...starts now. Well, not now now, but soon. Tomorrow night actually.



Canada has announced a 19-man roster for its first two CONCACAF Round 2 matches of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ Qualifiers. The Canadian team will begin its qualifying campaign against St. Lucia at BMO Field in Toronto on 2 September before heading south to take on Puerto Rico in Bayamón on 6 September. Canada will need to finish in first place in Group D of this CONCACAF Round 2 to advance to the next stage of 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ Qualifiers. The group also includes St. Lucia, Puerto Rico and St. Kitts and Nevis.

Head Coach Stephen Hart has elected to recall sixteen players involved from Canada’s 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup squad. He also opted to include strikers Iain Hume and Olivier Occean, as well as defender Ante Jazic in the team.

Veteran attacker Dwayne De Rosario will enter the campaign only two goals away from equaling Dale Mitchell’s record tally of 19 goals for Canada. With 59 appearances under his belt, De Rosario is also the most experienced player in the squad.



Current Canadian Roster:

1- GK- Lars Hirschfeld | NOR / Vålerenga Fotball
2- D- Ante Jazic | USA / Chivas USA
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 Timişoara
10- M- Simeon Jackson | ENG / Norwich City FC
11- M- Josh Simpson | TUR / Manisaspor
12- M- Jonathan Beaulieu-Bourgault | GER / SC Preußen Münster
13- M- Atiba Hutchinson | NED / PSV Eindhoven
14- F- Dwayne De Rosario | USA / DC United
15- D/M- David Edgar | ENG / Burnley FC
16- F- Marcus Haber | SCO / St. Johnstone FC
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.canadasoccer.com/news/vie...?Press_ID=4938



Still no David "Junior" Hoilett? Argh! Hmm, article linked below makes it sound like he wants to get his next contract sorted out before playing for the national team. Rob Friend apparently dropped (maybe carrying an injury), and no Ali Gerba this time around, wtf? Well at least Simeon Jackson is on the roster, and will theorhetically help create some goals for us. Patrice Bernier is hurt as well, and Hutchinson might be too banged up to play (so why are some of these guys named to the team then?). Also no Marcel de Jong who is at FC Augsburg now? Well apparently he has a knee injury, so that must be why. Occean had a goal and assist in a recent match, but also got injured as well, and probably won't feature.



More news on Canadians playing abroad: http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/articl...winner-cologne

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/...720/story.html

And Hart, please try to find a lineup that doesn't include Terry Dunfield, dude is awful.

And Toronto, since all these games are there for some reason, and considering that single-match tickets are as low as $20, can you please try to show up and actually provide some kind of home field advantage? It beats watching TFC, ffs!



All three home matches that Canada will play in CONCACAF Round 2 of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ Qualifiers will be broadcast live on Rogers Sportsnet One. Canada’s three home dates are Friday 2 September against St. Lucia (official kickoff time is 20.00 ET / 17.00 PT), Tuesday 11 October against Puerto Rico (19.00 ET / 16.00 PT) and Tuesday 15 November against St. Kitts and Nevis (19.00 ET / 16.00 PT). In addition, the first away match that Canada will play in Puerto Rico will also be televised live on Sportsnet One on Tuesday 6 September (20.00 ET / 17.00 PT).

Canadian fans will also be able to follow the away matches scheduled on Tuesday 6 September (Puerto Rico), Friday 7 October (St. Lucia), and Friday 11 November (St. Kitts and Nevis) through live Twitter updates (@CanadaSoccerEN) and video coverage on CanadaSoccerTV (youtube.com/CanadaSoccerTV). Detailed match reports and ongoing news stories will also be posted on canadasoccer.com.



So yeah, hopefully we can make it through St. Lucia, Puerto Rico and St. Kitts and Nevis, and then get Hoilett capped for the next round vs Honduras, Cuba, and Nicaragua/Panama.

Posting in epic (fail) thread

LOL St. Lucia! someone should probably tell them that faking injuries and wasting time is a bad idea when you're down 3-1.

Credit Canada with a lopsided win, albeit a frustrating one in the opening to its 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Tied 1-1 with Caribbean minnow St. Lucia, the floodgates finally opened after the referee stepped in and awarded the home side a penalty in the 50th minute.

Canada went on to win 4-1 Friday night, taking its time to dispatch a team that at No. 184 -- the FIFA rankings only go to No. 203 -- is ranked 82 places below it in the world pecking order.

It made for one ugly win in a game that was one-way traffic.

The good news is the end result was never in question and Canada has a ways to go before it is tested against quality opposition in qualifying.

