Yallop Names Squad for Austria

Ottawa, Ontario – Canada’s Men’s National Team Head Coach, Frank Yallop, has named his 18-player squad for Canada’s upcoming friendly against Austria on March 1, 2006 in Vienna.



Yallop has recalled several players from Canada’s 0-0 draw against the Americans in late January but has also included several players who have been absent from the last few matches. But despite this, Yallop may have assembled one of his more experienced sides in some time.



Yallop’s Scandinavian-based regulars – Tromso’s Patrice Bernier, FC Copenhagen’s Atiba Hutchinson, and Viking’s Sandro Grande – will be joined by several other Scandinavian-based players that impressed during Canada’s friendly with the USA in late January.



The performances of Molde striker Rob Friend and Sogndal’s defender Marco Reda in that January 22nd friendly seemed to have earned the two deserved recalls into the squad for the Austria match.



Norwegian-based defender Chris Pozniak will also make a return to Yallop’s squad of 18.



Yallop’s two goalkeepers will be Bernier’s teammate at Tromso, Kenny Stamatopoulos, and the 2005 USL Goalkeeper of the Year, Montreal Impact’s Greg Sutton. Both were also in Yallop’s squad for last month’s friendly against the USA.



Houston’s Dwayne De Rosario and Chicago’s Will Johnson will both be taking time away from their MLS pre-season and joining the squad in Vienna.



Adrian Serioux and Ante Jazic, both current targets of the New York-based MetroStars of MLS, will also make the trip to Austria. Serioux is expected to sign with the MLS outfit any day now while Jazic’s club situation has reportedly been an obstacle for MLS.



But Yallop’s squad also includes many who have been absent from the Canadian line-up for the last few matches.



Ali Gerba will be appearing for the first time since his move to IFK Goteborg in early 2006. Gerba seems to have recovered fully from the ailment that kept him out of the team that played the US last month.



England-based veterans, Tomasz Radzinski (Fulham), Paul Stalteri (Tottenham) and Jim Brennan (Southampton) will also return to the fold.



Radzinski is coming off what was perhaps his best outing of his English Premier season, a 6-1 dismantling of West Bromwich Albion on February 11th, where the lightening quick Radzinski scored once and was instrumental in the build-up of three of the other Fulham goals.



Meanwhile, Stalteri has slotted himself into the Spurs defence ever since his Canada Day move to the London-based club in 2005 and has shown little chance of being displaced in the Tottenham back-four. The former Werder Bremen standout has made 28 appearances for his new club in 2005/2006 and will be making his return to Canada’s line-up after almost a year absence. The Brampton-native appeared in Canada’s 4-1 loss to Portugal on March 25, 2005.



Brennan, fresh off his late-January move to Southampton, will be making his first appearance since Canada’s 1-0 win against Luxembourg in November 2005. The Toronto-native has already made six appearances for the Saints since his January transfer – the last, a 1-0 loss to Newcastle in the FA Cup 5th Round that saw Brennan go the full 90 minutes.



Canada’s captain against Luxembourg in November, Energie Cottbus’ Kevin McKenna, will also be returning to the Canadian line-up. McKenna is currently his club leader in minutes played and also the top goal scorer for the Bundesliga 2 outfit, scoring eight goals in 20 appearances with the club in 2005/2006 – placing him in a tie for third place in the overall scoring table.



FC Brugge defender Mike Klukowski, whose last appearance for the Canucks was in September 2005 in a 2-1 loss to Spain in Santander has also been recalled. Like some of his Canuck compatriots, Klukowski has struggled with injuries in 2005/2006 but has a made a full recovery and recently played the full 90 minutes in Club Brugge’s 2-1 first-leg loss to Roma in the UEFA Cup round of 32. Although the Belgian club still has a chance in the second leg rematch to be played at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Roma’s current form suggests that Klukowski and his Brugge teammates have a mountain to climb on February 23. Throw in the fact that Roma has not lost to Belgian opposition since 1975, and the task seems ominous.



Hoping to make his first appearance with Canada’s senior squad was Munich 1860’s Nikolas Ledgerwood. Ledgerwood however is still attempting to recover from an injury, therefore both Yallop and the German club have agreed that it would be in the best interest for the player to remain in Munich.



A veteran of Canada’s U-17 and U-20 teams, the Lethbridge, AB native has begun to press for a spot in Munich’s first team in 2006 and has impressed many with his last few performances. Ledgerwood’s last game for Canada was when he captained Dale Mitchell’s U-20 team in their final game of the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championships in Holland – a 4-1 loss to Italy.



“I am really looking forward to the Austria game,” said Canadian Head Coach Frank Yallop.



“Certainly when you look at some of our more recent matches, we have been far more consistent in our performances and I hope we can carry that momentum into this game in Vienna.



“I am also happy with the squad we have been able to assemble. It’s a very good balance of youth and experience so I am excited to get to Vienna to begin working with them.



“As always, it’s going to be a tough game since we are away from home but I expect a good performance and certainly hope to build upon the encouraging games we have had recently.”



The majority of the Canadian squad will arrive in Vienna on the weekend prior to Wednesday’s match.



The game will not be televised in Canada but will be broadcasted live in Austria on ORF1 at 830pm CET (230pm EST).



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