Canada announces rosters for upcoming friendlies

Canada’s men’s national team has announced the roster for its upcoming preparatory matches against Brasil (Brazil) and Panama. The Canucks will be gathering in Seattle, WA this Sunday 25 May to begin training for the high-profile international friendly match with the Brasilians, the world’s number-two ranked country. The Canucks will then head off to Fort Lauderdale, FL to play CONCACAF rivals Panama on 4 June.



“Our first game against Brasil will be a big occasion, but both matches will be invaluable in helping us to assess and prepare for our main focus, which is the qualifying process that begins next month against Saint Vincent and Grenadines,” says head coach Dale Mitchell.



Canada’s men’s national team is currently preparing for Stage II of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers™ South Africa. Canada will be facing Saint Vincent & the Grenadines on 15 June (Kingston, VIN) and 20 June (Stade Saputo in Montréal, QC, CAN) in a two-match series. The winner advances to the CONCACAF semi-final round (Stage III) which runs from August-November 2008.



The Canadians have have faced the Brasilians three times, including most recently at the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup in Ibaraki, Japan (a 0:0 draw). Canada qualified for the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup by winning the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Canada’s senior team has an all-time record of two draws and one loss against Brasil.



While the 4 June match will be the first international friendly between the two sides, Canada and Panama have faced each other four times in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers™ (1996 and 2000). Canada posted draws in both visits to Panama (both matches were 0:0), but won both games in Canada (3:1 win in Edmonton and 1:0 win in Winnipeg).





CANADA

Lars Hirschfeld | G | Edmonton, AB | ROM / CFR Cluj

Pat Onstad | G | Vancouver, BC | USA / Houston Dynamo

Greg Sutton | G | Hamilton, ON | CAN / Toronto FC

Joshua Wagenaar | G | Grimsby, ON | unattached

Patrice Bernier | M | Brossard, QC | GER / FC Kaiserslautern

Jim Brennan | D | East York, ON | CAN / Toronto FC

Adrian Cann | D | Thornhill, ON | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps

Julian de Guzman | M | Scarborough, ON | ESP / Deportivo La Coruna

Marcel de Jong | D/M | Newmarket, ON | NED / Roda JC

Dwayne De Rosario | M/F | Scarborough, ON | USA / Houston Dynamo

Rob Friend | F | Kelowna, BC | GER / Borussia Mönchengladbach

Ali Gerba | F | Montréal, QC | GER / FC Ingolstadt

André Hainault | D | Hudson, QC | CZE / Sparta Praha (on loan from FK SIAD Most)

Richard Hastings | D | Vancouver, BC | SCO / Inverness CT

Atiba Hutchinson | M | Brampton, ON | DEN / F.C. København

Ante Jazic | D | Bedford, NS | USA / Los Angeles Galaxy

Mike Klukowski | D | Oshawa, ON | BEL / Club Brugge KV

Issey Nakajima-Farran | M | Calgary, AB | DEN / FC Nordsjælland

Tam Nsaliwa | D/M | Edmonton, AB | GRE / AEK Athens FC

Jaime Peters | M/F | Pickering, ON | ENG / Ipswich Town FC

Tomasz Radzinski | M/F | Toronto, ON | GRE / Skoda Xanthi

Adrian Serioux | D/M| Scarborough, ON | USA / FC Dallas

Paul Stalteri | D/M | Brampton, ON | ENG / Fulham FC (on loan from Tottenham Hotspur)





Head of delegation / Chef de délégation : Victor Montagliani

Head Coach / Entraîneur-chef : Dale Mitchell

Assistant Coach / Entraîneur adjoint : Stephen Hart

Assistant Coach / Entraîneur adjoint : Nick Dasovic

Video coach / Entraîneur video : Vic Mendes

Goalkeeper coach / Entraîneur des gardiens : Paul Dolan

Goalkeeper coach / Entraîneur des gardiens : Djamel Laarabi (Panama match)

Manager / Gérant : Morgan Quarry

Equipment manager / Gérant d’équipements : Mike Moretto

Physiotherapist / Physiothérapeute : Eddie Cannon (Brasil match)

Physiotherapist / Physiothérapeute : Ted Tilbury (Panama match)

Massage Therapist / Massothérapeute : Garret Kusch