Still for what seemed like an eternity, Canada bossed everything but the scoreboard Friday. But by the time the final whistle went, the home side had outshot the visitors 30-6 (15-1 in shots on target) and collected 12 corners to St. Lucia's none.

"The truth is I have seen them play better," St. Lucia coach Alain Providence said of Canada. "For one reason or another, they looked rather average."

http://www.tsn.ca/soccer/story/?id=375045

Goals: Josh Simpson x2 (one might have been an OG really), De Rosario (PK), and Will Johnson

only 11.5k out in Toronto for this one? sigh. are we ever going to have a HFA?

anyway, good for us the other match was a 0-0 draw. next up a big one @Puerto Rico on Tuesday. hopefully we find someone other than Jonathan Beaulieu-Bourgault to play that right-sided spot he was in today (or he steps it up, apparently he was great in training leading up). def one of the weak points for the team today.

Would have gone to the game tonight, but prior commitments, bah..

Whens the next home game? Assuming its in toronto..

Its probably either toronto or edmonton though anyways for a legit stadium..

September 6th, Puerto Rico v Canada
October 7th, St. Lucia v Canada
October 11th, Canada v Puerto Rico
November 11th, Saint Kitts and Nevis v Canada
November 15th, Canada v Saint Kitts and Nevis

and yeah, the opening 3 home matches are all scheduled for BMO Field in Toronto, for some reason. hopefully we can get more Canadians than Puerto Ricans out to the October 11th home match, and actually have a HFA at home.

Well I guess you'll still get the south end of the stadium with all the supporter groups, since tfc is so bad, theyll have something to cheer for this time.

Its also an awesome sight to see some new faces in the lineup and out with some of the old faces...

ali gerba cough cough

pretty sure you guys are a lock for beating england in PK's in the WC semi's, but i voted 'lolcanada' anyway.

Competing against the Arglols tonight.

But seriously, why would anyone waste their time going to a game like this?

LOL! yeah, good point...

guaranteed win night can be fun? i mean how often are we a huge favourite in the ol' kickballs?

or if no one is gonna show up, why are all the games in Toronto? i'm ghana be super pissed if we play some important games vs Honduras, Nicaragua, etc and the crowd is 50/50 (with our 50 sitting on their hands, and their 50 boisterous as [censored]), like usual. if that's the case then just move the games to Edmonton or something.

didn't even know we had a soccer team

or is it FOOTBALL

good road win in Puerto Rico, even though it was closer than the 3-0 scoreline would indicate with late goals in the 85th and 90th minute. the ball fell nicely for Ian Hume late in the 1st half, and he made no mistake slotting the ball home from about the penalty spot. Simeon Jackson looked bright coming on as a sub, hitting the post with one strike, and creating a few other chances before finally putting the game away with the 2nd goal. Tosaint Ricketts took advantage of some lousy defending late to add a 3rd goal that he really seemed to enjoy.

Canada now in the driver's seat after getting 6/6 points during this break. next up at St. Lucia and hosting Puerto Rico in October, before a November showdown with what is looking like the biggest threat now in St. Kitts and Nevis, as they sit 2nd in the group with 4 points.

David Edgar looked much better than Jonathan Beaulieu-Bourgault at RB in this one. very comfortable on the ball, moved forward into space well, and put a few dangerous balls into the box. Klukowski looked decent at LB as well, but it's not like Jazic was horrible in the 1st match. Dunfield was his usual self, not a fan, hope Hutchinson can get fit going forward (or we can find someone better to use). De Guzman had a decent match, even though it seemed like he was being moved around a lot, and playing some RM at times. De Rosario was not sharp, a poor match by his standards i think. Hume was up and down, had some horrible touches at times. really liking Will Johnson and Josh Simpson though, two good and very useful players. McKenna looks strong in the middle, and Hainault just good enough. will need to be better in the future if this team is going to qualify for the World Cup though.

Im on the bandwagon!

but of course, the more the merrier!

and i mean, you're gonna need something to do once Ireland gets knocked out.

dark match today, not on TV anywhere, but apparently it happened.

Canadian coach Stephen Hart didn't even realize his team made soccer history with its thrashing of St. Lucia in World Cup qualifying. Simeon Jackson scored a first-half hat trick Friday as Canada hammered the tiny Caribbean nation 7-0. It was the most goals Canada has ever scored in an international and the country's most lopsided win in World Cup qualifying since a 5-1 win over the United States in 1957.

"I didn't know that," Hart said. "I'm just glad we got the result and we showed a little faith in (Jackson) and he sort of paid it back early."

