11- M- Josh Simpson | TUR / Manisaspor 12- D- Ante Jazic | USA / Chivas USA 13- M- Atiba Hutchinson | NED / PSV Eindhoven 14- F- Dwayne De Rosario | USA / DC United 15- D- Dejan Jakovic | USA / DC United 16- F- Olivier Occean | GER / SpVgg Greuther Fürth 17- M/F- Iain Hume | ENG / Preston North End FC 20- D- Jaime Peters | ENG / Ipswich Town FC 22- GK- Milan Borjan | TUR / Sivasspor. http://www.rednationonline.ca/HartannouncessquadforWorldCupqualifiers.aspx
The Canadian Men’s National Team kicks off their arduous journey to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil Friday night as they take on CONCACAF minnows St. Lucia. The mantra all week has been not looking past any team and Stephen Hart’s initial selection for the squad reflects that, as nearly man for man he has called up what many would call the best senior players available. In St. Lucia, Canada are taking on the 187th FIFA ranked team in the world, and a side that are composed of mostly domestic players with a few based out of Trinidad and Tobago. Without a doubt, the Canucks are heavy favourites and that is without taking a home match into consideration. There is really no reason to think that Canada cannot leave this match with their arm raised, and in St. Lucia have an opponent that they can start their qualifying out with a good performance. http://www.rednationonline.ca/CountdownCanadavStLucia9211.aspx
Canada careful of relatively unknown minnows St. Lucia Canucks focus on themselves ahead of first step toward Brazil '14 TORONTO — The first step of a long journey is often the hardest. For Canada, the first step towards Brazil 2014 begins Friday night against 184th-ranked St. Lucia, an opponent that is statistically one of the easiest they’ve ever faced in World Cup qualifying. "As far as we're concerned, we're not even considering that,” Canada coach Stephen Hart said of St. Lucia’s low ranking and the psychological effect it may have on his players knowing that they are huge favorites to win the game. “We have not spoken at all about being overwhelming favorites,” he said, making it clear that he doesn’t want his players feeling overconfident. “We are not trusting any sort of discussion like that.” In recent cycles, Canada bypassed the initial stages of CONCACAF qualification, meaning that they’ve never had to play many of the smaller Caribbean nations that inhabit the earlier rounds. Until now, that is. Besides the unfamiliar situation of heading into the match as clear favorites, the Canadians have to contend with an opponent that rarely plays international games, and thus is hard to prepare for given the dearth of information available. That’s not much of a concern, said Hart. http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/09/02/canada-careful-relatively-unknown-minnows-st-lucia
Finding Their Feet De Ro, Canada blow it open in second half of 4-1 rout http://www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/canada-vs-st-lucia-september-2-2011/highlights
Countdown: Canada @ Puerto Rico After a critical victory Friday night over St. Lucia, Canada looks to build momentum in the Second Round of World Cup Qualifying as they travel south to the fortress that is known as Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium to take on Puerto Rico. Canada went through some trying moments in their opening fixture, but in the end getting the important three points is all that matters, as does the fact their two other competitors drew their match to put them clear on top of the table. Puerto Rico will be glad to be at home and look to make a statement as they have been showing signs that they will begin to take international football competitions more seriously. Canada once again needs to be weary going into this match, but most importantly have to start showing more confidence in their play. Puerto Rico will present a much more professional looking side than St. Lucia, but the quality is still in the Canucks favour who should be able to see how valuable a win will go in getting through this round, and put out the display to ensure they remain first in Group D. http://www.rednationonline.ca/CountdownCanadaPuertoRico9611.aspx
