Canada faces Jamaica in Friday opener

Listen to coach Stephen Hart



Canada’s men’s national team will face Jamaica in the opening match of the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The two sides will kick off at 17.00 PT (20.00 ET) at The Home Depot Center in Los Angeles, CA.



The Canada-Jamaica match will officially kick off the 12-team competition. The match will be broadcast live on Rogers Sportsnet (Sportsnet West and Sportsnet Ontario). The Canada-Jamaica match will be followed by the El Salvador-Costa Rica match (also at The Home Depot Center; live on GolTV).



Coach Hart expects Jamaica to be “tight and organized, closing space down and trying to get behind us with their speed. We kind of know what to expect and it will be a very close game.”



Canada has an all-time record of six wins, six draws and three losses against Jamaica. Last year, both Canada and Jamaica were eliminated from the so-called CONCACAF Group of Death in the confederation semi-final stage of the FIFA World Cup™ Qualifiers.



This year, Canada has won both of its friendly matches in preparation for the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Coach Stephen Hart, who took over before Canada’s 1:0 win in Cyprus on 30 May, has an all-time record of seven wins, one draw and four losses. Including Canada’s most recent 3:0 win over Guatemala on 30 June, Hart’s teams have scored 20 goals and conceded just 10 in 12 games played.



Canada is a two-time confederation champion, first in 1985 to qualify for the 1986 FIFA World Cup™ and then again in 2000 at the Gold Cup to qualify for the FIFA Confederations Cup 2001. At the most recent 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Canada reached the semi-final stage.