Canada announces international friendly match against Argentina

Canada’s men’s national team has announced that it will face Argentina in an international friendly match this 24 May at Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, Argentina. 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. The 24 May match will be the first-ever meeting between the two men’s national teams.



“This is a landmark match for Canadian soccer,” said national coach Stephen Hart. “To be invited to play Argentina in Argentina is a player’s dream. They are simply one of the best teams in world football.”



Argentina is two-time world champion, having won the FIFA World Cup at Argentina 1978 and Mexico 1986. It also finished runner up at Uruguay 1930 and Italy 1990. It has consistently ranked amongst the world’s top nations, most recently ranking first in the June 2008 FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking.



Argentina has also won one FIFA Confederations Cup, two Men’s Olympic Football Tournaments, and 14 Copa Americas. It has also won six FIFA U-20 World Cups including Canada 2007. While the 24 May 2010 match will be the first meeting between the two full national teams, Canada and Argentina’s men’s U-20 teams have recently met twice in Toronto – on 11 May 2007 for the official opening of BMO Field and then again one year later on 11 May.



The Canada-Argentina match will be an excellent test for national coach Hart and his crew. It will also be a test for Argentina who is currently preparing for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. This will be Canada’s second match against a top-10 men’s nation in the last three years, following the 31 May 2008 match against Brazil in Seattle, WA.



Canada recently opened its 2010 season with an international friendly match against Jamaica on 31 January. Additional fixtures for the 2010 season will be announced in due time, including a pair of home international friendly matches that will be played on the FIFA International Calendar this fall. The 24 May match against Argentina will be one of the highlights of the 2010 season.



Canada is currently working towards the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil. Those preparations will include international friendly matches, the 2011 and 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cups, and the next FIFA World Cup Qualifiers that are expected to begin in 2012, the same year that the Canadian Soccer Association celebrates its own 100th anniversary.