Big weekend for Canada’s national teams

It will be a big weekend for Canada’s national soccer teams, leading up to the televised Canada-Argentina match this Monday 24 May on Rogers Sportsnet. Four national teams are in action this weekend – both national men’s and national women’s teams plus the men’s U-20 and men’s U-17 teams.
Canada’s men’s national team is in Buenos Aires this week in advance of its historic match against Argentina on 24 May. The Monday match kicks off at 15.30 local time and will be broadcast live on Rogers Sportsnet (all four channels) at 15.30 ET / 12.30 PT. This marks the first time Canada will face the two-time FIFA World Cup™ champion.
The Canada-Argentina match is also pretty big news in Argentina where an expected sold-out Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti will house some 65,000 fans. The match will be played as part of the bicentenary anniversary of the Revolución de Mayo, the early 19th century “May Revolution” that helped form Argentina into an independent nation. It is also one of Argentina’s final matches before the team departs for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™.
Canada’s women’s national team, meanwhile, is currently training in Gaithersburg, MD, USA. The team’s 10-day camp runs 18-27 May and includes a Sunday exhibition match against Women’s Professional Soccer team Washington Freedom. The Sunday 23 May match kicks off at 17.00 ET in Fairfax, VA. Fans can follow the match live via www.twitter.com/CanadaSoccerEN and www.twitter.com/CanadaSoccerFR.
The Canadian women are preparing for a big international fixture on 3 June in Hamar, Norway against the one-time FIFA Women’s World Cup and Women’s Olympic champion Norway. The international match is part of Canada’s preparations for the 2010 CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup – the North American qualification route to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011.
As for Canada’s youth teams, Canada’s men’s U-20 team is training in and around Alkmaar, Netherlands while Canada’s men’s U-17 team in training in Fort-de-France, Martinique. This weekend, Canada’s men’s U-20 team takes part in a tournament against other international and local clubs (Internationale Cor Groenewegen Toernooi). In all, Canada will play five 40-minute mini games on 22 and 24 May. Canada’s men’s U-17 team, meanwhile, is taking part in an international tournament of its own, with matches against Guadeloupe on 22 May and a yet-to-be-determined opponent on 23 May.
Beyond this weekend, the next major international match for Canada will be the men’s national team match against Venezuela on Saturday 29 May. That match will also be broadcast on Rogers Sportsnet. The 29 May match will cap off a two-week period in which five Canadian national teams – the above four plus Canada’s women’s U-18 team – will have played 16 opponents in 14 days.
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