Olivier Occean and Iain Hume added two goals each for the Canadians, who top the second-round CONCACAF qualifying group with nine points from three matches.

"We let ourselves down the last two games because we dominated the games, similar today but we just couldn't put the goals away," Hume said. "I think the way we dominated the game physically, mentally and obviously technically, it was pleasing for us."

Jackson, who plays professionally with Norwich City of the English Premier League, scored in the 19th, 27th and 39th minute as Canada built a 4-0 lead at halftime. He joins Alex Bunbury as just the second Canadian to score a hat trick in World Cup qualifying.

FU Teal!!!

St. Lucia hosted the match against Canada at the Beausejour Cricket Oval. Built in 2002, the stadium has a capacity of 13,000 and is located in a rural area at the base of the Beausejour Hills. The stadium has hosted World Cup cricket games, and the large scoreboard still displays the rosters of the West Indies and Pakistan cricket teams. Since it wasn't designed with soccer in mind, the pitch is awkwardly angled inside the circular cricket oval, meaning fans were forced to sit a good distance from the field.

The game started without the usual playing of the national anthems. After a bit of confusion, the players shook hands before moving into their starting positions. Once there, the Canadian anthem started to play but an organizer motioned for it to be stopped.

Link

really too bad this wasn't on TV. not only was it our most lopsided win ever, but this other stuff sounds pretty hilarious. the match at St. Kitts & Nevis also won't be televised.

Canada can't be stopped now, that much is clear. WC 2014, baby!

bump for hosting Puerto Rico in about an hour. unlike the last game, and the next one, it WILL be on television. hooray! the last 2 games are against 2nd place Saint Kitts and Nevis, so a win tonight would be pretty big.

ugh! very ugly match, nothing much else to say. but hey, at least St. Kitts drew as well vs St. Lucia. they were actually down as well, St. Lucia almost won the game, lol! current standings:

(oh and massive lol @ Puerto Rico for playing for the draw, and being happy with that result, when it eliminated them from the 2014 World Cup...they needed a win tonight to stay alive, and they almost didn't even try to get it)



so, unless i'm mistaken here, now all we need is a draw in one of the two matches vs St. Kitts in November and we go through. that should be doable, no matter how bad we play. would be nice to do it in the 1st match, the away leg. then the home match can be a procession, maybe some experimentation with the team before the real games vs Honduras, Cuba, and Panama. we're still not looking good enough.

and no idea why the team is set up the way it is with 2 holders against these teams who are barely attacking. the whole match too with de Guzman (good) and Dunfield (horrible) playing the entire 90 minutes. maybe take the crappy Dunfield off and get a more attacking midfielder in there at some point? nah, just move him forward in the hope that he can create something, when it's painfully clear that he can't. as a result the forward players got isolated, no support or service. lots of passing it around to no end, lots of horrible crosses to no one. yeah let's just go out and hope that De Rosario will create goals from nothing every match, i'm sure that'll get us to the World Cup!

maybe if we had David "Junior" Hoilett...

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/blogs/nigel...rossroads.html

and our fullbacks were pretty crap today too. i see 20yo TFC LB Ashtone Morgan got called up for these matches, but i don't think he played. would like to see him get a chance in November. lots of injuries piling up, and even a few guys refusing to report to play (hai Hainault! drop his ass for that stunt, plz). apparently McKenna is hurt, Hume got hurt today, Johnson got hurt last match. don't know what happened to Hutchinson or Bernier, but i'm guessing that they're hurt too if Dunfield is starting.

edit: yeah, looks like Hutchinson might be set for another knee surgery, sigh...

Also earning his first national team call-up was midfielder Joseph Di Chiara, who plays professionally in Russia for FC Krylia Sovetov Samara...

...At just 19 years old, Di Chiara, from Thornhill, Ont., is the youngest player on the squad, and could become the first teenager to play for Canada in a FIFA World Cup qualifier since Jaime Peters in 2004.

“I thought [this] would be a good chance to bring him in, to work a bit closer with him and to see what he has to offer,” Hart said

can we see these guys play then, please? i certainly don't ever need to see more from Dunfield, ever. EVER!

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/stor...da-roster.html

Omg were sick we r pwning st kitts, the pickup team who has a country with a population of 50,000!

Time to twiddle our thumbs for 6 months now...
Until tfc plays la in march, hopefully at bmo field which would be sick in -20 temperatures, lolol

Johnathan De Guzman is going to join the 2nd round of team canada wc qualifiers, and he is trying to bring junior holiett as well who is a striker for blackburn who is torn between jamaica/canada.

Leading the Armenian money train mob 1-0!

nice!

is this on TV anywhere? i swear Canada must play a higher % of dark matches than any other normal country in the world. 2/6 WC qualifiers in the last round weren't broadcast anywhere, and we always seem to play friendlies against Euro countries without cameras, wtf?

those are the games the match fixers love, btw...

Junior Hoilett being looked at by Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool, Bayern, Inter, Juventus, etc. so either he's in high demand as a free transfer this summer, or his agent is really putting his name out there in a huge way. Kean says they're still fighting to keep him at Blackburn (lol), just hope after he signs his next deal he starts playing for the National Team.

anyway, schedule has been out for the next round of qualifying for a while:

June 8th @ Cuba
June 12th v Honduras
September 7th v Panama
September 11th @ Panama
October 12th v Cuba
October 16th @ Honduras

(all home matches @ BMO Field in Toronto, lulz!)

Link

obv need to get off to a good start with a win in the first game in Cuba. hope it doesn't come down to needing a result in Honduras in the last game, but knowing us we'll already be eliminated by then.

oh, and i hope that the morans in Toronto actually get the tickets to the games there so we actually have a home field advantage for once. butnahhhhh, that'll never happen. god forbid they play the games in Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton, or something.

You guys took the lead but lost 3-1. Remember Armenia took us to the last game in the Euro Qualifying. They are a really good up n coming team. I was watching bits and pieces on Bet365 because I had money on the Armenians

oh, apparently we lost 3-1 today, lol

standard.

sounds like they have some Brazilian playing for them who scored twice, awesome.

oh, and they got a 2nd half injury time PK, so yeah good chance that was match fixing, lol

edit: did you see if the late PK legit or not?

*bump* for upcoming matches:

Date	Time	Home	Away	Venue	Competition
2012-06-03	7:00 ET	Canada	United States	BMO Field	International Friendly
2012-06-08	2:00 ET	Cuba	Canada	Estadio Pedro Marrero	WC Qual - CONCACAF (2014 Third Round)
2012-06-12	7:45 ET	Canada	Honduras	BMO Field	WC Qual - CONCACAF (2014 Third Round)
2012-09-07	7:30 ET	Canada	Panama	BMO Field	WC Qual - CONCACAF (2014 Third Round)
2012-09-11	9:05 ET	Panama	Canada	Estadio Rommel Fernandez	WC Qual - CONCACAF (2014 Third Round)
2012-10-12	7:30 ET	Canada	Cuba	BMO Field	WC Qual - CONCACAF (2014 Third Round)
2012-10-16	9:30 ET	Honduras	Canada	Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano	WC Qual - CONCACAF (2014 Third Round)

first up, a friendly against USA-USA-USA in Toronto tomorrow. so show up Toronto, and cheer on the blue (?) team!



...As part of the Centennial celebrations, Canada will wear a special Umbro retro blue kit, only to be worn on 3 June by the men's national team and then on 30 June by the women's national team (a Women's International Friendly match against USA in Sandy, UT). Limited quantities of the Centennial jersey - as well as an anthem jacket and Centennial cap from New Era - are available for sale at canadasoccer.com.

The Umbro blue kit pays tribute to the first Canada-USA match in Canada on 27 June 1925, a Men's International Friendly match at Alexandra Park in Montréal, QC. Canada won that match 1:0 with a goal by Ed MacLaine. Team captain on the day was 40-year old Geordie Campbell, who many years later was remembered as "one of the greatest fullbacks ever to play in this country."

While Canada and USA have faced each other more than 30 times, there has been only one previous meeting in Toronto, ON - Canada's first-ever FIFA World Cup Qualifiers match on 22 June 1957. Canada won that match 5:1 at Varsity Stadium, with a pair of goals by future captain Art Hughes. Ten of Canada's starting XI on the day have since become honoured members of The Soccer Hall of Fame, including Norm McLeod, Brian Philley and Gogie Stewart (who also scored on the day)...

From the goal out, Canada's current squad features goalkeepers Milan Borjan, Lars Hirschfeld and Kenny Stamatopoulos, defenders David Edgar, André Hainault, Dejan Jaković, Ante Jazić, Mike Klukowski, Nik Ledgerwood, Kevin McKenna, and Ashtone Morgan, and midfielders/forwards Julian de Guzman, Dwayne De Rosario, Iain Hume, Atiba Hutchinson, Simeon Jackson, Will Johnson, Issey Nakajima-Farran, Olivier Occean, Pedro Pacheco, Samuel Piette and Tosaint Ricketts.

http://www.canadasoccer.com/canada-t...3-june-p150721

where can I get those new kits